2025 BFA Capstone

Carving Caution

How might I reignite a passion for skiing etiquette & safety through design?

The Project

Skier safety is a problem that isn’t new. While rules exist to protect everyone, adherence is inconsistent—some skiers act recklessly, while others are simply unaware. These safety rules are meant to protect one another, but they only work if everyone acts, whether beginners or experts. Despite efforts like signage, video campaigns, and education, many still disregard safety measures. My project explores how design can enhance ski safety by making these messages more engaging and actionable. Through personal experience, psychographic research, and interviews with key members of the skiing community, I gathered information about current safety initiatives to encourage responsible behavior on the slopes. I created unique signage to be placed in the ski village to catch the attention of passersby; it utilizes bright and visible colors, an element of 3-dimensionality, and comical phrasing of safety messages.

Research

Introduction and Approach to Research

Growing up on the slopes, I’ve become increasingly aware of the challenges surrounding ski safety. While rules exist to protect everyone, adherence is inconsistent—some skiers act recklessly, while others are simply unaware. These safety rules are meant to protect one another, but it only works if everyone acts, beginners and experts alike. Despite efforts like signage, video campaigns, and education, many still disregard safety measures. My project explores how design can enhance ski safety by making these messages more engaging and actionable. Through personal experience, psychographic research, and interviews with key members of the skiing community, I aim to identify ways to improve current safety initiatives and encourage responsible behavior on the slopes.

Methods

Interviews

To understand the perspective of those who are on the mountain and directly encounter the problem daily, I interviewed ski instructors, ski patrollers, and the senior health and safety manager at Beaver Creek.

Self-Ethnography

To understand what currently exists with signage and company promotion, I used personal experience and field studies to discover current signage and safety measures in place.

Psychographics

To understand how people’s beliefs, opinions, and interests impact their perception of safety, I researched several different academic sources about skiing, safety, and mindset.

Key Insights

Speed is often a significant contributor to accidents, with higher speeds causing worse injuries and even death, especially with trees.
Psychological biases, like overconfidence or optimism bias, can lead to underestimating dangers or overestimating their skill levels, increasing the likelihood of accidents.
Some signage can be easy to overlook and ignore causing them to be ineffective

Opportunity for Design

Speed is a core thrill of skiing, but many skiers underestimate their speed or disregard limits, signage, and conditions, leading to dangerous collisions and circumstances. The challenge is not just informing but motivating skiers to change their behavior. My goal is to develop unique, engaging solutions that go beyond traditional signage and interventions to effectively promote responsible speed management and rule following on the slopes.

Audience Benefit

I aim to make skiers more aware of the risks of excessive speed, not just for the safety of others but for their own well-being. By emphasizing the real consequences of reckless skiing and offering engaging solutions, I want to shift safety from an obligation to a personal priority. Though this, while wanting to reach as many people as possible, the target audience is intermediate skiers as they possess the greatest likelihood of dangerous skiing habits.