U.S. District Judge Dee Benson dismissed a lawsuit from snowboarders seeking access to Alta Ski Area, . The ski area will remain limited to skiers.
The snowboarders had sued Alta and the U.S. Forest Service, arguing they were being discriminated against based on negative stereotypes. But the judge wrote that Alta could have legitimate reasons to ban snowboarders and that federal court was not an appropriate venue to overturn the ban.
Rick Thaler, the attorney representing Alta, told the Tribune the ban was simply a business decision “that Alta made in order to provide a unique recreational experience for its customers.”
Alta is one of three remaining ski areas that ban snowboarders. The others are Deer Valley, also in Utah, and Vermont’s Mad River Glen.