After Being Violently Assaulted In Front of My 9 Year-Old at Northstar — a Vail Resorts Property — Northstar/Vail Resorts Protected The Man Who Attacked Me and Punished Me For “Causing” His Behavior

An update to this post with more information is available here. 

WARNING: Contains explicit language

bruised face

 

On February 25th an adult male snowboarder violently attacked me at Northstar in California — a Vail Resorts property.

The same snowboarder had ridden full speed straight at my 9 year-old son, screamed at him to get out of his way, and almost knocked him off the deck of the superpipe.

In the lift line, when I asked him to ride under control, the 6 foot man yelled at, threatened and grabbed me (I’m 5 foot 2 and was carrying a big filming camera and wearing a large backpack). He was inches from my face, with his body pressed against me, and had grabbed my shoulders.

“What are you gonna do bitch, fucking cry about it? You can’t even fucking ride, bitch. You know who you’re fucking with?! I’ll have you kicked out! You don’t know who you’ve fucked with now! You’re fucking dead! Are you gonna cry, little girl? Go fucking cry cause you’re fucking dead!”

I called to the lift operator for help. He said something in his radio, but made no move to help me.

The man continued his assault. “What’s your name, bitch? You’re dead. You’re fucking dead! Give me your name. What’s your name?! Awww, are you gonna fucking cry?!”

I told him 3 times to get away from me and stop touching me. I even told him I had pepper spray in my pocket and I would use it on him if he didn’t get off me. (I don’t snowboard around with pepper spray in my pocket, but was terrified and hoped the man would get off me).

He continued assaulting me. While holding my big filming camera in the crook of my right arm, I slapped at him with my left gloved hand to try to get him off me.

“You’re fucking dead!” He screamed again as he came at me and hit me in my left eye with his bare fist. I was stunned from the punch and started to cry.

A man in the lift line who was going past us, stopped and said, “Dude, you just hit a girl.”

“So?! Who cares?!” the man who had hit me replied.

“DUDE. You hit a GIRL,” the man in the lift line repeated.

“She deserved it,” he said and turned back to me. He continued verbally and physically assaulting me as he kneeled down and grabbed my left upper thigh — he held my thigh still as I struggled to get out of his grasp. The lift operator, who had finally walked over near us made no effort to stop the man from grabbing my thigh.

“Danelle. That’s your name, bitch? Danelle. You’re gonna burn, Danelle. I can’t believe you touched me, bitch. You’re so dead.” He had read my name off the pass attached to my thigh.

“Leave me alone!” I cried.

The lift operator asked me to step out of the lift line to wait for security. As I stepped out of the line, then stood silently, the man who hit me had also stepped outside the liftline; he stood 10 feet away from me, continuing to taunt and verbally assault me. “You’re a fucking bitch, Danelle. I’m gonna get you kicked out of here. I WILL have you kicked out. I’ll have your pass taken away. Keep crying little bitch. Go ahead and fucking cry…” As his friends came down the mountain he would point at me and loudly tell them I was a fucking crazy bitch and that he was going to have me kicked out and have my pass taken away. My 9 year-old was standing there listening to all of it.  He had witnessed the entire assault. The lift operator stood near us and neither said nor did anything to stop the ongoing verbal assault and threats. My goggles had been off because I needed to see the camera screen when I was filming my son on the jumps, but now I pulled the goggles down over my eyes so no one would see the tears streaming from them.

Thinking about it after the fact, I suspect the lift operator (a local) knew the man who assaulted me (another local). 

When security arrived, the man who assaulted me told security that I was a crazy bitch. The lift operator — unbelievably — seemed to back up the man who assaulted me. I wasn’t taken seriously, I wasn’t allowed to speak, I was cut off and told I was a liar. My nine year-old spoke up and told security “that guy grabbed my mom and screamed in her face and punched her”, but they told my son they wouldn’t take a statement from him because he’s a minor.

The worst experience wasn’t being assaulted, but that my son and I thought we would be safe once security arrived… instead I was bullied, told that I was emotional, and treated like I got what I deserved. I was told the assault was my fault for asking the snowboarder to ride under control. Then I was told it was my fault he punched me.

I continued being told that I shouldn’t have talked to the man, and what did I expect? (Not to be punched in the face seems like a reasonable expectation.) The way the male employees seemed to rally around this man who had violently attacked a much smaller woman was disturbing.

I don’t know if I ever want to snowboard at any Vail Resorts property ever again after how my son and I were treated, but I do know that I for sure would never want to contact their security personnel for any reason. The security team at Northstar seemed more concerned about exercising their power, rather than prioritizing people’s safety…

Northstar security told me that if I called police to the resort to report being assaulted, they would take my Vail Resorts Epic pass away permanently and that the police would be angry with me for bothering them. The next day, Northstar took my pass away anyway.

(When I filed a police report, the police officer told me he was extremely upset that Northstar would scare me into not calling the police, and that the resort tries to govern itself by not reporting assaults. The officer also said that he is called to Northstar resort ALL the time — that Northstar Resort keeps him in business — and that there is a group of men in their terrain park that he deals with constantly. There are obviously some major safety issues going on at Northstar, which explains why they don’t want more police at the resort. Because these issues were ongoing long before I was assaulted in their park, Northstar absolutely knew about the dangerous environment they were harboring. When I mentioned this to customer service on the phone, the customer service employee admitted Northstar has many problems with safety in their park, but said these things take time to fix.)

I’ve been my son Wesley’s snowboarding chaperone since he was a toddler.

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He’s only 9. All he could do is watch as his mother was attacked. We were supposed to be on a 2 week trip to Lake Tahoe for Wes to be photographed and filmed there.

People say Wesley is fearless on a snowboard…

…but Wes told me he’s never been so afraid.

The stress of watching that guy beat up his mom and how Northstar’s all male security team responded made Wesley get sick. He threw up for an entire night and couldn’t eat. He curled up in a giant bean bag and watched YouTube snowboarding and skating videos for two days. He will remember how scared and helpless he felt, and that nobody protected us, for the rest of his life.

His practice and filming schedule will have trouble going on without his mom to take him on the mountains. Wesley is being indirectly punished as a result of Northstar’s decision to punish me.

Vail Resorts knows how Northstar handled this incident, and has done nothing to intervene. Vail Resorts is directly condoning violence against women and victim blaming.

Wesley doesn’t understand how his mom can get beat up and the people at Vail Resorts say it’s her fault.

To Wesley and me, Vail Resorts is saying that it’s OK to hit a woman; to beat up a woman… Northstar originally told us the man who attacked me was banned along with me. Yesterday we found out that he received minor disciplinary action and is still snowboarding around Northstar.

Let that sink in.

bruised face

 

I’ve been told I’m banned from all Vail Resorts properties in the entire world. Northstar blamed me for “causing” an adult man’s violent behavior. They even said, “Well, you know how those snowboarder guys are.”

WRONG.

My sons and many of my friends are snowboarder guys.  They would NEVER endanger a child. They would NEVER assault a woman. 

I often travel alone with Wesley for snowboarding. For the first time in 7 seasons of snowboarding, I don’t feel safe traveling alone with him. Yeah, it was scary being assaulted, and it hurt being punched in the face… but how would you feel if the people who were supposed to show up to protect you put you through hell when all you and your child wanted was to feel safe again? That’s the part my brain can’t process and I’ve experienced a ton of anxiety due to how Northstar treated me — and the fact that Vail Resorts knows what happened and condones the whole thing.

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We aren’t an independently wealthy family. We live in the Midwest with our four children, but save and plan year round to afford for Wesley to train on mountains and for me to accompany him. As I sit here writing this, I’m with Wesley in Colorado. We planned and paid for a month long trip here using Wesley’s sponsorship dollars and our own money. I can’t take Wesley snowboarding. I have no pass. I’m left bumming my child off on friends, or — when friends aren’t around — letting him lap the terrain park as I stand at the bottom praying he doesn’t get hurt while he’s alone spinning and flipping off huge jumps.  I explained this to Beth Howard, the C.O.O. of Northstar, and begged her to please reinstate my pass because my 9 year-old son is not safe snowboarding alone. “Sorry for the inconvenience to your family,” was her reply.

Northstar customer service finally told me that the pass I paid for would not be reinstated, but I could buy day passes at the ticket window if I needed to chaperone Wes (at a cost of $170 per day at Breckenridge… totaling $5,100 for the month we’re here). I have no money for that. Our money was budgeted toward a season pass I was supposed to be able to use.

I’m in shock that Vail Resorts could think any of this is okay. I’m in shock that Beth Howard, C.O.O. of Northstar, could think any of this is okay.

Vail Resorts will continue to treat people — their paying customers — like this unless it hurts their bottom dollar. If families start refusing to vacation at Vail Resorts Properties because things like mothers getting beat up in front of their child then thrown out of the resort happen, maybe Vail will start to care how they treat people. Right now they don’t.

A few days after I was assaulted, Wesley and I went by ourselves to Alpine Meadows at Lake Tahoe so he could practice, but I couldn’t get in the lift line. I sat down on a bench and started to cry. Wesley asked me what’s wrong.

I said I was sorry but that I was afraid. My brain was telling me DANGER when I saw male snowboarders and employees I didn’t know, and I was afraid to stand near them in the lift line (a lift line is where I was assaulted).

But I needed to take Wesley up that lift, so I took a few deep breaths, wiped my eyes, stood, and skated into the lift line with him.

I asked Wesley for his input when I was writing this. One of the things I asked him is how he would describe his mom. Words like “scared”, “helpless”, and “weak” were coming to my mind as I waited for his response.

“Brave,” he said. “My mom is brave.”

I once carried 4 year-old Wesley on my back up part of the East Cliff Wall at Arapahoe Basin. Now he’s 9 and he’s carrying me.

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End note: Two days after the assault (February 27th), I sent the email below to Vail Resorts’ corporate. I received a response 10 days later saying that my email had been forwarded to Northstar.  On March 15th, I emailed the Executive Board of Directors at Vail and have received no response at this time. On March 16th, the C.O.O. of Northstar called me and told me that Northstar stands behind how they handled the incident. 

As I was telling the C.O.O. (on the phone) how the lift operator and security team treated me, she asked me if all her employees treated me badly. No, they did not. There’s a man named Howard who works in customer service who acted with respect and concern for my son and me. I spoke with him many times on the phone. He tried everything he could to help Northstar see they had made a mistake in how their security team handled the incident and in how they had treated me. Howard, thank you so much for caring about what happened to my son and me. You will never know how much it means to us.

(A copy of my email follows)

 

Hi Kelly [Ladyga],

I’m a mother of four from Iowa who snowboards with my kids (I blog about it here www.shredmom.com).

I’m very concerned with how NorthStar resort handled a violence issue. I was assaulted, threatened and punched in the face by an adult male snowboarder in front of my child on Thursday at Northstar.

Staff at Northstar discouraged me from calling the police to report the assault by saying that the police would be angry at me for bothering them and that Northstar would take my pass away if I called the police.

On Friday, I called the resort and was told that my pass has been revoked for the rest of the season and I am banned from all Vail Resorts. When the violent attack I underwent in front of my 9 year-old son was mentioned, your staff said, “Well… you know how those snowboarder guys are.”

Overall, I feel that this incident was handled very poorly and the ramifications of that are unfair.

I’ve been snowboarding with my kids in terrain parks for years, and have never come across ANY environment such as the one we encountered at NorthStar. I had to ride through and inhale a cloud of marijauna smoke with my child each time we exited the lift and entered the top of the park. The snowboarders were out of control, dangerous, and belligerent… my 9 year-old son was screamed at while trying to use the park features. He was clearly unwelcome there because of his age, despite being a talented up and coming rider (he’s previously filmed a segment for The Today Show at your Breckenridge resort). He was cut off by multiple reckless snowboarders while spinning off large jumps, causing him to crash badly. He was cut off trying to use the halfpipe — the adult snowboarders wouldn’t let him take his turn. Finally, my son was nearly knocked off the deck of the halfpipe by an adult male snowboarder who purposely rode full speed at my son, screamed, “WATCH OUT, KID!” and almost knocked my son off the deck to the ground 20 feet below. When I went to ask this snowboarder to ride under control is when he assaulted, threatened and punched me.

The fact that I was banned along with the adult male who attacked me is outrageous. [We have since learned the man who attacked me was not banned from Northstar.] Snowboarding at NorthStar has ruined our entire trip to Tahoe. We haven’t been able to snowboard because of my pass being pulled (my son cannot go on a mountain alone at age 9). We aren’t concerned with being able to return to Northstar, however, we are really upset with how this will affect the rest of our season. We have a month-long trip to Colorado planned so that Wesley can train and practice and film the footage his sponsors need for their websites and social media. We were planing to spend three of those weeks at other Vail resorts and even have a condo already booked and paid for. Our family saves year round so our son can train, and he sacrifices by being home schooled for a portion of the year because he loves this sport. There is no way he can continue his training/filming schedule for the spring without my presence.

I would appreciate it if Vail Resorts would treat this attack with the seriousness it deserves and take action to resolve this situation, as well as to make the park at Northstar a safe environment where snowboarders of all ages are welcome.

Thanks,

Danelle Muresan Foster

 

An update to this post with more information is available here. 

731 comments on “After Being Violently Assaulted In Front of My 9 Year-Old at Northstar — a Vail Resorts Property — Northstar/Vail Resorts Protected The Man Who Attacked Me and Punished Me For “Causing” His Behavior
  1. Wendy says:

    I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry that the people that who were supposed to help you, punished you. I hope that you don’t let this go, but share it all over until they take crimes against women SERIOSULY

    • Andy says:

      My gosh, very different to how I was treated at North star last weekend during the finals for the ski racing season. It was a complete joke dealing with north star lift ops, safety enforcers, and the general state of the hill.

      I’m a local(born and raised), and I would be just fine if I never had to go back! Wes defiantly doesn’t need any of that noise.

      Vail is buying resorts left and right, making the list of places I want to ride smaller every day.

      • ang says:

        Sounds like you need a lawyer. Sue them!!

      • Snowpea says:

        We are skiiers and bounce around many resorts. We have bought epic passes for 2 seasons. Unless you report that Vail Reaprts has taken action in your favor, we will avoid all vail reaort/epic pass mountains. There are a few left outside of their collection! I hate this happened to you, as a fellow mom who has been hit and whose children have been hit by skiiers and boatders not taking care, i too have spoken up. Strangely, even when mountain employees were near, no pass has ever been pulled. It is a mixed up world.

      • Harmony says:

        I say we all blow up their phone lines with questions and demand answers and if you have a season pass go get your money back.

      • Kevin says:

        1) write the CEO directly
        2) consult an attorney
        3) let them know tha none of your readers will ever pay to go to any of there resorts either

      • Amy says:

        You are a lier and continue to add to the shame of women who are actually trying to speak up for women’s rights and equality. Just because a situation gets out of hand and you get scared, gives you no rights to embellish on the true facts. Just because you acted wrongly, and a human, who just happened to be a male, made a stand and put you in your place (after you acted wrongly and out of line) does NOT mean you get to cry wolf and LIE. I’m thankful for the equal and fair action Northstar and Vail Resorts has taken against both you and the man involved. I’m thankful I no longer have to worry about yet another lying, rude, and inappropriately aggressive tourist (you do not live here, it does not matter how many times you’ve been here, you are a TOURIST to my amazing home town of Tahoe). I’m sorry this entire thing even had to happen but I hope to god you have learned your lesson. Control yourself woman, or someone else will, male or female. Even in your own personal story trying to claim the lift ops and patrol did not try to help you, is clear proof to us all that what the violence you’re trying to claim, did not happen. So please, stop embarrassing us women who are fighting hard for the actual equality of women. We do not support your poorly chosen actions, especially not in Tahoe where we birth real ass women.

        • Mary says:

          You have serious problems – you should look into that

        • Roger Birdham says:

          You are a dumb ass stupid person who should keep your mouth shut and go back to your job cleaning toilets.

        • Noelle says:

          Tahoe is MY hometown, too, you pathetic excuse for a female. You, YOU, are clearly a part of this problem and arent worthy of being a ‘local’ of Tahoe. You and your clan need to pack up and move back to Sacramento where you came from. Shame on you, girl!

          • Andi says:

            We don’t want her in Sacramento. There is enough stupid people here causing problems as it is.

          • Cheralyn says:

            It’s people like you that are part of the problem. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked to know you are doing a poor job trying to defend your rude friend. This was not his private resort. He was riding out of control and was a safety hazard. If it was your kid, you’d feel the same.

          • Kasmira says:

            You’ve shamed the locals by your rude response! It doesn’t matter where you live. You did not create those mountains and have no business telling her or anyone else that they are not just as welcome to use and enjoy them as the next person regarding of gender or age! My guess is that you are probably either a friend/relative of the man who assaulted her or the resort is paying you to respond to this post with your negativity!
            I can’t believe that any woman would condone violence in front of a child!!
            Again, You should be ashamed!

          • Janice M Kukauskas says:

            Guess you can’t claim any smarts either Noelle!!! Neither can you Andi!!

        • George says:

          What? Who is this really? Were you there? What evidence do you have that she is embellishing? Did the man strike her? Did he touch her? That’s assault. So is yelling at her. Are you that man pretending to be a woman or do you know the man? Your response is telling.

          • B walsh says:

            Actually nontouchingbis required for assault, that is battery. Verbal threats that make you afraid for your safety is enough to claim assault.

          • Kevin says:

            I was thinking the same thing George. Amy needs to get back on her head meds.

          • truth says:

            yes I agree, the response is certainly telling and I also suspect that it is the abuser and bully pretending to be a woman as he is too weak and afraid to truly say his true name, cause as we all know bullies are really afraid of everything.

            I would definitely push for assault charges, people at the resort obviously know who he is, since he is right now pretending to be a girl and not revealing his true name. Find out who he is, press assault charges and then sue the resort. I am sure you are not the first this has happened to and a class action lawsuit could be on the books.

        • Jane says:

          Exactly right. Excellent write up!

        • Brenda says:

          How do you know this? If you have backup to call this woman out as a liar you may want to share it. Otherwise, your argument is pointless. Unless your point is to call her names and insult her further.

        • Courtney says:

          Amy- your rantings sound that of a mad MAN not any educated women! So drop th BS. No person deserves assault at a ski resort for any reason. Grow the fuck up. I live in Cali and without TOURISTS your Tahoe would cease to exist. I AM a real ass woman boarding for longer than most of your life times and I would of jumped on that mans back so fast to defend that woman it would of made your head spin. I am embarrassed as a human that no one did otherwise. Even if a shread of this story is true its intolerable. If ski resorts want to pay minimum wage and not educate their staff to deal with head strong, entitled fucking locals then they should be sued and get repercussions. We wave the right to hurting ourselves on that mountain by buying a ticket but we don’t wave the right to let others there hurt us. Resorts have some responsibility to protect their patrons.
          Ps Amy, You better be glad your that anonymous cause I’d really shread your ass if I saw you on MY Sierra Nevada mountains.

        • Courtney says:

          Where is my other reply? Amy needs to be put in “her” place.

        • Amy:
          YOU have some nerve attacking Danelle! This individual punched, cursed and abused Danelle. I don’t care what the gender of an attacker is; violence acts are NOT justifiable.

        • Jamie says:

          I too am a local here in Tahoe and COMPLETELY disagree with you. There is NOTHING ok about a man getting physical and hitting a woman who is looking out for the safety of her child and even worse, while the child stands there terrified. I ride daily but definately not at Northstar. You speaking up and pretending to be the voice of the locals makes me sick!!! You are definately not representing Tahoe in any positive way. As a matter of fact you are part of the darker underbelly that has infecting this area for the last few years who think their better then everyone else because they live up here in this beautiful place while you are actually degrading it by being or hanging out with the bullies and thugs that think they own the place. Disgusting!!!! Sit back down!!!!! YOU DO NOT represent Tahoe!!!!!

          • Jamie says:

            Also, I have worked up on 2 different mountains growing up and am well aware of the “buddy system” up there when someone complains who’s not a seasoned local. So your defense of the response by its employees proving she was wrong is completely invalid as well.

          • Elle says:

            As a local speaking from personal experience, growing up in Tahoe I’ve seen the changes that have happened in the area due to tourism. The lake has lost clarity, tourists drive from wherever they’re from in cars that are totally incompatible with snow conditions, causing accidents and clogging the roads, they trash the beaches and treat locals like shit because they think they have some money to throw around, and that gives them the right to be assholes. This obviously isn’t every tourist, the mountain belongs to everyone who treats it with respect, but there is* a lot of disrespect that locals have to deal with on a regular basis and over time this builds up to resentment. Sorry to say but we’re not totally stoked to have gapers up here all the time. I only bring this up because people on this thread seem to think that Tahoe would be lost without tourists, when they are coming here to vacation, and be in a beautiful place away from the madness. On the contrary, they would be lost without Tahoe. It’s a paradise, and Locals just want a beautiful place to live; we want to start businesses that thrive, and we want support from those who also love where WE live. Also, it’s super rude to generalize that all of us are uneducated, “rude, butch pendleton wearing, beer chugging, loud mouth bitches” when you’re on a woman’s blog advocating for her as a woman… See the irony? And, further, I don’t see this as having anything to do with gender. So, let’s all take a deep breath. We love Tahoe, and whatever happened here, Northstar/ Vail obviously reacted based on the information they had in regards to the incident at the time. I find it hard to believe that if they thought right off the bat that she had been wrongfully assaulted, they wouldn’t have stepped in on her behalf. It sounds like there was misunderstanding on both ends that escalated, and I believe Northstar would make it right if Danelle continues to be clear about what happened. It’s of course never okay to hit, no matter what your gender, so I’m not trying to put down her experience, merely to highlight that Tahoe and it’s locals are not to be blamed for this experience. It was an isolated incident that will be dealt with outside of the interwebs. And if you feel personally effected, contact Northstar and tell them how you feel. We want the mountain to be a safe place for EVERYONE.

            • Jenz says:

              I too am a longtime local, but I would never condone nor allow one of my snowboarder sons, to hit a woman! My two snowboarding sons have been taught to ride the mountain with respect, no matter who’s riding that day. They’ve also been taught to practice kindness to all, no matter where they are. They would’ve without a doubt, protected this helpless & scared lady, alone with her child. And it wouldn’t have mattered to them, if she were a local, a tourist or just a daytime visitor! Yes, we all get tired & sometimes fed up with the extra garbage that comes along with tourism, but we are all tourist whenever we leave our hometown. Battery is battery & assault is assault, & that shouldn’t be tolerated by anyone at anytime, anywhere, EVER! No one should ever justify another being beaten on, abused or assaulted. Please, everyone learn to be patient, take a deep breath & practice kindness amungst your fellow human beings.

            • Rachel says:

              Ummm…really!!? We she DID contact them & tell them how she feels…can you actually Read? She isn’t blaming Tahoe or the locals. It’s obvious you are an employee of Vail! Trying to get local support for your comment by making locals feel her complaint against your resort is a personal attack on them. Pffft!

        • Rebecca says:

          Your a bitch with your Im a local crap.

        • Random casper says:

          WoW! Are you fucking kidding me? You have a lot of nerve to talk shit and go after this girl for what happened to her. So what if she’s a tourist, she has the right just like anyone else to ride the mountain. I grew up less than an hour away from Tahoe and have been riding there for 20+ years and was a “local” for 2. The only type of chicks that are raised up there are rude, butch pendleton wearing, beer chugging, loud mouth bitches (which is what you obviously turned out to be.)

          • Random casper says:

            Sorry for the double post my comment got cut off. The other type of girls raised up there are the ones that are cool, laid back skiers and boarders that dont want or condone any punk ass douchebag putting his hands on a woman. I wish i could have been riding there that day,id fuckin mollywhop that fool all the way down the mountain!

        • Kevin Heenan says:

          Sounds to me like Tahoe “births” some real genuine assholes. So the reason this woman should concede what happened to her is because you’re a local and she’s a tourist-? Locals who need to point out that they are locals, in most cases are just pretentious assholes. This woman was assaulted and your stance is hey I’m a local and she’s a tourist, so clearly she is lying. Where do people like you come from-?!!! This woman talks about how she is scared for her and her son, then you offer more insults and continue to make her feel like it’s her fault. You’re a special kind of asshole and karma is real, but you’ll find that out soon enough.

          • Cheralyn says:

            Kevin, there are lots of idiots all around the area. Whether one is waiting at the gas station at Cisco Grove, or at Northstar, the places are full of loud, rude people, pushing through lines, basically being selfish. I’ve seen it my whole life, 40+ years, in the vicinity.

        • John Paul LaCrosse says:

          You are the biggest moron I have ever read anything from. ‘Tourists’ are why Tahoe and every other ski resort in this country survive. I don’t know the details as well as most of us don’t, but to judge her without knowing anything makes you look just a bit under the idiot line. Local……that is such a bullshit term. I guess you were born and raised there? And if not, at some point you WEREN’T a local. That whole ‘local’ mentality is such a crock of shit. What is that some sort of status thing? It’s usually better to keep your thoughts to your self and have everybody THINK you’re an asshole than to speak up and remove all doubt. And before yo start tooting about ME and my skiing knowledge, how about 30 years in a little place called Crested Butte. So take your shit somewhere else and leave her alone.

        • Pkc says:

          Sounds like you raised your son to be as belligerently violent as you are.
          But no really, Obviously you know who the assailant is. It’s dumb, hick ass townies like you giving the rest of us women a bad name.

        • Denise says:

          I bet you are a Trump supporter. Your rant sounds like something he would say. Nut job. Learn how to write a proper sentence. Or don’t they believe in teaching proper grammar in the Tahoe schools?

        • DANI says:

          Hey, if you are going to call someone out as a liar, you should really learn how to spell it. No one is going to take an ignoramus seriously.

        • Joseph Wisgirda says:

          Ive been up there for 20 years. REAL ASS WOMEN don’t put up with that kind of abuse from misogynistic ogres. I hope that guy gets arrested or at the very least gets his ass kicked. Screw you for suggesting otherwise. Real men don’t hit girls.

        • Mckenzie says:

          You are a belligerent a-hole who puts Tahoe to shame. Local or not, get out of that cave you live in and get into 2016. Grown men, even losers from Tahoe, have NO RIGHT to hit a woman!!

        • Kathleen Duran says:

          You should be ashamed. Tourist pay just as much as you and have a right not to be assaulted for speaking up for the safety of their child. There is no excuse for violence against anyone. Your ignorance is astounding. No surprise you don’t put your last name. The way you write clearly you are a man. Or at the very least an idiot. I’m a local and would never condone anyone terrorizing anyone. Tourist afford you to stay here and keep Tahoe running MORON.

        • Kathleen Duran says:

          Oh by the way Fat Head Amy. You seriously need are the kind of person who needs to be fixed at birth so that no one will have to deal with any moronic offspring you most likely would produce. No one should have to be around any idiot like you or anything you might produce. Go climb back under the rock you came out of and make sure never to speak, write or express another dumb moronic comment. Violence is not acceptable, even if you don’t like what someone asks of you. And touching someone without their consent is not OK. He’s lucky it wasn’t me. Because I like her are a Momma Bear and I always try to keep my child and others safe. I have layed into men & women who are unsafe on the mountain and I am a local. You don’t poke Momma Bears. She should sue him and the resort for emotional & physical harm enflicted on both of them. She would win. That local stuff is BULLSHIT. TOURIST ARE OUR LIFEBLOOD GROW UP MORON!

        • Dok says:

          Local douche!

        • Jessica says:

          Amy, I am so embarrassed for you. I seriously can’t think of any situation that deserves a women to be hit by a man. Not only should you (Amy), be apologizing for your very disturbing thought process and actually writing it down, but you should be thanking the tourist that enable Tahoe to have the beauty and businesses that they do. Thanks to tourism we are able to open up resorts to add to our economy (yes, I am a local, born and raised). So now we are completely off base here. I think this horrific assult and lack of proper handling should be taken to every media outlet, and an attorney will take your case. Please Amy, do all of us locals a favor and don’t speak on public forums, you are an embarrassment, Sincerely, Jessica R.

        • Ashley says:

          My mom has some really good advice.

          Have a police report.

          Email Michael Finny, he’s on KGO Newstalk 810. Seven on your side. It’s a Bay Area channel news. He is a lawyer for consumers. When my mom wasn’t getting refunded for an airplane ticket and the company completely disregarded and ignored. She ask for help from him. Him and his team helped her with steps and then also backed her up. After they called the company was shaking in their boots because he would make the public aware of this. It would have spread like wild fire and been very bad for business. Pretty sure North Star doesn’t want it. I also think they might be able to help you get the guy’s name to file assault. This will help if he does this to anyone else. He should not get away with it. He could do it to me, he could do it to anyone.

          You need to give a brief explanation and maybe a link to this. Be honest about it all. When they contact you, they will want all of the paperwork.

          Good luck. Have heart, you are a mom doing the best for your son, and you son may have had to see something horrible but I’m sure he will be a warrior for women.

          • Tiffany says:

            100% Agree!! Reach out to Michael Finney. He and his team WILL follow up with you and do everything they can to right your situation. He will share this story far beyond your reach as well. Good luck, and you’ve got this girl!

          • Asa says:

            Thank you! Finally a possible solution, and not a post about who’s local and who’s a tourist.

        • kory says:

          Wow. Nice troll job, you weak ass man child.

        • Sherry says:

          Dear real ass woman,
          Were you THERE to witness this situation? You have no basis for an opinion if you were not present at the time. “Embellishing on true facts”.. Really?? Your comments demonstrate a bias attitude which is your right, but comes across as immature, bullying verbiage. Hopefully you will never experience any such trauma; & pray never while a child is present. I don’t have the facts either, but condemning anyone on hearsay, paints a clear picture of immaturity & a lack of common sense.

        • Oilscum says:

          Wow, when it comes to Tahoe birthing real ass women, Amy, you’re right….because you’re a real ass, woman!

        • Don says:

          Amy? What’s your real name dude?

        • Chris says:

          You are an embarrassment to all of the local Tahoe residents. Were you there? How can you say she embellished the story? You need help lady, that’s for sure. And who makes you a spokesperson for all Tahoe women? Big ego is what I see. Your attitude is a huge part of the problem (and yes, I am local,) and you certainly do not speak for me!

        • Retro says:

          well now, you just proved everything she said was right…you and your arrogant victim blaming are the perfect example of why she would be treated that way.You and your bully friends think you own the place, you need a reality check.TOURISTS?!You know your town would have no money without tourists..you would probably have no job.

        • Carrie says:

          Amy……you are an embarrassment. A man attacked a women and you’re blaming her? Your the one whose wrong. Please keep your uneducated opinion to yourself. It’s obvious you didn’t read what she wrote. The man who assaulted her wasn’t punished. You’re doing exactly the same thing that the men involved did to her. Assaulted and abused her. You’re no better than them.

        • Patty says:

          Amy, you talk to me like this and I will show you a real ass woman! You are a mindless butch that needs to be put in her place and I would live to do it!! Bitch!!

        • tonia says:

          I think your name is really Andy and not Amy. You most likely are the man who assaulted her. You act like a man high on way too many steroids. Grow up man child and I would think twice before putting your hands on another woman, she may just be armed with a gun next time.

    • Fiinbird says:

      Hi
      I am so sorry that you were bullied by a grown man.
      The dude himself should have his pass pulled too.I would sue the resort. That dude should have had his pass clipped.You or your son have the right of way if you are in front of them. A friend was hit by some guy in Utah who commented she was in my line. She is out of work with a major head injury concussion since 2/20/16. The guy bragged to his friends. Her husband was below and overheard this. The resort is at fault including the lift operator who should of called for back up. Write your story in the NY Times and Wall street journal too. If this happened to me I would be pissed. There are two sides to every story. Security should have not taken his side. Also there are resorts on the east coast that are great places to ski.
      Good luck and I am so sorry for this man. Money can buy some things, but not class which he lacks. Guess I will not ever go to any resorts owned by Vail is that is the way they treat women.

      • Lisa says:

        Sounds suspicious. Not calling the police because some ski resort yahoo tells you not to?? Not calling a lawyer? The whole story seems made up. If it’s not made up, you are definitely not to blame for what happened, but you certainly could have responded better.

        • Mike says:

          Ummm… She did call the cops I believe and that’s why her pass was revoked… There was a whole section of her story about the police report and their reaction…

          • AG says:

            Wrong. She claims she didn’t call the authorities yet “The next day my pass was taken away anyway”

            She obviously filed a report at least a day or two later.

            I definitely do not condone a man hitting a woman – or any human being hitting another human being. This includes a woman hitting a man, and the writer admits to hitting him (first.). It sounds as though her act of hitting him is what infuriated this lowlife and triggered the physical abuse. Until that point he was being verbally abusive (and the writer likely was also being verbally abusive in the confrontation). I love my nine year old son enough to abstain from hitting a 25 year old man on a ski hill – so my son understands violence is NOT a proper response to conflict.

            The described behaviour of the resort sucks, their management sucks, and IMO the writer is, or will be, seeking to gain from the incident financially.

            • Tlc says:

              Yes she did file a police report. Here is the part she mentions, “(When I filed a police report, the police officer told me he was extremely upset that Northstar would scare me into not calling the police, and that the resort tries to govern itself by not reporting assaults. The officer also said that he is called to Northstar resort ALL the time — that Northstar Resort keeps him in business — and that there is a group of men in their terrain park that he deals with constantly. There are obviously some major safety issues going on at Northstar, which explains why they don’t want more police at the resort.”

            • lily says:

              Read the story again. He grabbed her first.

            • Alexis says:

              She should have called the police right away, but she didn’t in hopes that her pass wouldn’t get revoked. Obviously it was the wrong decision, but it was one made in a moment of fear and adrenaline.

              Actually, she states that he had a hold of her by the shoulders with his body pressed against her. So he started the physical attack. She was trying to get his to back off by verbally telling him to leave her alone. When that didn’t work, she slapped at him. Because that was the only defense she had. If a man has you by the shoulders and is screaming in your face, violence is sort of the only option you have. Especially if nobody around is doing anything about it. So, she probably wasn’t being verbally abusive, because when a pissed off man has you by the shoulders and is screaming at you, you probably aren’t going to provoke him. I’m sure that her son understands that violence is NOT a proper response to conflict, since he watched a man use violence against his mother for trying to protect him. To imply that she doesn’t love her son enough not to provoke a man is unnecessary; I don’t even know why you felt the need to say it.

              The described behavior of the resort is abysmal, their management is atrocious, and the writer should be compensated for the incident, because she had to deal with a traumatic incident, and her 9 year old son had to witness it.

            • Donna says:

              Because you should take so coward putting hands all over you. He’s a coward and if you would let someone put their hands on you in any way. The coward is luck it wasn’t me. I sure my 7 brothers would end him. BE CAREFUL COWARD the next woman might end you. After all it’s not hard to drop a man if you don’t want him to ever get up again.

              • lisa johnson says:

                Hey!! I hear you maybe
                I will go there to ski!That punk tried doin that to me,I cant even say what would of happened, Dude your nothing but a punk bitch! And I hope we find out who you are so your put behind bars and youll be the one crying and screaming for Help!!!LOw life !!!!and VAIL I will tell everyone I know NEVER to ski and snowboard at any of your resorts!!!! And I got alot of friends who have friendS That have friends etc…….Every one else should do the same.VAIL IS Racist against women????

            • Deanna says:

              she hit him to get him off of her—he had already grabbed her shoulders and was pressed up against her…the moment he laid hands on her without her consent it was assault and she was defending herself. You are part of the problem–way to blame the victim. And really–questioning her love for her child–you’re despicable.

            • Eye Roller says:

              Ah, the Commenter Who Clearly Hasn’t Read The Article In Question But Who Shows Up To Defend Men Who Don’t Need Defending has arrived!

              Brilliantly done, citizen! Your entire response was a perfect example of someone who blatantly ignores what was written, victim blames and generally has nothing useful or meaningful whatsoever to add to the conversation!

              You also added an extra flourish by writing about your own clearly superior parenting skills with regards to a child (real or made up; either works) who conveniently happens to be the same age and gender as the author’s child! Now, that is dedication!

              Please accept a hearty round of applause for a job well done!

              • Faith says:

                You put that brilliantly and I can’t agree more. Thank you for standing up! The comments supporting the acts of the resort and man make me sick.

              • Kik says:

                Maybe she’s Beth Howard COO of Vail Properties who told the victim “sorry not sorry”. LOL

            • Nate says:

              Hey asshole. Can’t you read? “In the lift line, when I asked him to ride under control, the 6 foot man yelled at, threatened and grabbed me (I’m 5 foot 2 and was carrying a big filming camera and wearing a large backpack). He was inches from my face, with his body pressed against me, and had grabbed my shoulders.” And nowhere did it mention the man’s age. Sounds like you are a troll for Vail Resorts. To the writer: you should publish the man’s name. There’s plenty of real men out here who can show HIM what it feels like to be SCARED

            • Barb says:

              Pretty sure she just wants people to feel safe and to have the pass that she paid for back so she can be with her son. You need to rethink your life.

            • calista says:

              Didn’t she hit him to get him to let go of her shoulders?

            • Leslie says:

              Verbal abuse is NOT OKAY. That is one of the things that is wrong with out country any more. It used to be that MEN would step up and protect women from that kind of behavior. Not any more. Men are namby pamby wimps now that stand there and do nothing. Sad state of affairs that we are living with.

            • Victoria says:

              Nothing in this world justify violence of any kind. Your well thought words are meaningless as they com from an empty mind and hollow soul. Do not try to justify the man’s abhorrent behavior by implying that the victim of his attack instigated it.

            • Jillian says:

              She was being held before that and trying to get away and the lift operator did nothing. No one was doing anything. Hitting someone with your glove who is holding you threateningly in that situation seems pretty acceptable. It should have never gotten to that point. The resort workers should have done something before it got to that point if it was in plain sight like that, assuming she’s telling the truth. Taking one person’s pass is also not fair since there were two people involved.

              Violence is not a proper response to conflict, but if you are in a situation where someone is being completely irrational then staying rational doesn’t always work. Sadly. As long as it’s purely and genuinely in self-defense. Seeing absolutely no one react would be terrifying and of course you’d come to the conclusion that you have to take matters into your own hands in the big picture, ski pass irrelevant.

            • Law says:

              AG you are incorrect that according to her description that she assaulted him first. She clearly stated that HE GRABBED HER and shook her, she then told him to let go of her and tried to slap him to get him to let go of her. The first assault was him grabbing her, which is ILLEGAL. The crime is the touch, not the first hit. You were simply incorrect on the law. Please refrain from commenting on legal issues until you understand the law. Thanks

              Did you really mean to say that grown men can legally go around and GRAB women and shake them and they cannot defend themselves. You are incorrect.

            • Susana reyes says:

              You did not read it carefully. The man grabbed her by the shoulders first he pressed his body against hers. In a claim for battery and assault, the first one to touch is the aggressor. He then grabbed her camera which is attached to her body. All these aggressive acts he committed is a battery. She had the right to defend herself and use her glove by slapping him in hopes of thwarting the attack. I definitely think she has a cause of action against the ski resort who most likely has insurance to cover for the battery of the crazy lunatic and also for pain and suffering she suffered. She just needs to contact a personal injury attorney.

            • Silvia says:

              I don’t recall the part where she “hit him”????

            • Josh says:

              Well, according to her article, she didn’t get physical with him first. He had grabbed her by the shoulders, and apparently didn’t let go (since she noted she asked him repeatedly to stop touching her), holding her so tightly that they were in physical contact while he yelled at her. Sounds like he was infuriated and acting physically aggressive well before she slapped him.

        • Nikki says:

          True! The lift this happened on was about 40 ft away from the main lodge.. Why not remove yourself from the situation entirely and contact ski patrol? Let’s play the victim game!

          • Allyson F says:

            I can’t blame her for not walking away. If the staff was acting as if they were on his side then who is to say, the second she turns her back, they won’t let the offender ride away? Big resort, who is to say she would find him again. I wouldn’t let him out of my sight.

          • Vicki says:

            Seriously?! She was being attacked! She isn’t playing the victim game, she is in fact the victim! Your question should be why didn’t anyone help her not why didn’t she walk away. The guy was practically on top of her. Don’t make excuses and perpetuate abuse.

            • Kori says:

              That was my thought too: Why didn’t anyone step in to help? Because people don’t help each other any more – if anything they whip out their cell phones so they can post them on social media. Also, when we are afraid sometimes we don’t react in the way we might when we are not afraid. I am ashamed of the people calling this woman out – you weren’t there – you weren’t in her shoes – and you weren’t worried about your child.

            • Humanity says:

              The most shocking part of this is no one stopped to help her. A person witnessed an assault, commented on the assault, and left. What have we become as a society if people are not willing to come to the defense of a person, regardless of sex, being harassed and held against their will. At first I thought she fabricated the story because no one came to her assistance, I still think this might be the case. Would any of you watch as a person was touched against their will, punched in the face, especially with a 9yr child with them? Would you….. This is a major ski resort. There is evidence of this encounter somewhere if it did happen. This is not a case of shop lifting, this is an assault, the police would take this complaint more seriously. There are two sides to every story.

          • Rich says:

            Play the victim game? She is a victim. No more avail resorts for me. I’d be I jail if I witnessed that…I would have beat his ass and the lift operator. Cowards.

          • Alexis says:

            She states that the man had grabbed her by the shoulders. And when she got out of line to wait for security, he did as well, and lingered nearby taunting her more. Doesn’t really seem like the type of guy that was just going to let her remove herself from the situation. She was a victim, no games involved.

          • Shreddinit says:

            Victim game? We’re you born an ass or did you work at becoming one? Either way, you’re an ass.

          • Ali says:

            Wow your insensitivity is shocking. Did it occur to you that she was likely in shock that any of this was happening? I hope if you are ever treated poorly someone doesn’t say wow way to play the victim.

          • T. Butler says:

            When exactly did you entirely lose your humanity, “Nikki”?

            Despicable. Especially coming from another woman—if indeed you are a woman.

          • Kitty says:

            congrats, you’re the worst piece of sh*t excuse for a human being I’ve encountered on the internet all day.

          • Jen says:

            He was holding her. How was she supposed to get away?

            • Beth Rapp says:

              Lift your arm up ,turn your hand, open it, fingers strait up and back.Swiftly thrust the open part of the bottem of that hand up and break his nose, he has ahold of you, was bigger and assaulting you.No shame in defending yourself. Enroll in good self defense classes.You are only a victim if you let this ruin and control your life(been there, done that….)

          • Tom says:

            She’s playing the victim game because someone punched her in the face, moron. And as for removing herself from the situation, it’s hard when you’re being held by the shoulders by an enraged lunatic. I realize reading is hard; maybe you should try it before making idiotic comments.

          • Douche Detector says:

            Ladies and Gentlement I present ot you, a complete and total Douche Canoe

          • Cailah says:

            You are disgusting for saying that

          • Karen says:

            How do you just walk away when some idiot is latched on to you? I sure hope you will never be in a similar situation. Frankly, at my height of 5’8″ my knee would have been in his balls before I’d even think of slapping him in the face. I also know how to get out of a hold like he had on her but kneeing him in the balls would bring so much more satisfaction.

            • Beth Rapp says:

              If you are wearing a heavily padded snow suit, it wouldn’t hurt(enough)!!!The biggest COWARDS are the other bystanders who stood by while this was ongoing, and those in charge who did nothing!!!Total lack of humanity!

          • ... says:

            You’re stupid nicki, you really needed to know that

          • Howard says:

            Your a jerk Nikki.

          • Tiffany says:

            You must be a real special kind of stupid there Sweet Pea. How do you remove yourself from a situation when a man has you by the shoulders and is screaming in your face? The ski lift operator and security did nothing to help her, but you think ski patrol will? And the playing the victim game? I would love to slap the stupid right out of you, I can’t believe you even said that! Now crawl back into that troll hole you crawled out of until you have re-read the story,let everything she wrote sink in to that empty skull where your brain should be, really just let it all sink in, and then and only then should you reply. Stupidity really isn’t a flattering character on a woman.

          • Doodles says:

            The victim game? There are free online courses for critical thinking…might wanna come consider enrolling. Victim games are what thelse special snowflakes in college are claiming, when their fragile sensitivities are hurt because they see the “Trump 2016” written in chalk. Those are the fools worthy of your criticism toots.

          • Jamie says:

            Not true at all!!! She is a victim but certainly not playing a game. The second she walked up to that lodge he’d be gone, out bullying someone else like the thugs that hang out up there thinking they own the place. Also she was probably terrified and in shock by his behavior. I’ve worked in Guest Services on one of the mountains up there for a few years and there are a few, not all, boarding “bros” that think they are King of the Mtn. and give the resort a bad name. This needs to stop and his pass should have been pulled and he should have been arrested for assault!!

          • Kathleen Duran says:

            Ah another moronic woman. Victim game….shut up idiot. Try bring assaulted and then see if you are able to pick just the perfect response.

          • Retro says:

            Umm, why didn’t HE walk away? Why didn’t HE stop the aggression, ignore her and WALK AWAY? Why does it all fall on her? oh, cause she isn’t one of the “guys.” and why didn’t the life operator call for help IMMEDIATELY and separate them? old boys club, that is why.

        • Bridget says:

          She did call the police and file a police report. There is a whole paragraph about it:

          “When I filed a police report, the police officer told me he was extremely upset that Northstar would scare me into not calling the police, and that the resort tries to govern itself by not reporting assaults. The officer also said that he is called to Northstar resort ALL the time — that Northstar Resort keeps him in business — and that there is a group of men in their terrain park that he deals with constantly. There are obviously some major safety issues going on at Northstar, which explains why they don’t want more police at the resort. Because these issues were ongoing long before I was assaulted in their park, Northstar absolutely knew about the dangerous environment they were harboring. When I mentioned this to customer service on the phone, the customer service employee admitted Northstar has many problems with safety in their park, but said these things take time to fix.”

          • AG says:

            It was not until at least a full day later since “the next day, Northstar took my pass away anyway” (meaning she had NOT called the police as of the next day). My guess is she hit him first, did not expect him to wallop her like he did and now wants to benefit financially and drum up as much negative publicity as possible. Remove yourself from the situation, scream help at the top of your lungs if you have to, but don’t be physical and make a bad situation worse – male or female.

            • justin says:

              Much like The Dude wanted his rug, Danelle just wanted her pass back.

            • DK says:

              Did you miss the part where he grabbed her first? That is battery and her slap is considered a self defense move. He was the primary aggressor and should have been arrested. Get your head out of your a**!

            • Your dad says:

              Or stand up for yourself like a proper human being, instead of being walked all over and expected to cower in fear. Fuck that shit, stop posting you pussy. Go back to being the fucking sheep you are.

              • Your mom says:

                Asshole! You’re part of the problem

                • K says:

                  I’m sure he’s one of “boarders.” They are not all bad, but when you come across “those” types on the hill, you stay away! It is extremely hard, as a parent, to sit back and watch idiots yelling at slower kiddos as these drunk or high boarders are carelessly flying down the hill. There is no way they could stop on the dime if need be. And yet they expect everyone to be watching up hill for them and to get out of the way. I think they should all go through a certification program that explains the rules of the hill. And, increase security. I think this is the tip of the iceberg with many other confrontations never reported!!

                • Your kids says:

                  Stop Fighting, I hate it when you guys do this. That’s why johnny ran away. – You all are fucking trolls with that unnecessary hate if that was you wife,daughter, mom you’d kick his ass.

              • Karen says:

                It appears to me that she was standing up for herself and her son. That’s why the guy threw a hissy fit which I’m sure he NEVER would have done if the kid was with his dad and it was the dad that confronted him. My guess is he has a history of abusing women.

            • scared now says:

              ive been assulted, a man in my face screaming and trying to hurt me. I was so scared, I hit him! Was I thinking straight? No way! Then I ran, straight to the nearest police station. She couldn’t run, she had her 9yr old n there’s no way a mom is going to leave her kid behind. So no saying “she should have done this or that and thought it thru”, fear can take control.

              • Gogorama says:

                She couldn’t take her son with her to the police. I am not going to take sides until I hear all sides. I grew in a family of deniers and liars and if we went by their version of how things went well…

                But as a survivor of abuse I can tell that the people I would lay most of the blame on are all the fucking bystanders who stood there and did nothing to alleviate the situation or try and get it under control. It was probably awkward for them but they all chose to take the “Better her/him than me path”. And I find THAT disgusting. That’s how you get genocide and holocausts and school bullies running rampant.

            • Rex says:

              The a-hole was already being physical with her. Once he laid hands on her he committed assault. She had every right to slap him when he continued to fondle her. I suspect that you are one of his running buddies.

            • Kathleen Duran says:

              MORON she was in shock. What fucking difference does it make when she reported it. She did. She’s a victim show some empathy. Not stupidity.

        • Anna says:

          Let’s not engage in victim blaming.

        • Amy says:

          Suspicious? Think about this in a different perspective.

          Lisa, how about you try getting punched in the face, or strangled, or abused in ANY psychical way by a male. Then to have a lifty WATCH it and not do anything and have everyone accuse and blame you for you being abused!?!? WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

          You would be in a state of shock and just want to get the fuck out of there. You wouldn’t be able to think clearly after just being punched in the face by a MAN. Quite a ridiculous response minus your not to blame part.

        • Terry gray says:

          Or not commented to the guy to avoid the confrontation that surely you couldn’t handle .and reported it to the resort, deserve has nothing to do with your getting assaulted, you have to think things through or deal with the ramifications or your free speech in this day and age . People are stupid and unpredictable. Get with reality.

          • Terry gray says:

            And as far as your 9 year old having all of this play out in front of him ,that is the first thing that you should have been thinking about when you no doubt about it ,commented to him with anger as a parent. You put your son in that situation by confronting the guy.

            • Reno Mom says:

              Unbelievable. She confronted the man as a protective mother. She was well within her rights and even if she approached it as bitchy as possible, it still would not justify him punching her in the face. Blaming her for being assaulted is exactly what is wrong with our society. Shame on you.

            • HG says:

              Why is it a bad thing to confront someone who is in the wrong in front of your child? She was using that moment to calmly teach her child HOW to stand up for yourselves and those around you. She also did it in a public setting where most might expect to also be considered a safe setting. Had she not said something, then she would have been passively letting something happen that had the potential to harm her child. It’s unfortunate that her moment of standing up for her child turned so awful. But no need to point blame at her.

            • Canadian Skier says:

              If he was endangering other skiers or snowboarders on the mountain she was in her right to tell him to be careful. Also where do you get off assuming she spoke to him angrily? No where does it say she did that and even if she did it doesn’t justify him physically and verbally assaulting her.

            • Jules says:

              You are an incredibly humungous fucking idiot. So she’s supposed to LET people endanger her son? So we CAN’T call people out on shitty behaviour these days? Take your victim blaming attitude and shove it up your arse.

          • Chris says:

            Perfect example of hypocrisy right there Terry. You say that you have to be willing to accept the ramifications of your actions. Well you should look into how IP logging works. Oh, and maybe also look into IP alottment logs and how easily your address can be determined from these two simple items. Just because it’s the internet doesn’t mean it’s always anonymous.
            I wonder how you deal with people getting in your face and slugging you for your words.

          • K says:

            That still doesn’t make it okay. The last thing she wants to hear is “get with reality.” That’s basically saying she deserved it. That is exactly what is wrong with society. Constantly accepting the unacceptable. And you also are saying that behavior on the hill such as this is acceptable. That good people should just take it or ignore it. It’s not okay. The bigger question is what resorts can do to protect visitors from this type of aggressive, careless behavior. It is a huge problem no resort is willing to admit. Find a resort that comes up with a solution, welcoming families and let the careless, drunk and high a-holes go somewhere else!

        • Linda Weihofen says:

          Oh My Gosh, I only hope this happens to you some day Lisa and you do everything right and then have some stranger that was not even there say your actions seem suspicious. IT IS NEVER OK FOR A MAN TO HIT A WOMAN. IT IS NEVER OK TO RESPOND TO WORDS WITH VIOLENCE. That is the message here. Not you guessing what happened.

        • Jeff says:

          Lol….great comment! Way to contribute absolutely zero!

        • Lisa you may want to read her whole story because she did call the police

        • Jacklynn says:

          She clearly said she did call the police anyway, even though they urged her not to. Read the whole thing.

        • SunBuni says:

          Lisa you need to read the story again! He put his hands on her first. She slapped at him to get him off of her. How did she verbally assault him? Asking someone to ride under control isn’t verbal abuse. Even if she told him rather than asking doesn’t constitute abuse. Sounds to me like he’s a POS that has gotten away with the same behavior before and knew he’d get away with it again. And he did!
          Danelle it is a shame what you and your son have gone through. It is disgusting that they’d pull your season pass and then tell you that you can purchase daily lift tickets. With what the officer told you you should talk to an attorney.
          Regardless of the outcome I wish you, your son and family well.
          Wesley, stay strong little man.

        • Chris says:

          Lisa, you obviously don’t know what it’s like to go through a traumatic event. When something wrecks your whole world, you can’t think straight for quite a while and you are looking for help from anywhere. Trying to figure out who is screwing with you is very tough.
          My heart goes out to Danelle and her family.

        • steve says:

          Sorry but im calling bs on this. It seems ridiculous that this would just happen out of the blue. I feel like your leaving something out like you hitting him first? I’ve also heard that it’s bullshit from a bunch of locals. Your kid SHOULD NOT be hanging out near the superpipe, its really irresponsible of you.

          • Johan Plankster says:

            Steve- The kid could shed you in any contest. You are a dingleberry to say he doesn’t belong in the the pipe.
            Did you watch the video you silly little kook?

        • Sara says:

          Victim blaming. People like you are exactly the problem.

        • Katrine Rudefors says:

          I am so sorry your holiday was ruined by this yahoo on a board and your son had to witness all of this. For years, snow boarders have created a vision of themselves as ‘wildings’ and anarchists of sorts! What a laugh, grow up kids!
          Guess some of these ‘boarders’ have forgotten that they too were kids practicing on the half pipe and ski parks with their parents taking photos..or maybe not. I hope you will pursue this incident and get a refund from the resort at the minimum. Your face will heal (quicker than your feelings), but have the confidence to know that this man who assaulted you sounds like he used you as his scape goat for a sad life. Wonder what he does for work…if he has a job? Go to Alpine Meadows, it’s better conditions, better staff and more civilized.

        • joshua marsh says:

          you better shut the fuck up asshole. she was not near her home and had nobody there to support her

        • steph says:

          Respond better? She was punched in the face after telling a man not to knock her child off the shelf and no one helped… what’s the worst that could happen if she stood up for herself and her son? Getting punched in the face and having her pass revoked sound pretty bad for not ‘reacting better’… if you’re not against violence and inhumane treatment, you’re for it. Wow. You’re FOR punching mothers in the face for standing up for their kids.

        • G says:

          I’m the last person who would jump at a chance to sue but perhaps you should stand up for yourself. If you were able to step out of line, why not leave, call the cops and bring them to the lift? Press charges against Vale, Northstar, security, lift operator and the snowboarder. Why would you continue to call the resort, write vale and complain when based on your treatment they weren’t going to do anything? When he started in on you … the first opportunity you had you should have walked away instead of waiting for security especially if you were scared and fearful and especially if you had your 9yo son with you. You didn’t deserve that treatment but should’ve known it was best to walk away and deal with it with the police.

        • John says:

          You’re kidding right? Either you didn’t read the whole story or you have a relationship with, the man who assaulted this woman, Vail or Northstar. Go tool someplace else

        • Jordan Jacobi says:

          I agree, and holding an obnoxiously large camera on a ski slope? Why had she not used it to film the event? It also seems irresponsible to juggle watching a five year old who is clutzing it up on a slope with serious boarders and skiers while she is randomly Nat-Geo’ing it down a hill w a camera. Sounds fishy, and my gut feeling is she is unstable …but it’s just my feeling, not knowledge. Sounds like a cry for help and just some sue happy person who is going to cause lift tickets to get jacked up.

        • Noelle says:

          You are ridiculous. I hope something like this happens to you someday in front of your child. Let’s see how you handle it.

      • MJ says:

        I think we need to hear Northstar ‘s side of the story before we pass judgement. First of all, if it is up at the lift line, it is usually not security that comes but ski patrol. And second there should have been plenty of witnesses to verify what you are saying if you want to press charges. Third, Northstar is overly customer oriented. The customer is catered to in extremes I have never seen. Personal get fired for talking back to customers, for not showing up well groomed. People get offered free passes for minor inconveniences. So from a customer centered attitude to revoking your pass for being punched just does not make sense to me.

        • T says:

          I work for northstar/vail and have never once seen any employee not stick up for any victim. Just last week, a man had a seizure and security was contacted immediately (by fellow employees) and they contacted the paramedics immediately. They stood by that mans side until somebody with proper training showed up. A lift opt can get fired if they intervene or touch a customer! They could get fired, sued, etc. I am not saying it is okay for any one person to hit any other one person, but I believe we should hear both sides before assuming anything rash on northstar or vail. We strive for epic service and to go over and beyond for each and every person.

          • John Stewart says:

            Oh yeah let’s believe the person being paid by the resort to stick up for it. Fuck off.

          • iheartkarma says:

            A medical event is a little different than an altercation. Perhaps y’all need a little more training in confrontations since you clearly have the capacity for supporting a person in “medical” trouble. You’re comparing apples and oranges. (That’s an idiom, by way. You might have look up the definition).

        • Toni says:

          Unfortunately, my experience with Northstar staff is just the opposite. I just commented last week that “this attitude and behavior is what everyone used to say about Squaw. That’s why We moved to Northstar. Now they are just as bad.” It is a shame that anyone would think it is ok for any man to hit a woman. Imagine how he is in his life away from the park. He obviously is an abuser that thinks like abusers think; it’s ok to hit a woman, she deserved it. Sad, so very sad. Wouldn’t want to be a woman in his life. Too bad she didn’t publish his name. Shame on Northstar for their handling of this. If you banned her from all your parks why offer the option of paying the daily rate? Why isn’t the other party also banned? Even in schools both parties are punished, irrespective of fault.

      • Micah says:

        Danelle, I am appalled by what has happened to you and how Vail has handled the assault on you. I worked as a lift operator for 2 years out in Colorado. I have a passion for the mountains and riding. I think it is awesome that you put the time, money and passion into giving that opportunity to your children. The resort I worked at was Copper Mountain. That atmosphere there is very friendly and customer service driven. The CEO, Gary Rogers, even takes time during the busiest days of the season to go scan tickets in the lift lines not only meeting the customers but working side by side with the frontline staff. Its a big resort with a small business atmosphere. And they are partnered with Woodword so your kids could try out their new tricks into a foam pit before taking them to the park. What I’m getting at is if you are looking for a Non-Vail resort to go to next season Copper Mountain would be an excellent Choice! Just so you know, I no longer work for them and am not affiliated with Copper Mountain in any way at this time. I just really enjoy the culture and community there. And the Lifties are super friendly (at least they were while I was there. 🙂 Happy Shredding! – Micah

      • I’m sorry that all of this happened. Please bring your son to Montana to ride. Guaranteed you’ll have an uplifting experience.

    • gladdie says:

      don’t go to Heavenly….worse snowboarders rule that hill

    • Ryan says:

      If you were assaulted , get a lawyer. Your case as you present it seems straight forward. You were punched in the face. Vail is rich and any lawyer would take this case. With all due respect is there something you are leaving out? As a avid snowboarder and pass holder in Tahoe for 20 years and a former terrain park employee , this is unacceptable and horribly wrong. I hope you sue Vail and get a life long pass for you and your son!

      • Heidi says:

        I agree… if you haven’t already contacted a lawyer, you NEED TO ASAP!
        Give it to them.
        I’d probably be skiing with my 9mm from here on out.

      • K says:

        People keep saying for her to get a lawyer. Really, who has the money? And, against the VAIL Corporation? Seriously? The best she can do is spread the word through social media and traditional media. I hope she gets traction because safety is a HUGE issue on the hill. I’ve seen it and experienced it (not to that degree). You’ve got a lot of careless, aggressive animals on the hill wo expect you to be looking out for them uphill. Also, they re playing loud music, or drunk, or high or using extremely vulgar words in front of kids, families. The smartest resort would come up with employee training programs, community education programs on hill safety and visitor reporting mechanisms to show these punks what is acceptable behavior on the hill.

      • Noelle says:

        Agreed. This was a legal matter from the time that guy became a threat in the park. Let me tell you, I spent decades working on the hill including as a lift op. People skiing/boarding out of control have put bistanders in hospitals, blown right through groups of beginners taking lessons and I’ve even been there when these incidents were fatal. Nothing sadder. Yes, please do sue the bejesus out of FLATstar and Vail for failing to protect you and your son as he reaches for his dreams.

    • Mylene Richardson says:

      I’m very sorry this happened to you and your son.
      The man sounds extremely dangerous. The company acted extremely unjustly.
      I pray that you consult the best attorney for this case.
      I would like to help you and your son in any way I can.
      Good luck.

    • Snowboarder from hell !!! says:

      Give me the assholes name and I will shove his board so far up his ass he hot wax his tongue in order to move.

    • Amber Ewoldt says:

      Danelle, I am from Iowa as well who moved out to CO a few years back to and became a children’s snowboard instructor at Beaver Creek. This shocks me greatly to see that this is how a company I worked for years back is treating you and your family! I ended up moving out to Carson City, NV and I have visited Northstar a few times and every time I rode through the park… It was an overwhelming feeling from the locals that I wasn’t allowed there and they were extremely disrespectful from that of the resorts in CO. I ended up spending most of my time at Heavenly instead. If I was to witness this happen in the lift line as an instructor or general public, I would of stepped in… I can’t believe nobody helped you. I am sorry for all the pain and frustration this has caused you, and I hope Vail Resorts can get their shit together!

    • ivy jones says:

      I was first hand witness to this incident. No one did anything because no one wanted to get involved. The employees did not get involved also, maybe part of their code, but the security guy did come later. I hope she press charges toward the guy and the resort

      • adan says:

        you NEED to contact her and tell her you are a whitness and will testify. this incident TRAUMATIZED a nine year old. he will deal with this for the rest of his life. as will she.

        • Gogorama says:

          It will traumatize them ONLY if they choose to let it traumatize them. I am a survivor of abuse to I can assure you are only as traumatized as you choose to be and you are only a victim (as opposed to survivor) if you choose to be.

          Now granted the 9 year old may have a harder time initially if he doesn’t get into therapy right away to sort out his emotions but yeah being a victim in the end is a choice. And they way the wood has been thrown around here while accurate to the situation is alarming. She is a survivor of assault. Let’s try and use more positive language here. Instead of keeping the victim a victim.

        • Noelle says:

          Yes, what if the incident has changed the course of this little guy’s rise to shred-dom? But I think we all see the broader implications as well. This boy and his mother have rights which have been grossly violated. Yes, please DO back this family up!

      • MtnArt says:

        The entire ski/board community is wanting to hear from a witness to corroborate her story. If indeed you did witness this event, you really should contact the apparent victim and be willing to testify.

    • Fearful says:

      Vail resorts recently hired my ex boyfriend who is in jail for felony assault domestic violence charges, to work in their terrain park. He is on work release, leaves the jail everyday to come to work around tourists and small children. And vail knows this. Beaver creek has been my home now for 5 years. I no longer ride beaver creek and choose vail to go to out of the fear and harassment. Now tell me why a WORLD CLASS resort is employing people like this

      • Tired of BS says:

        Because felons need jobs too and companies get huge tax benefits for employing felons, even on work release. Many, many very large companies employ felons due to the tax benefits.

        Deal with it.

        Just because he beat you for being a catty asshole doesn’t mean he’s a danger to kids or random strangers. Get over it.

        • Daisy says:

          Because people with anger issues shouldn’t be employed in places where they are around children and large amounts of people. Whether it is physical or sexual assault, would it be okay if he were a rapist? Maybe in your world. But maybe you are just another wife beating neanderthal.

        • Lyanna says:

          Wow you are a piece of shit. Prioritizing tax benefits over the safety and well-being of someone who was assaulted by someone close to her? I’m wondering if YOU are the ex considering you seem so flippant about “beating someone for being a catty-asshole.” Fuck off.

        • iheartkarma says:

          Wow. Spoken like a Class A douchebag!

        • TDog says:

          You’re an ass! Probably another felon that needs a job.

      • Johan Plankster says:

        Holy snot rockets!
        The reason they are employing violent criminals is because they pay shit wages that don’t pay the bills, so they depend on prisoners and the most desperate people around.
        People in jail should not be snowboarding during the day!

    • Mimi Bupp says:

      How frightening for you and your son. This is HIGHLY actionable. Not only is Northstar negligent in hiring buffoons who look out for their thug friends, Vail Corp. is responsible as well. You’re looking at big damages plus punitives as well. Time to LAWYER UP! Check with your local bar association or ask friends you trust for a good referral. GOOD LUCK !!!

    • Patricia says:

      GET A LAWYER. You were assaulted. Take that guy and Northstar to court.

    • Ben S. says:

      I am SICK while reading this, and SO VERY SORRY this happened to you Danelle, it’s unconscionable. As a Bay Area Skier and having TONS of friends who board and ski, that douchebag should have been arrested for assault, PERIOD! That is NOT how people need to act on the slopes. I used to be an Epic Pass holder for years (Heavenly, Northstar & Kirkwood) and I actually switched to the Tahoe Super Pass at Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows this season BECAUSE of how poorly I (and MANY, MANY others), were treated at the Vail owned resorts. Alpine Meadows especially is a GREAT place to Ski & ride, and so I’m glad you got back on the horse, so to speak, there because it’s a safe place. What happened to you is DISGRACEFUL, and how Northstar lift ops & security handled the situation is DEPLORABLE! Had I been there, I would have come to your aid IMMEDIATELY! They need to apologize to you and reinstate your pass. It sends the completely WRONG message that this kind of behavior is acceptable, and holds the victim responsible? NO WAY! Beth Howard might be getting a call from me on this, because it’s COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE! ?

      In terms of resorts valuing their bottom line versus how customers are treated, it’s pathetic but unfortunately true that at the majority of resorts (ESPECIALLY the Vail owned ones), $$$$ is valued more than good customer service. In this situation, though, the police should have been called IMMEDIATELY because he ASSAULTED you, in front of your son and other witnesses! Northstar security can say and do whatever, but he deserved to be arrested, have his pass taken away, AND be held in jail while you filed assault charges against him. Don’t worry, karma will get his ass in the end and he’ll mess with the wrong person who won’t be as nice as you were about this. SO SORRY this happened to you and your son, and PLEASE don’t let this put you off on Skiing at other places in Tahoe, because it really is a BEAUTIFUL place, we’re not ALL assholes. Come back again and Ski at other Tahoe places — there’s FAR better mountains than Northstar anyway. ?

      • Noelle says:

        Ben, thank you for saying exactly what so many of us are thinking. I am going to write and call some folks, too. Sadly, Vail has bought out many resorts funding themselves in peril, including my favorite (a place I lived 5 yrs), Kirkwood. If not for Vail, they’d have gone under in the ealy 1990’s. Yes, they pay minimum wage and always did. You work there for your pass, for a life experience, but tend to experience poverty. That doesnt mean you hire criminals! Wth… Anyway, youre a good man and citizen. I hope Danelle takes comfort knowing people would have backed her, and do.

    • Tahoelocal says:

      Sounds like a sponsored northstar athlete… Why has nothing been said by northstar.

    • Marcia Easterly says:

      I’m so sorry for your treatment and that your son had to witness this horrible assault. I would get an attorney.

    • Val says:

      Boycott all Vail ski Resorts everyone. Hit them in the wallet.File assault charges & list the resort as an accessory after the fact. They would have to appear in front of a judge & jury where the resort & the man who hit you would have no power to control the situation.

    • Shaylin says:

      Now sue Vail Resorts For hiding misconduct, as the police told you.While they take actions into their own hands and let men batter and scare women in front of their children,get a million dollars,that will help you ski anywhere you want and hopefully get your son the sponsonships and air travel he needs to become a whole reknown boarder.Good luck.I will never ski NorthStar

    • Kristina Hollie says:

      This is terrible. This man is an out of control spoiled man child. Vail needs to figure this out or i’ll never go back. Please update us.

    • Betterthanyou says:

      All of the eye witness reports state that this entitled woman approached, first verbally and then physically assaulted him. Also employees are told not to intervene and call ski patrol as its a liability issue. Remember this the next time you think you can walk all over ski town locals. We live where you vacation. We tolerate your lame attempt at living our lives for your “two week trip”. If your son can’t run with the big dogs, he should stay on the porch. That goes for you too. You’re banned from vail resorts because you’re clearly too inept and unable to be cool to participate with the real skiers. Say your son was being photographed one more time, the only ones impressed by that are your fellow Gapers. If I could meet this man, I’d shake his hand. And you better not let me find you or your sub-par son at my mountain behaving this way or you’ll be praying for your friends at vail to come back. Losers

      • CD says:

        Wow so there are thugs on this mountain! You just helped prove her right!

      • Chaucer's Revenge. says:

        Oh goodie. Another thug. I’m a local too, but you jokers give us all a bad name. You’re as bad as the neanderthal she speaks of. You’re probably one of his pals. Twenty something punks who think the world revolves around your stoned off your ass selves.

        And you don’t own the mountain, Sparky. Everyone who buys a pass has the right to be there.
        You’re the one with the entitlement issues.

      • MJ says:

        Um yeah… I am ski resort born and raised. Sure it can be dangerous for super inexperienced riders to knuckle 30ft jumps. Yeah it’s really annoying when Jerry’s use the sides of a rail takeoff as jump, or even have someone ski over your equipment in a lift line….. I could go on and on. HOWEVER! regardless of how annoying gapers are you don’t punch a lady. Furthermore, your punk ass, as well as, the turd who hit her, didn’t learn to ride overnight. At one point, mister “better than you” aka sir la douche, you too were also a gaper. Everyone starts some where. Plus did you see the video of the kid??? He is not your average gaper? This KID (yes, he is only 9) has got solid skills. Alt east solid enough to be further developing his young craft in a 18 or 22 foot pipe.

        Furthermore, who the fuck are you? “Better not let me find you or your sub-par son at my mountain behaving this way…” I doubt you “own” your local mountain. You talk like someone who just moved to a ski town and is asking everyone for a “locals” discount. ?

        Way to be super bro and stick up for the woman beater…. ??

      • Noelle says:

        Youre not a local. Youre just another couch-drifter playing King of the Hill in someone else’s back yard. Weekend warriors pay the taxes that fund CalTrans, the forest service, BLM and other essential services you use daily to get to the hill in your crappy, hotboxed car. Stop resenting people who made better life choices than you, who are supporting you with their tourism dollars. And stop being a bully about it. You sound like a child and a moron.

    • G Reynolds says:

      I have been skiing my whole life and love the fun of the lift line almost as much as I love the bar. This story is so sad that my vacation next winter WILL NOT involve any Vail resort , which saddens me because they bought up some sweet hills. I want to weep. But Fuck them……

    • Joanna says:

      I hope one day, when your son goes pro despite this horrific situation, that he will call Vail resorts ou5 from the podium. I’m so sorry this happened to you two, this story makes me sick to my stomach.

    • Brandi says:

      If your son has been on the Today show I would contact them. National coverage on something as disturbing as this would hopefully get somebody’s attention. If it was out there for everyone to see they would have to deal with it instead of sweeping it under the rug like it never happened. It would also hopefully encourage other families to spend their vacation and money somewhere else.

    • . says:

      So why did it take almost a month for you to blog about this. I call Bullshit

    • hilary turner says:

      Please sue them!

    • Can someone pls recomend a honest attorney for this young mother and son. This is a crime what has happened to them by a fellow patrion. But she should be suing the resort. It happened on there property and they did not protect her nor her son from this attack. And then to restrict from ever getting a season pass. Sounds to me with the right attorney she won’t to worry about a season pass. She will own the resort. God Bless you and your son. DON’T GIVE UP YOUR DREAMS‼ Your son looks like he’s on his way to the championships. You shuold be very proud both of you. Young man for all your hard work, and you mom for the sacrfices you have made for your son, Please don’t let some piece of shit take away what the two of you have worked so hard for. Live your DREAMS they do come true. And between you and me your son probably snow boarded circles around this piece shit‼ Oh and sue his ass too‼‼ Good Luck Mom, you did nothing wrong by protecting your son???

    • Big perm says:

      It doesn’t surprise me how this was handled. Nstar and vail resorts likes to sweep things under the rug. Its all about saving face and maximizing profits. This is bad publicity for them as a whole. Of course they are going to dispute it. I worked at nstar while this happened. They really tried to keep this incident quiet. They really have no concern for people just the revenue they bring. I am apaulled at how management has treated you and your family. It just is a reflection of the true corporate greed and unaccountability. Although they did not participate in the assault at 1st they sure did by revoking your passes without a full investigation. But that’s how they do. Check out vr employee reviews on glassdor. There is a clear problem with this company and the decisions they make. Get a good lawyer and make them and the man who asulted you take responsibility.

  2. Sue them. The man and Northstar, the employees, all of them.

    • Laray says:

      Agreed. Their reckless staff will be dismissed and so will their COO for costing their resort a pretty penny.

    • DJ says:

      “Sue them” Really? Great advice Perry Mason.

      Northstar may have some money, but its it their fault that this jack ass assaulted the lady? No. Is it their fault that the altercation wasn’t stopped? Maybe. That may be worth something.

      Guaranteed that the clown who assulted this woman has like $200 and a bag of weed to his name, so going never pay her a dime. Not to mention that she’s going to incur tons of legal fees that she’ll never recoup and the pain of this incident will continue to fester.

      The better course of action would be to file assault charges agains the jerk.The Local DA will be beside himself to drag this guy through court and get him convicted. If this clown really wants to stay out of jail, he’l have to offer a civil compromise (assuming that the Judge is willing to let that happen) which will cost him some$$. Or he’ll do a little bit of time and probably become someone’s jail b!tch.

      • Kelly says:

        Any business is liable for anything that happens on their property. Period.

        • Jake says:

          You sign a waiver when you buy a day pass or season pass releasing liability, good luck

          • Melissa says:

            Yeah a waiver in case your killed while using the facilities not for employee insubotination and felony assault you North star Reps are complete morons!

            • Melissa says:

              Yeah a waiver in case your killed while using the facilities not for employee misbehavior and felony assault you North star Reps are complete morons!

          • Noelle says:

            The waiver is, and has always been, a deterent only. Resorts have been sued nearly daily for laughable incidents (intoxicated man jumps from liftchair, breaks ankles, sues, wins).

        • Jeff says:

          @kelly – this is not true. Businesses are normally open to the public and there are many things that individual members of the public can do on a company’s property, including assault each other, where the business would not be liable.

      • Katie says:

        I am not one to say sue them for everything. I feel people are sue happy and go over board but in this case. Yes Sue them. They have an obligation to protect their riders. The way they handled the situation was very poor and the way they treated her absolutely unacceptable. Their security staff threatened her and took her rights away by scaring her in to not calling the police right then and there. Plus they refuse to give her back her money or lift pass. She deserves that and more.

      • Resina says:

        I believe the earlier commenter meant that she should sue Northstar for their treatment of her and the situation. The bully should have been removed and charged with assault. The lift operator should have intervened, preferably before she was assaulted, but definitely after she was. The security, when they showed up, should have removed the man who assaulted her and should have taken a statement from all parties involved, including any witnesses willing to come forward. She definitely has grounds for a case against Northstar for negligence in their treatment of her. Yes, SUE THEM.

      • AKLund says:

        Is it their fault for allowing reckless, public endangering, people on their property? YES! It happened on resort property. Sue the fuck out of them for an employee failing to do his job and that ending up in a female getting physically assaulted. Seems like a legit case to me. But I forgot, you are all lawyers, right?

      • gladdie says:

        sounds like someone else had a similar experience about the same time this season. strike while the iron is hot, he’ll be gone by the time the mountain closes. File charges against the individual if you can find out who he is.

      • Amanda says:

        I like where your thoughts are in this. We live in a litigious society and everyone wants money but if she is looking for justice then he belongs in jail for the assault. Maybe then she can use the conviction to get her season pass back as it would show she wasn’t at fault

      • Tru dat says:

        agreed!

    • Adam Johnson says:

      Hahahahahahhahahahaha

    • Kevin says:

      I agree. Sue the pants off em

    • Don Tfallforit says:

      Really, sue Northstar? It was her fault the whole way. So entited she still doesn’t look at her own actions.

      • James Tallimore says:

        Fuck you Don. I am going to find out who you are.

      • matthew says:

        How is it her fault at all? That dude should be careful and there is no reason an adult should hit another adult

      • Tom says:

        Her fault? You’re an idiot. Anyone with common sense can tell you it’s not “her fault” she got assaulted. They took away her pass because of the actions of some asshole. How is that fair?

      • Jeze says:

        What did she do? Not roll over? Explain.

      • Andrew says:

        How exactly was it her fault? I’ve been riding for 20 years and I know kids and inexperienced riders can get in the way but none of this is acceptable. I wasn’t there, as I imagine you weren’t either, so I don’t know all of the facts. Based upon what I’ve read, I’m equally as irritated that nobody stepped in and out this loser in his place. None of us own these mountains and we are all entitled to ride them. Grow up.

        • Deanna Rempel says:

          It is up to more experienced riders (or those above someone else on the hill) to avoid those who are less experienced or those who are below them.

      • Mathius says:

        Her actions. Her fault. Really. She yelled at a snowboarder for almost running into and yelling at her son. Then in line she asked him to please board more responsibley. Yeah. Her actions condoned him verbally and physically assulting her in front of her son. Wow. Some people.

      • Christina says:

        Hi I just started reading this for the first time and because it sounds like you were there would love your point of view.

      • Cailah says:

        You are an ass

    • Concerned says:

      Please try, I beg you. A court will require proof. Of which there is none. End of story.

      • Melski says:

        There might be proof recorded on some of the webcams. They have them set up all over the mountain, including pointed directly at the super pipe and some of the lift lines. Getting your hands on them and finding the right moment in the recording would be the tricky part though.

    • Ben S. says:

      ABSOLUTELY!

  3. Lucretia says:

    I am so sorry to read this. I know it costs money you don’t have – but it might be time to consult an attorney.
    Also? If you are in Colorado – you can physically show up at Vail Resorts HQ and perhaps not get the buck passed to people at Northstar who are obviously trying to cover up rather than remediate.
    Don’t let this stand.

  4. Victoria says:

    Will never have anything to do with this company anywhere in the world. Have you got a link to a list of every resort they own? I will be sure not to take my family there.

  5. Pat & Erin says:

    Our thoughts and prayers continue for you and your family from your aunt and uncle in Alabama. Wes, you continue to achieve your dreams with hard work! Your Mama is brave. Both of you please remember, “FAITH”
    Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen, it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

    Hebrews 11:1

    And remember you are loved.

  6. Pat L says:

    Hi –
    I emailed Vail about your experience. As a single mom with 2 boys that use terrain parks, I felt a lot of concern after reading your story. Not Cool, Vail Resorts! I’ll be sure to let you know if they respond. Feel better and get back out there. We love your videos and posts. 🙂
    -Pat in Troy, MI

  7. E says:

    I’m totally, utterly appalled. This is definite lawsuit material. Obviously, the snowboarder who attacked you is a local guy with a very high temper who has gotten away with his bullying for quite some time. I would suspect he sees himself as very powerful because a. he’s affluent b. his parents are powerful pillars in the community c. he has a mental illness d. drug use fuels his superiority complex. The lift operator didn’t even want to stand up for you since he knows this local guy will come after him later. The resort handled this the wrong way entirely. I would leave a 1 star review for the resort with the details on TripAdvisor to warn people. I have an account there and my reviews get hundreds of views each week, so this would get wide exposure from people planning trips there. I would also seriously consider getting a free legal consult. All firms offer free consults over the phone and maybe someone would take this on a contingency fee arrangement. The fact that you filed a police report and have written communications with the resort is a great paper trail for your case.

    • Cowboy says:

      I just want it known that a TRUE local would never behave in such a manner and or stand by without beating the ever loving piss out of this in titled piece of shit. Reguardless of who he thinks he knows.

      • TrueLocal says:

        Well said^! Being a local in the area, I never stand by for that shit. I experienced it at home growing up, and despise any kind of domestic abuse from men–>women. If I was there, and come up to a scene at the lift as you described, would just come up behind him and choked him-out to teach him to have some respect for others.

      • Proud to Live Far Enough Away From That says:

        Probably Tahoe local which is an entirely different breed. It’s actually a small community and there is a lot of “rule by fear” there. You don’t even want to go against their parent groups because they will make life hell for you. It’s a really bad way to be when you host tourists.

    • Heather says:

      A true local would not act like this – a bastard as he listed above would for sure act like this. Silver spoon material with a total ego trip. Disturbing. I don’t care who he is, or who he knows…it is NOT HIS MOUNTAIN and maybe it’s time we all stood up and show him that. The fact that a nine year old was throwing up because he watched his mother get attacked makes me sick. This entire thing is disgusting. It doesn’t matter if she yelled at him with profanity – he never had a right to get in her face and put his hands on her, period. Shame on Northstar!!!

  8. Erin says:

    This is absolutely disgusting. They all should be ashamed on how they treated her and her son and all of us that could be in this type of situation. I may be one person but I will be heard. Your should have your license to do business revoked!

  9. Ann says:

    After a very stressful morning, this is what I’m reading on my lunchbreak. It almost has me in tears. Yours is one of the most admired families I have ever come across. If there is any thing I can do to help, I would be glad to. Is there a website or address we can contact with our opinions? Newspapers?

    • Lorrie Freilds says:

      Shame on Vail resorts! You are right and they are wrong!!! What kind of company thinks they are above the law! I will never ski or snowboard there again. So sorry you had to be a part of such a horrible crime.

  10. Jeff Lavin says:

    Danelle, so sorry your son and you are dealing with this. We have a few riders, and long time colleagues who live in the summit area. If we can be of any help in any way please don’t hesitate to reach out. As a snowboarder who grew up in Wisconsin and took similar trips this hits home for me. All the best, and stay shredicated.

  11. Victoria LaFont says:

    Girl, you know what corporations take seriously? Lawsuits. SUE THE SHIT OUT OF THEM. You’ve got a lot of support. xo

    • TahoeGal says:

      Yup, I’m with this girl. Vail isn’t going to be hurt by a “Don’t ski/ride at Vail campaign” they are too huge. This has lawsuit all over it. Sue him and the guy. I know you don’t live locally and have already moved on to Colorado plus you’re banned so finding him yourself isn’t an option. But I’m local and I’ve got a GoPro…if we can get footage of him that you can ID that could help your police report, correct?

      • Tex10 says:

        Yesssss! I’m here too. Let me know if you need help in finding him!

      • j.Maloney says:

        I was thinking the same thing. Danella give us a description, height, age range, color of hair, clothing..anything you can recall. Also, give a discription of his buddies so anyone looking for him can have more clues. There has to be a women who works in the lift area or lodge who knows who this creep is.

        Further, find out what the local hangouts are and look at facebook pictures or other social media sites that have pictures. You may spot him.

        I love that your son said “BRAVE”.

        Stay strong…these are teachable moments, for your Son, the Creep, resort workers and those of Us who witness such an act.

        J. Maloney

    • Andrew says:

      Not much point in suing because it’s very u likely ou will win. Bad PR is effective however so getting the word out can be quite effective.

  12. Alanna says:

    Consealed carry. Get training get your permit and learn how to effectively use a fire arm. Out gun an attacker. And be prepared for it to happen again. Even if it never does

    • Randy says:

      If you can’t spell, you should not have a concealed carry permit.

    • mark dent says:

      what a ridiculous attitude… carry a gun to shoot people with. Yep, that’ll solve the issue!
      This whole incident is terrible and the man needs to found and punished. Also sounds like Northstar has a few tough questions to answer. Don’t give up on this, that’s what they are hoping for.

    • Jon says:

      First thing first, it’s “concealed”. Second, wow. That’s your answer to this, go skiing with a gun around your waist. Read your post before you hit submit?

    • Kimberly says:

      Why, so the attacker can take her gun and kill her and her child? One needs to be highly and extremely frequently trained to effectively use a gun while under attack. Unless she’s willing to train frequently under realistic scenarios, not at a shooting range and only at targets under a controlled, calm environment, she shouldn’t be armed.

      • Jordan Jacobi says:

        Kimberly is right – she couldn’t even use the camera she was holding as a weapon, how would we expect her to have the skills to use a gun- not to mention she could have just walked away but didn’t have the wherewithal to do that either

    • Billy Bog says:

      Alanna, that’s a great idea. Carry a gun to a ski resort?!? Most people who carry don’t know how to shoot on dry ground and at targets none the less in a stressful situation. Also a gun at a ski resort would do so well. Let’s see, pull out a gun and start squeezing off rounds in a lift line full of people including other kids. Reality, you wouldn’t even be able to pull the gun out of your snow pants or jacket before that thing would be taken from you and possibly used to pistol whip you or worse. Then even if you did get the the gun out, make a “money shot”, you would be charged, and would surely traumatize your kid much more. Alanna, even with all the training you could buy, statistics show that you are more likely to commit suicide with that gun or have it used on a loved one, than compared to protecting yourself.

      As for reality in this situation, the police should be told charges need filed. That way they will have likely investigate. Since Northstar sided on the aggressors behalf and pulled her pass, they must have record of a complaint by the guy. In the end, if the cops don’t help out, there are a number of attorney’s out there who would love to go after Vail’s deep pockets for you. Heck, go see one of those attorney’s ASAP.

    • Your friend, Logic says:

      Because clearly shooting the guy would have improved the situation…
      That is, literally and absolutely , crazy.

      The employees (or anyone, for that matter), should have stopped him.

    • J- says:

      That’s what we need. A shooting in the lift lines. WTF!

    • Phoebe says:

      You think her having a gun would have helped this situation? That is crazy. She was BLAMED for the disagreement. Had she pulled a gun her son would be witness to her mom shooting a man and being arrested.
      Please, do not act like guns solve problems like violence against women or security blaming victims.

    • Michael says:

      Yeah, cause you’re going to snowboard with a loaded gun…

    • Kevin says:

      That’s all good, but how is that gonna help you in a lift line? I couldn’t imagine boarding with a piece strapped to me. Then getting to it under all the bulky clothing isn’t gonna be easy either. Fact is, she shouldn’t need to snowboard with a gun just because of some dick with a superiority complex

    • Kaeli says:

      oh yeah, that’s a great plan. snowboard with a loaded gun in your, what, Roxy jacket? lol. genius.

    • Heather says:

      I’m all for the 2nd Amendment…but WTAF? Yes…please condone shooting in the liftlines…are you even from here? WTF. We’re peaceful people…we board…not kill. Wtf. I can’t even with people like you.

    • Darin says:

      Northstar, CALIFORNIA

      Besides the horrible idea of carrying while skiing or snowboarding.

    • Noelle says:

      Um, hell no. I wish she had that pepper spray though… Sad it was ever even needed.

  13. Jessica Dally says:

    Doing what I can to spread the word on this awful behavior. This is unacceptable on their part. I can’t believe they think they can get away with this. “They even said, “Well, you know how those snowboarder guys are.”” NO. Just no.

  14. Jon says:

    From one rider to another this story makes me sick to my stomach. To know that any human let alone 2 fellow riders would be verbally and physically abused is just awful and sickening. We ride the mountain to be in a healthy environment and a friendly one… not one where you feel you will be attacked. I hope those responsible will get what they deserve. Karma is a hell of a thing 😉

    Props to you and Wes for being troopers and getting out their on your boards!
    Shred on!

  15. Sean says:

    First and foremost, I’m so very sorry for what happened to you. As a former resort employee (Booth Creek days), I can’t understand how that could be allowed to happen. Not just by staff, but by people around you. I have seen males become violent with females and ALWAYS offer assistance where I can. Even if that means getting my ass kicked so you can get away. Unbelievable. I’m at a loss for words as to how to even address a thing such as this.

    My only hope is that you understand that, this is an extremely poor representation of Tahoe itself and that we appreciate you and your family coming here. I personally would love to see the young man ride and would gladly take a few laps with him so Mom and Dad can sneak some tree runs. I will be sharing your story and hope it will bring light to the fact that a problem such as this exists. And I applaud your courage in sharing. Again, I’m deeply sorry for what you have gone through and the less than acceptable treatment you received. Feel free to find me at Heavenly any time you make your way back this direction. You can message me directly through Facebook. Just look me up. Sean Lynam.

  16. Janet Marie says:

    I’ve had a similar experience at the Strawberry Park lift line when there were several guys smoking pot with the lift operator. I was with clients and told them it was illegal to smoke pot on the mountain or as an employee and they got verbally abusive and the lift operator said nothing. These lift operators are seasonal employee, all here for the free pass and marijuana. Will share on my FB page

    • Amradio says:

      What a shitty generalization.

    • Daisy says:

      It only sounds like a generalization. I worked at Northstar back in the Booth Creek days. There were some good people there. There were also some real losers. The jobs, lime lifties, that pay minimum wage and basically allow you to work for a pass and get stoned all day. Those kids aren’t getting in the middle of an altercation, especially if it involved on if their buddies. And then there were the guys that did a lot more than pot, mainly meth. They don’t give a crap and it breeds a culture to protect their own. So it doesn’t surprise me that nobody got involved. Incidentally I worked and rode at other mountains after Northstar and I did not see this culture as much at the other resorts.

  17. Melinda collins says:

    You need representation. This broke my heart. I wish I was in line behind you. I’m sorry for the pain this has caused you and your son.

    • Jennifer says:

      I feel the same. I wish I was behind you and could have been a witness and helped you out. I snowboard there all the time but never around the park area. I didn’t realize it had gotten that bad. Sad to hear.

  18. D says:

    That nobody on the lift line did anything but “dude you punched a girl!” has me feeling like im gonna vomit. I’m not the bravest guy in the least bit, but you gotta draw the line somewhere and take action. That there was no attempt to “subdue” this guy by any witness has my stach turning.

    Im sorry you were assaulted. That’s horrible, bad things happen to good people. Im appalled that nobody had your back, that not one person gave you support.

  19. Malcolm says:

    Kid rips! Forget about that dude (let your lawyers worry about him!)and keep on keeping on. Alpine Meadows has an amazing kids team, coaches, and the super nice laid back vibe you probably want; a lesser park than northstar to be sure, but might be worth a try next time you come to Tahoe. Much love and respect for the sacrifices you make for your son.

  20. Sarah Enselein says:

    I absolutely agree about a lawsuit and am SO sorry you and your son are having to deal with this. I’ve posted this on my Facebook page and tagged the resort. Hopefully, people will continue to share your story and something will be done about this!!

  21. Kirsten says:

    I am a Truckee local. I think the way you were treated is deplorable by the local and the establishment. There is never a reason for physical violence, especially in front of a child. Although I am typically not a litigious person, it seems like you would have a case against the resort… I hope Northstar and Vail see the err of their ways.
    🙁

  22. Jimmy says:

    description of kid?

  23. Always2sides says:

    There are ALWAYS 2 sides to every story. Don’t assume she is innocent just because she published this. I am tired of women playing the victim card when they make a mistake. I am a woman and think this is horrible and completely one sided.

    • rmt240 says:

      You know what I’m tired off? Assholes like you ALWAYS trying to blame the victim and perpetuate abuse culture under the guise of “playing devil’s advocate” or “there being two sides to every story.” Always so quick to rush to the defense of abusers. I don’t give a flying **** that you’re a woman; you’re just as capable of being misogynistic, victim-blamey and gross as any man who is assaulting this lady.

      You don’t know a damn thing here and are totally unequipped to decide that she “must’ve made a mistake.” How about instead of immediately running your ignorant mouth off, you just shut the hell up and believe a woman for once in your damn life when she claims that she was hurt and abused?

      People like you are the reason why stuff like this is still allowed to happen. Because you go out of your way to apologize for it, rather than showing solidarity with the victims. And EVEN IF she had done or said something (spoiler alert: she didn’t)? The fact that you find BEATING HER UP an acceptable reaction to that and in any way acceptable makes you a disgraceful, disgusting excuse for a human being and not even worthy to be commenting on this matter.

      • lark says:

        Yes – this! I’m so tired of victim blaming, and the constant disbelief because the person telling the story is a woman.

      • Zoe says:

        PR STUNT. Nice addition to plugging your kids video in. She is playing the victim card 100%. Vail wouldn’t handle a situation like this if she was innocent.

      • Sandra says:

        Thank you and right on RMT240!!

      • NNR1980 says:

        Always2sides…

        You are a disgusting human being and there is the coldest place in hell for you and your kind. Can you see her face after being assaulted?

      • anonymous says:

        Amen

      • Always2sides says:

        How about you wait for the 2nd part of the story to come out?

        I first hand witnessed this event in the lift line and the way it was handled (as a paying skier of the mountain that day). I do not live in or around the mountain, I hold no bias. I will not speak of it until the appropriate parties do or ask me to.

        There are 2 sides! She is not the victim! The way she acted is horrible. And I feel so bad for her son.

        She is not the victim.

        • Rosebud says:

          I don’t care if she was acting like a complete f*cking b*tch or not there is absolutely no reason to punch someone especially a female! I see outta line assholes everyday in the lift lines/on the mountain causing scenes but that doesn’t mean assault is warranted.

          • really says:

            yes, there is a reason to punch, if someone hit you.
            She hit him first: “I slapped at him with my left gloved…”

            • Yes, Really says:

              “He continued assaulting me. While holding my big filming camera in the crook of my right arm, I slapped at him with my left gloved hand to try to get him off me.”

        • Tiredofvictimshaming says:

          Since when is it OK to punch anyone in the face?
          Even if there are “two sides” (which I won’t even get started on), violence is never the answer, and to punch anyone is deplorable. Male or female.

          Come on, you’re better than this. Surely.

        • Your friend, Logic says:

          The people who stood there and did nothing likely had the same mentality.
          Shame on you.

        • Susan says:

          If you know so much from as you say, witnessing the whole event , then lets hear your side of the story about what happened to warrant a man hitting a woman and other men doing and saying nothing !!! Not cool at all !!

        • stan says:

          you dont need permission from anyone to state what you saw. otherwise your claim is just as useless as hers without any evidence.

        • steve says:

          You were there? Why didn’t you say that in your first comment? More then likely you’re nothing but a bald faced lier.

        • Noelle says:

          If my 9 year old was yelled at, nearly shoved off the deck or near missed by a wreckless prick, I would def call ski patrol and/or tell that guy to be more careful. Put yourself in her boots. He physically prevented her from leaving. He HANDLED her. What dont you get about that?? And if you did witness this firsthand, YOU ought to be charged and sued for not coming to the aid of this boy and his mother. YOU should have called the police. You are now no better than NS by sprinkling salt into this family’s wounds right now.

      • Martha Waas says:

        So not a shred of evidence or witnesses of any kind to confirm the story, then?

      • Some Guy says:

        I’m not going to say it was justified but I find her story very hard to believe. Some huge dude was screaming at a crying girl in a lift line, punched her in the face and then she got her pass pulled? Nobody called the cops? Northstar admin blew her off after the fact? There is something she left out of her story.

    • Who knows says:

      Can anyone confirm her story??

    • Chris says:

      For one thing, of course it is one sided. She can only present her side. Secondly, to immediately dismiss this as a woman playing the victim card is ridiculous. Do you know what I am tired of? Women automatically judging other women. You don’t have to believe her account, but without information to the contrary, you are only making assumptions and judgements based on your obvious issues with women in general. As a woman and a mother, I am horrified by this account of the events that took place. Things like this do happen and it is unacceptable. Your response is proof that a person can be attacked and then be treated as though they are in the wrong.

    • Some Tahoe girl says:

      I agree completely. Anyone who has worked at vail will tell you just how gay they can be sometimes with the rules and sticking to their protocol.

      Of course the guy probably deserves a punch to the jaw.. No guy should hit a girl. End of story. But to say that this story is biased is an understatement.

      Assuming this happend at vista, which is the park lift, the situation could had been avoided if you simply walked to the main lodge which stands like 50 feet away. Not to mention there are numerous staff around that lift especially over the weekends including park crew, mountain safety (which are usually first responders in these situations) and ski patrol.

      There are for sure some holes in this story, just sayin.

      • this is BS says:

        I dont see why you would even have to walk to the lodge, even on a slow day there are probably a hundred people at that spot, you mean to tell me that a bunch of people, including a lifty, the ticket checker, countless ski school instructors, patrolmen and civilians witnessed this go down and the only thing that happened was someone shouted out “you hit a girl”??? cumon now

      • Gay Rule Follower says:

        Dear Some Tahoe Girl, please tell me more about how following rules is “gay” – you sound super educated so I thought I’d ask. Thanks

        — Lesbian who didn’t know I was supposed to be the Queen of Following Rules and Protocol

    • Jenn says:

      Maybe men should stop beating the shit out of women and thinking it is totally ok. It’s women like you that allow this behavior to be perpetuated and swept under the rug. It takes a lot of guts for a woman to come forward and tell her story, and never ever is there an ending where using physical violence is an acceptable outcome. Shame on you.

    • Craig Stevens says:

      You are a heartless ignorant an obviously very stupid woman. This story is so heartfelt and sad and clearly not made up. Regardless what she may have done to to the man, him assaulting her is against the law plain and simple. There is no grey area when a man physically assaults a woman, it’s black and white. I feel sorry for you but it makes me wonder, you are probably physically abused by a man currently, it is the only way I can see you taking the man’s, side. Typical response from a confused victim of assault. Get a clue, you should be ashamed of yourself.

    • Hate Always 2 Sides says:

      Are you serious? It doesn’t matter what she did. A man should never hit a woman.
      But a woman can hit a woman….and I certainly would like to knock you out “Always 2 Sides”.

    • Janet Marie says:

      Really???? I would never act in an unprofessional way in front my children or grandchildren, people who are parents just don’t do that so you’re obviously not a parent. I live in Vail and there are people, particularly young men who do behave this way, I KNOW! I live here in the ski resort now for 27 years. This type of behavior is not uncommon. Also, if she were lying she wouldn’t provide so much detail. Do you ski? Because someone who has been skiing for years has likely run into rude, obnoxious snowboarders and skiers.

      • Nikki says:

        I ski and snowboard actually. People will be rude in general. The skier vs snowboarder argument is just so 90’s. There are shithead snowboarders just as well as there are shithead racer kids. But to each their own 🙂

    • Aimee says:

      It makes absolutely no difference how she behaved! There is never any excuse for a man to put his hands on a women! Ever!

    • JT Heinz says:

      Tell us what you witnessed or STFU

    • Tex10 says:

      My husband works at Northstar and confirms the incident. You’re an idiot and a disgrace to women.

    • Whatever says:

      What exactly happened 2sides? What is your side of the story as a “witness”, assuming you were actually there? If you post after the other side ever gets around to telling their side of the story, I’m going to assume you are just using their story as talking points.

  24. Robin Short says:

    I really wish you would have posted this on the Truckee/Tahoe People FB page when this happened. I believe you would have had an entourage of locals escorting you back to the mountain lifts. Crowd support is real. You are brave. You may hear, you slapped him first HOWEVER the threat was already very real at this point and this lift operator should be ashamed of himself. He acted very unprofessionally. No matter the confrontation, he had the duty to act and he failed.

  25. D says:

    The lift ops responsibility is to the people on the lift and can’t move very far away from the big red stop button. I’m sure he was in an awkward situation.

    Vail resorts motto is drive shareholder value, safety second.

    • Noelle says:

      D, I’m sorry but I respectfully disagree. I have been a lift op and have worked resorts for many years including a Vail resort. If the lift operator was as conscienscious of safety as you say, they would never get high before or on the job. I’ve seen them be very slow to respond and hit the button during incidents big and small. I’ve seen people injured as a result. Some lift ops take the job extremely seriously, but it’s not the norm.

  26. TheNarwhal says:

    I call so much bullshit on this story.

    • Bob Madison says:

      Yeah dude! Thank you I saw this happen! It was hilarious! That lady is crazy!

      • Zimmerman says:

        So let’s hear the story if you were a witness to the events. I’m dying to hear the part that justifies a man hitting a woman in front of her child.

    • just sayin' says:

      Yea… I wasn’t there to witness but after reading this for about 2 paragraphs I could tell it was a fake… something like this gets people so fired up that they don’t stop to consider that what they’re reading might not be 100% true or at least it’s a very biased version of the story…..

      IF this was in fact completely true and happened just like she described, then I would be leading the mob to lynch the guy that attacked her…. but I just don’t believe the story is true as it was told

      There are 3 sides to every story…. your side, their side, and then there’s the truth….

      • Gogorama says:

        3 sometimes 4 sides, like what did the son witness? And really at a ski lift THAT many people just stood around and DID NOTHING?
        Even with the proven sketchiness of witness testimony somebody must have saw something.

        And waiting to call police sounds to me like a person buying time to get their narrative straight, at least in this specific case.

        I’ve been in situations where groups of people sat around and did nothing as abuse went on right next to them, but that was in HS. I thought adults matured and stood up when a wrong was being committed. Especially in a very public place with a crowd.

        So I rule that everyone is guilty (except maybe the son).

  27. john says:

    There is a lot of negativity at that resort this year! I have seen fights and employees just not acting appropriate. I have even heard of ski school managers taking their younger subordinates (under age) out to drink in the village then sleeping with them in the Burton place near Oakley store. I also heard a scanner manager with long hair and beard selling drugs!!! Ill never buy another pass there ever again

    • juan says:

      I over heard something about this from an instructor named “Amy” during my lunch. Sounded like she was jealous jajaja

  28. Kelly says:

    Do you know the guys name? I grew up riding Northstar since I was 2 I am 31 now this really pisses me off even since vail took over NS has gone down hill it’s awful. This story need to go Viral and should be put in our Local Newspaper ASAP. That guy needs to be charged. And you need a lawyer this is crazy!

  29. Alicia says:

    As a Reno local and having lived in Tahoe previously, I’m horrified to hear this and at the same time, shamefully not overly surprised. If you haven’t already, have you brought this to the attention of the Reno area media? I would suggest it. They need to be held accountable and the last thing Northstar wants is bad press – take it to RGJ, KRNV, KOLO, and whatever local services – tourism is the life source for the Tahoe basin and for many in the surrounding area and they need to know that they canNOT condone this sort of behavior. I empathize with you and hope you stay strong.

  30. You should be getting calls from NorthStar reps, legal, and local news outlets in short order. Your post went viral fast and people are furius. Demand accountability and don’t back down. This is not the type of world I want my daughters to grow up in.

    Thank you!

    Sincerely,
    A father of 5 little girls

    • Heather says:

      I can’t even agree more! I read this and immediately shared it. As a Reno resident and fellow snowboarder this sickened me. Who the hell does that guy think he is!?! I really hope she does contact our local media…in fact…I’m going to share it myself!

  31. Stacy says:

    Lay off the Meth! Who in their right mind acts like that. Goodness. I used to work at Northstar and we bent over backwards to make coustomers happy. This story is just mind boggling.

  32. Nick says:

    You were assaulted in a lift-line full of people, and not a single person stepped-in to intervene – or was available as a witness on your behalf?

    I don’t believe this story as it’s told.

  33. Garth T. Elliott says:

    Sorry that this happened but something just does not make sense! There has to be more to the story! Let’s hear the other side of the story before passing judgment. I hope that in the future if you are viciously attacked like you claim and the picture seems to support you WILL CALL LAW ENFORCEMENT!

  34. Truckee Gal. says:

    So sorry this happened to you and your family. The Truckee community is pissed that this happened. We are sharing the crap out of your story. A man also shared it to a few local news outlets. Please don’t give up on this case,it sounds like a death threat was made against you. That is a serious threat. That jerk needs to be stopped!!!!! Healing thoughts for you.

  35. Macy says:

    It is absolutely sad to hear about this. I live in NH and all our mountains around here are fantastic with their staff. They would NEVER of let you get treated that way at all. Also instead of guys around here saying “dude you just hit a girl” 100% positive that guy would of gotten his ass whooped way worse then he hurt you. Guess hes just lucky you guys weren’t around here. That’s not taken very lightly at mountains around here specially with kids around watching. By far NOT okay and I hope you and your son are doing a lot better. But in New Hampshire lots of mountains and trails that are great for training to keep in mind!

  36. Thaoe Truckee is a small enough place for the details of this case to be known and compared with past behavior of the man involved. What is his name, and I will see what I can find out. You can email me back, privately, if necessary. Until I get to the bottom of this, I will not be skiing Northstar.

  37. Please correct the spelling of Tahoe, thanks.

  38. M says:

    As a former Northstar lift operator and a female who hung out with these dudes who apparently keep the Truckee Police Force in business (really?), I’m calling bullshit on your story. I witnessed many altercations in lift-lines, and security and lift ops never acted like this. I’ve talked to several friends who were present and they say you’re lying.
    Do I think Vail is a mega-corporation with flaws? Yes. Do I believe that women should be treated with respect? Absolutely. But I would be shocked if any of this true.
    I don’t know if you’re going for the sympathy card, money, or attention for your son, but it’s not going to work because I’m confident Northstar did not do what you’re accusing them of.

    • Noelle says:

      If you’ve “witnessed many altercations” in your lift lines, clearly NS has security issues and a pretty ****** up culture that is allowed to flourish. In my 20+ years of working resorts and longer on skis/board, I’ve not seen many altercations in lift lines.

  39. Heidi says:

    This is what law suits were created for. Sometimes they are needed in order to force change. The police tipped their hand basically telling you there are other victims. Find them through social media and force the company to switch security firms. Do it for the next lady, do it for all of us. I’m sure if you put this out there to the media you will find a lawyer more than willing to take this on, perhaps even pro bono.

  40. michael says:

    Im not buying this one. I ride pretty much exclusively at Vail resorts and have always been blown away by their professionalism. I also find it hard to believe that if this happened on the pipe that the ensuing altercation would have happened at the liftline, which is at basecamp. There is no way that something like this would have gone down at the most populated area of that mountain and nobody would have stepped in. If this is how this truly went down, that is appalling, but I have my reservations

  41. Britt says:

    Press charges against that snowboarder ASAP. Regardless of what Vail Resorts does, that misogynistic meathead needs to be punished.

  42. Christina says:

    Brought to tears and completely furious. I am not a mother but have taught many kids how to ski and snowboard, I have friends who have young children, and I have girlfriends (like myself) who ski alone somedays.

    I am appalled at the coarse of actions that followed the incident. It should have been bit in the butt the second security arrived. But it should have never happened. Since it did you should have received an outpouring of support from the Vail Resort staff, but you didn’t.

    Now you will receive support from people all over the country and world who are won’t let your story be swept under the rug. I hope with that you and your son can feel some security in knowing that.

  43. Brook Cantisano says:

    Wow what a tragic story. As a male snowboarder for more than 20 years I can tell u that this is the worst ski rage story I have ever heard. I wish I was there to protect u and your son. This punk not only put a black eye on a defenseless woman but a black eye on the sport. sue the crap out of North Star.

  44. Rajnapura says:

    I posted this to one of our local news stations. I am deeply perturbed by this and wish to see them come to answer for this.

    Never have I even heard of this, and never involving a child. We’ve seen fights, been in them, and broke them up. But this is on a scale that doesn’t begin to even register!

    I have friends who work these slopes. And trust and believe I am shoving my nose far up into their business for answers.

  45. Susie says:

    Ive shared this post along with my friends all over FB. I live in Colorado and am appalled that Vail Resorts would condone this. Good thing I only ever ride A Basin and Copper.

  46. Goober says:

    Wow…sadly I had a similar scenario happen to me at Pico Mtn in Killington, VT. I was a boarding instructor at Killington and I was off duty boarding down to the start line of a competition to wait my turn and this man came right up behind me pushing me to the ground. When I tired to get up he grabbed me by the collar bone and pinned me to the ground screaming in my face that I almost hit his child learning to ski (which the trail I came down there was not anyone). Regardless, I said I’m sorry but you must be confused I came down a different trail he kept jabbing me into the ground, repeatedly! People around me WATCHED…WATCHED!!!! My goggles came off and he saw that I was a girl. His tone changed very quickly and he stood up and skied away. A man nearby came over asking if I knew the man and if I was okay. Once I calmed down I went right to my boss and the man was already in her office. Apparently their husbands were buddies and his excuse was he didn’t know I was a girl. It does not matter-you do not do that to anyone! I felt helpless and they made it seem like it was no big deal and I was being dramatic and denies doing anything more than shoving me to the ground. Myself and the other instructors tried till the close of the mountain to find at least one person in line near me…my blood is boiling thinking about it. SO sad things like this happen and people think it is okay.

  47. Sarah says:

    I am so so sorry to hear this. I am honestly disgusted, amazed and quite frankly angry that anyone would ever think it is ok to assualt a woman like that. To even speak to someone else the way he did…My heart goes out to you and your son, Wes. No child should ever have to experience seeing their mother being assaulted or hear those vulgar words! Sounds to me this some entitled A**HOLE who thinks daddy is going to get him anything and everything he wants, I woulnd’t doubt if his daddy works for Vail/Northstar…If I were you, I would file a civil suit.

  48. michael says:

    Also, a quick search of the truckee police blotter shows no report issued that day

  49. Lee says:

    I’ll never ski there again.

  50. Tschroe says:

    Sue them! Attorneys will take a case like this free up front if they feel they have a case!

  51. Susie says:

    I just found this on NorthStarts Website

    Tahoe Safe Alliance, Stop Abuse for everyone
    http://tahoesafealliance.org/northstar-ski-day/

  52. twistpeach says:

    Wow, screw the few people who came on here to immediately dismiss your story. While I have no doubt that this guy will tell a different tale, there is absolutely no excuse for cursing, threatening and hitting someone. Look, I’m 5’11” and a bruiser of a lady. If anyone, man or woman, who was 5’2″ slapped me, there is no way I’d consider hitting back. I’m responsible for my strength and for not using my size to intimidate or hurt other people. Jesus. This was words. Around a ski lift. Is it that f*%&ing unthinkable to walk away without your manhood crumbling into tiny smithereens? Are you that weak?

    It is appalling to me that men feel they can respond with wildly inappropriate viciousness when women have reasonable requests like “ski in control” or “leave me alone.” It is appalling that people will defend these attacks like they have even a single shred of justification. It is appalling what cowards men AND other women are when we don’t have the stones to condemn horrible actions from men, but we’ll all sit around and dissect every inflection and gesture from women. These are the actions of worms. It is indecent and disgusting.

    I applaud your going public and encourage you to retaliate in any way you can. It’s high time slimy behavior like this was dragged into the sunlight for the rank misogyny it is. I hope you can rain the fury of hell down on these people. Make them afraid the rest of their lives that their behavior will expose them to horrible consequences. Let us know how we can help: signal boost, kickstarter for legal fees, letter to the local editor, whatever.

  53. lauren mcgowan says:

    This is disgusting. What is the name of the man who assaulted you? Publicly humiliate this piece of s***. Get his name out and no local will tolerate him being around. While he’s being publicly humiliated, find an attorney because you need one. This is so beyond messed up, no one should ever have to deal with what you went through. You will DEFINITELY be reimbursed if you file a lawsuit, because of how they dealt with your situation. If I was on the jury, I would award you millions for all your troubles.

  54. Kimberly says:

    I’m an attorney and a mom. I’d follow others’ suggestions to get an attorney on this asap. I’m so sorry that happened to you and your son. I also live in Iowa. If I can help in any way, please let me know.

  55. Larry mathers says:

    How I wish I was standing in that line. This makes my blood boil. I would have risked losing my pass and being arrested, but he would have gotten pummeled! I can’t believe nobody in the lift line would help you.

  56. Erika says:

    Get an attorney ASAP. I have a recommendation, feel free to ping me. He helped my mom and was very professional and very smart and compassionate.

  57. Chelsea S says:

    I live in north Lake Tahoe and I am ashamed by how you were treated. I will shred with you any day to help you feel safe and I know many moms who would do the same. I will share your story and pray for you and your family.

  58. Tom Klippchian says:

    …A horrible experience, and not dissimilar to the way minorities are treated by police officers in this country; ssumed guilt with no preponderance of evidence.

  59. Geoffrey Harris says:

    Ok. It is clear that Vail is harboring this man. The question is why. Note that these people probably are rapists and habitual drug users as well.

  60. Joy King says:

    Who do we contact to advocate for you?
    This is wrong!

  61. Charlene says:

    I am so sick from reading this!!! I am also a single mother with 2 daughter who have enjoyed many activities at Northstar, NEVER again!!! I will also be making some emails and calls and will personally be making a stop and talking my way up the ladder so to speak!! I will not tolerate violence in ANY matter no matter how “u provoked” the situation!! I am willing to picket as well! We can NOT allow this to happen and them to get away with it!!!!

  62. Charlene says:

    I would also love to know what day and lift, they do have records of who was working!

  63. Anon says:

    I agree with previous commenters that you should sue Vail Resorts – for yourself, and just as importantly, for women everywhere. It is not okay for men to violently assault women privately or publicly. The fact that this happened to you publicly, that Vail supports the abuse of women – it is unacceptable. Shame on the female COO for supporting violence against women. Shame on Vail Resorts for covering up the abuse and re-victimizing you. I hope, at the very least, you went ahead and filed a report with the police – despite Vail’s attempts to discourage you. I am a local advocate for victims of sexual assault, and while I can’t say I am surprised by this incident, I am disappointed. As women, we need to start speaking out when we are victimized, and we need to go to the uncomfortable lengths of suing, when necessary. The message needs to be heard: violence against women is unacceptable. I am so sorry you had this experience. I am sorry your son witnessed this event. I hope he emerges from the experience as a young man who sees the importance of advocating for women – having seen firsthand how women are victimized and then re-victimized for speaking up. Wishing you and your family healing and justice.

  64. mike says:

    any reason my comments wont be approved? just curious why there is no public record of the police report

  65. Always2sides says:

    How about you wait for the 2nd part of the story to come out?

    I first hand witnessed this event in the lift line and the way it was handled (as a paying skier of the mountain that day).

    I do not live in or around the mountain or even the state… I hold no bias. I will not speak of it until the appropriate parties do or ask me to.

    There are 2 sides! She is not the victim! The way she acted is horrible. And I feel so bad for her son.

    She is not the victim.

    • Audrey says:

      You do realize you’re contradicting yourself, right? You’ve already spoken of it, here, quite publicly. Oh but wait – you failed to leave your name or any credible information that would lead one to believe you’re anything more than a troll trying to stir up drama.

      I’ve personally seen the email correspondence between Vail/Northstar and Danelle. Outside of the fact that I’ve known Danelle for a few years and know she’s completely trustworthy and wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her son’s snowboarding journey, which is a likely outcome had she not been anything other than completely honest. So, I can’t put any credence into your numerous repeated, anonymous comments simply based on the fact that you refuse to identify yourself, and you keep posting the same comment over and over.

      • Wes fan says:

        Audrey, I’m in complete agreement with you on all points. I’ve been following Danielle and Wesley for years and this has never happened anywhere. The troll posting on behalf of the guy who was verbally / physically abuse is clearly his friend/ally. If someone wants to share their version of events, come forward and post your ‘story’ and your full name, and be wiling to give a deposition under oath when the time comes. Merely lurking in the shadows and saying there’s another story is total BS.

    • Melissa says:

      I think you are idiotic… no man should EVER hit a woman.

    • Heather says:

      Sounds kind of like you’re either his “friend” or the actual DBag that hit a woman. It doesn’t matter if she was acting like a wench – there is NEVER a reason for a man to put his hands on a woman, nor should Northstar have allowed what happened to her to continue. You’re just as bad if not worse than the idiot that did this to her IN FRONT OF HER CHILD. I don’t need two sides to see your morals are seriously lacking. So glad you’re hiding your identity because that speaks volumes…

    • Cailah says:

      You are disgusting

  66. Lani Oft says:

    I am outraged that this happened to you and your son! Call the news! Lawyer up! Please consider leaving a review of your experience on their Facebook and Yelp pages in order to forewarn others in the meantime. Your son is right, you are so brave. Don’t stop fighting the good fight – demand accountability. I stand in solidarity with you…RESPECT! <3

  67. Sandra says:

    Your son is right that you are brave. Thank you for getting this story out. This is so wrong. No matter how important that man thinks he is, those employees should of helped you. I hope you get the legal help you need and will someday be able to safely take your son around snow boarding again. Your son is an amazing snow boarder. I will keep in mind to never go to their resorts after this.

  68. Holly says:

    If they don’t reach out to you and offer free passes for your entire family and a huge apology soon, I would consider a law suit. This is ridiculous. Hopefully you got the names and contact info of some witnesses. Good luck.

  69. Always2sides says:

    My comments keep getting deleted…weird!

    How about you wait for the 2nd part of the story to come out?

    I first hand witnessed this event in the lift line and the way it was handled (as a paying skier of the mountain that day).

    I do not live in or around the mountain or even the state… I hold no bias. I will not speak of it until the appropriate parties do or ask me to.

    There are 2 sides! She is not the victim! The way she acted is horrible. And I feel so bad for her son.

    She is not the victim.

    • Tiredofvictimshaming says:

      They’re being deleted because you’re kind of being a dick.

    • Logic says:

      I still see 4 total. You must post a lot…
      I’ll wait for the other side but unless you are trying to say she gave herself that black-eye, piss off. Unless she stabbed him, or tried to stab him, there is no excuse for a man to hit that woman. Period. She is still the victim of assault AT THE LEAST. Nothing you have to say can deny that unless you want to give your side of things hear and now. So again, kindly piss off.

    • Factfinder says:

      Always2sides

      The Truckee/Tahoe community is pretty outraged by the story. As you witnessed the incident, would you be willing to share your side on the People of Tahoe/Truckee facebook page? Or perhaps elaborate on what you mean by waiting for the 2nd part of the story to come out? (where will said 2nd part be coming from, when will it be shared, etc.)

      I will never condone violence and I don’t believe that this woman was treated fairly, but I do think it’s important for everyone to have all of the facts. If you’re privy to those facts, I encourage you to share them.

    • Uh huh says:

      You’re not going to speak of it except that you just did? Come on, tell us what happened then.

    • Tahoelocal says:

      Then give some insight. Tell me when is it okay for a man to hit a women.

    • Your friend, Logic says:

      So what would you call someone who gets suckerpunched?

    • Jeff says:

      @always2sides …if you were a “first hand” witness and “hold no bias” why would you not tell the other side? I’m trying to figure out when it would EVER be right for a MAN to punch a WOMAN in the face. Please enlighten me.

    • JT Heinz says:

      Please tell us what you think she did to deserve being punched in the face. If you’re not willing to say what you witnessed, you’re part of the problem and nothing more than a P.O.S. for making this post.

    • Shelleybe says:

      I am so curious to know what behavior warrants being screamed at, threatened, and struck.

    • YouAreProbablyAnAss says:

      Your comment shows up at least 3 times, chill.

    • Pumkn Escobar says:

      Well let’s hear your side.

    • Notalwaysimportant says:

      I agree with Janet Marie, if you know so much what on earth would possess a man to punch a woman in the face? Also if your comments keep getting deleted how come this comment is on there several times? I wouldn’t count you as very credible!

  70. Bob K. says:

    Danielle, don’t forget to ask whether the resort drug tests their lift ops. In the last couple of years, many resorts have dropped requirements for drug testing of safety-critical employees. It seems to be that they were having trouble getting enough employees to run all their lifts, so they simply lowered their standards.

  71. Mike Martin says:

    I work at Copper Mountain in Colorado, if you guys are still in the state I have 6 or 7 comp tickets you are more than welcome to have send me a email if interested.

  72. Carlos Velazquez says:

    Right now im sharing this article in every post and image comments of this facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Northstar/timeline), maybe some of you would like to help me flood their page with it, so everybody knows what can they spect from this place

    • RC says:

      I posted a link too. They are deleting them quickly. At one point there were 6 links to this blog. When I checked later, they were all gone.

  73. RideOrDie says:

    Who is the Guy? What is his name? Do you know it?

  74. Cassie says:

    Wow, this is sickening. I’m so sorry you and your son had to endure such disgusting and frightening behavior. I can’t believe no one truly stood up for you?! I work at a smaller resort in the Tahoe area, and I know for fact a sheriff would have immediately been called. I only wish we had the type of features in our parks suitable for your amazing little snowboarder, you’d be welcome here.

    You’re one hell of a mom. You are providing your kids with this amazing life and I only hope you never have to experience fear like that while doing the things you love, again.

  75. ssnowbunni says:

    There’s normally security cameras placed around busy lift lines/skier areas. Did you ask for any footage? What about ALL the other people in the lift line? Will anyone else come forward to back you up?

  76. Diane says:

    Noone should be treated this way and certainly Northstar should’ve been fair and just. Clearly the business practice needs to be reviewed. Perhaps secret customer….

  77. jessica says:

    I will never got back to Northstar again, I lived there for many years and frequently went to Northstar, NEVER AGAIN. During the 8 years I lived in Tahoe I experienced people like this that you encountered and its really sad, I’m actually glad I don’t live there anymore for that specific reason . Sorry this happened to you and your son but know that you have a lot of people that will support you in this. Don’t stop educating people on what happened. And props for how you handled it, with grace…but grace can also be fierce.???

  78. Ryan says:

    Call a lawyer. Now.

  79. Brokelyn says:

    Reach out to the senior leaders of Vail Resorts. Be persistent and don’t let this drop. You’ve got viral power and hopefully (sorry, I don’t doubt, but recognize that I know only what I read here) truth on your side.

    Contact information (all publicly available):
    Robert Katz, CEO, 303-404-1800
    John Buhler, COO Breck, 970-453-5000
    Patricia Campbell, President-Mountain Division 303-404-1800
    Michael Kelton, COO Keystone, 970-496-2316
    Try board members too:
    Sue Decker 650-798-3841
    Hilary Schneider 480-682-5100

  80. Brokelyn says:

    Hi, I just posted something but don’t have time to see if it goes through the moderator. I have names and numbers that might be useful to you — if they didn’t show up in the previous post please email me (I assume you can see email addresses in this form?). Best wishes.

  81. Dave says:

    #FuckVail

  82. michael says:

    I have been a vail season pass holder for a couple years now, and I have a few questions in regards to this. If you can answer these, I will be more than happy to make sure this is the last year I support them. but a couple things arent adding up

  83. ida snow says:

    This is a case that needs a good lawyer. There are lawyers who will go after their jugular and only charge you after the case has been settled. they take 25% of the law suit and the bigger the better for the lawyer…….. I believe you along with your son need help here…. Sue them all except Howard. and demand your pass paid in full for next 25 years. You may be amazed to find others willing to join you in pressing charges of abuse.. and assault. joint action law suit can be backed with police reports the lawyer would follow up on that….You say the police are saying there are a lot of complaints together this could be a big winning case…Do this immediately or you may have some permanent damage to your carefree independent spirit… and your sons since it caused him to throw up. Please do not let another day pass without finding a legal help…..

  84. CBSLT says:

    As a mother of a 7 year old riding park, a Tahoe local and the wife of a Vail employee, this disturbs me so much. I understand there are two sides to any story, but any situation resulting in physical violence is completely ridiculous and out of place. I will be keeping open ears and eyes out for this man- as will many other locals furious about the situation.

    Sincerely,
    A clan of angry shredmoms.

  85. Jorie Clark says:

    It is never appropriate to hit another. It is assault. That’s the law. It doesn’t matter who did what. I am appalled at the Resort’s action. I hope someone steps up. Sometimes locals with affluence and influence think they are “entitled.” But, assault is assault. It’s wrong. It’s punishable. Don’t let this go.

  86. A real local says:

    I don’t think the issue is that there is “two sides to every story.” The issue is that an assault happened and no one did anything about it. Whether she started it or the male started it, the lift operator should have taken immediate action by calling security. People in line should’ve called security as well. Even the girl that “witnessed” what happened, should’ve called for help. An altercation involving 2 adults in a family environment should’ve prompted immediate action. I’m sorry that your son (other people’s children included) had to witness you being hit. Good luck to you should you decide to take action, and good luck to your son.

  87. Janet Marie says:

    If you were a witness, what exactly did he say that warranted a man to hit her?

    • LocalTahoeGal says:

      I love how they haven’t replied. It shows that they’re like “oh… Well nothing she actually said warrented hitting her and berating her in front of a 9 year old…”

    • Zach Williams says:

      Answer: Nothing. Didn’t even have to be there. There are no words that justify assault. Are you suggesting she swung first, 2sides? Are you suggesting he didn’t have his hands on her prior to any swinging by either party? I smell bullshit.

    • speakupwitness! says:

      yes, let’s hear the other side you claim there is, Always2Sides

    • Susan says:

      I agree. Miss witness , please do tell us what she did to make the guy assault her.

    • Concerned says:

      Nothing, cuz it didn’t happen.

    • MidwestSkier says:

      ^ My thoughts, exactly.. And mind you, capn2sides, someone acting shitty or being bitchy or whatever the hell else in ones opinion does not warrant assault.. And to whoever said above, how did anyone in line sit here and watch this is beyond me, as well.. I have few lines people can cross where I think getting drug behind a car isn’t even an extreme enough punishment for their actions — one is animal abuse, and the other is a man putting their hands on a woman.. That type of stuff just does not fly. . And the lady is 5 ft 2.. I mean, cmon.. Really?! No matter what she did – if she didn’t have a knife to the dudes throat or a gun to his head, no action is really all that threatening — especially to some overly macho POS like this dude.

      Beyond this, the kid is probably all of 4 ft tall.. He drops 20 ft to the bottom of the pipe, without being prepared for it, hits his head, and we’re sitting here looking at a death of a 9 year old kid. Pros have died, fallen into a coma, and so many other things.. For some overfueled piece of garbage to charge at him, intentionally or unintentionally, and nearly send him off the deck is so messed up its not even funny. You love your sport – you want your day the way you want it, I get it.. I grew up in the world of park skiing, with many park boarders, and we were stoked to support the little kids charging, not knock them down just cause we had to feel powerful.. That’s just some outta this world bs from some garbage dump excuse of a human.

      To the little man, you charge! Forreal — that’s what’s up! Keep doing your thing.. And like many have said already, lay down a suit – expose the matter to all.. I already despise vail resorts for gouging everyone as much as possible (like you said — $170 lift tickets), but they won’t be paying attention until they’re forced to pay attention.. And that comes with a pocketbook, a check , or an overwhelmingly bad rep being established from an event. Townies in a ski Mecca are mostly drunks and addicts – I hate to say it, but it’s true.. This sad excuse for a person dives into this ego bender in his little town and sport cause honestly – he even knows he’s a shmuck all other places in the world . I love the sport as much as the next guy, but people like this don’t deserve the glory and love the mountain provides – no matter how many years they’ve been riding it. Sorry this happened – I sincerely wish things still worked by mafia law at times, cause busted kneecaps and a brick to the face seem pretty reasonable for people to get the message. That’s all I’ve got – stay up and much love.

  88. Shred Head says:

    Did you ever get the son of a bitches name that hit you? Vail is a pompous shit hole cooperation! I was very sad the day they bought Northstar! All men that snowboard aren’t assholes!! Please keep it up with your son! I’m sorry the was not a man with a set of balls in line. That jackass would have been knocked out and pissed on!!!!!

  89. Michael Seager says:

    If I was there I would have defended you and your son like a real human being should. I can’t even believe other men could sit by and let this happen?????? It’s sad. They were all cowards.

  90. Just one person says:

    I would like to hear the complete story before I actually make a comment. I read all the comments and saw a lot of really bad comments from a lot of people who didn’t even ask what actually happened, and a few who said they were there and wouldn’t comment as they were respecting all parties. Why can’t people understand that what one person says doesn’t mean that that is the whole story! Obviously there is more to this story then what she is saying and before anyone says anything they need to get the whole story of what happened and not just one side so they can make an informed judgement about what happened !!!!!!

  91. Local says:

    There is no proof backing her story. I’m not saying either party is right or wrong but I ride the park at Northstar with my 9 year old regularly and have never seen or experienced anything of this sort. The older riders do nothing but encourage him. If you felt that threatened you would make a report regardless of what the resort or anyone says. And if a 6 foot man punched you in the face you would be out cold. I also don’t think all the locals in line would just sit back and watch. Somethings not right??

  92. This is just terrible! You definitely need at attorney as this is an actionable offense! Maybe you are to use this experience as a way to prevent further assaults at Northstar and all Vail Properties. This is ludicrous.. and not representative of all snowboarding guys in and around Lake Tahoe. I know many that ride at Heavenly, close to my part of town at the lake. Please know, I for one, stand in solidarity with you to make sure Northstar does the right thing by you, your son and other patrons at their resorts! Call Joe Laub of Laub and Laub.. Tell him Theresa sent you!

  93. James D says:

    I was raised never to hit a girl or women…any guy who would do that is a yellow bellied coward… sorry for your troubles young lady,, hope your son grows up to be a better man and a better boarder then all them “jerks”!!!!

  94. Amber McClain says:

    I’m so sorry that happened. Urging you should sue Vail Resorts.

  95. Drew says:

    This is deplorable. You should take this straight to the Placer County District Attorney’s office.
    Bypass the police and let them know there is gang like behavior occurring at the mountain.

  96. Dick says:

    Don’t be a gaper and in the wrong spot. If you cant ski the terrain park/pipe stay out of it.

    On the flip side, Im sorry. You didnt deserve that and he had no reason to do that.

  97. Amber McClain says:

    I’m sorry that happened to you. As an attorney, I urge you to sue Vail Resorts and the man who assaulted you. Unacceptable!!

    (Double reply due to auto-correct error in my first comment)

  98. HG says:

    I hope you sue Northstar and Vail resorts for knowingly provide an unsafe environment to its patrons. Sounds like it could be a class action suite with similar incidents.
    Hope you don’t let this stop you from continuing to ski solo with your son. That’s why I stopped going to Kirkwood, once Vail bought them the environment changed. Dodge Ridge is small but family oriented. Good luck!

  99. James says:

    Never an excuse to hit a woman…2 sides needs to stfu

  100. Carla Hunt says:

    To me, having read Danelle’s story, as a Tahoe local, I would say this has more to do with the fact that she was assaulted than it does that she’s a chick. South shore is watching, too, and Wes, keep riding.

  101. Shelleybe says:

    Didn’t Vail Resorts just lose a big lawsuit over doing nothing about certain managers raping the housekeeping staff? Their behavior in that case was equally egregious. I would get a lawyer.

  102. Kevin says:

    I know this doesn’t help but I’m pretty sure the guy was just pissed that your 9 year old son is better on a board then he is. That said, F that guy.

  103. FishyStory says:

    Sounds to me like this story is completely emotionally charged and one-sided, full on detailed account of the “attack” that happened to her yet her side of the story is a lot less detailed… Seems to me like she started and escalated this altercation and she is now trying to play the victim. Anybody else find it funny that there is no account from witnesses (which there DEFINITELY were)? Those quotes she has of the man, do you really think nobody would intervene if there is a man threatening to kill another person? She states very clearly that she had a video camera – why not record the altercation? No matter how buddy-buddy the guy may have been with the resort workers, there is no way this went down how its explained (in a very classic emotional one sided account). I’m not saying the guy is innocent, but I can guarantee there is more to this story than she would like to admit. Mothers can be crazy, that’s pretty much a natural fact – admit your involvement and be done with this. I can’t wait for the other side of this story to come out. And btw, either that 6 foot snowboarder is extremely malnourished and on the verge of collapse, or you are seriously exaggerating the “punch” you received to the face. Full of holes, this story.

    • adan says:

      such an idiotic response. ive whitnessed and been in more fights than i can count. youre a fvcking dumbass. crowds NEVER respond to fights. people dont always act rationally or remember details of TRAUMA. look up “fight/flight/freeze.” exaggerating the punch which left her face tweaked? are you really that stupid? i wish you were in front of me right now so that i could exaggerate a punch in your face you twat.

  104. M. says:

    I would post this statement on their Facebook page. As a former Northstar kid, and growing up at my father’s place of employment, this is sad to hear. I would post this to as many social platformS they use, so others are aware them condoning hatred and physical violence. And if you got a picture of your attacker, I would post that too.

  105. Mikaelaa says:

    Sending love to you and your family…. I have PTSD from being assaulted and it’s crazy how people will just laugh it off. In my situation there was no one to help me but you HAD PEOPLE AROUND YOU WHO WERE SUPPOSED TO HELP YOU AND DID NOTHING!! I can’t believe no one besides one guy in line said something… I’m only 5’6″ but I would have been right there. I’m a Tahoe rider and usually get a heavenly pass but after reading this I will never give them another dime unless they make this right. So sorry you went through all this! I too would suggest contacting a lawyer. Keep us all updated! I’m rooting for you!

  106. Concerned says:

    X-Games stage mom + wealth of details + no proof (like at all) = no -issue.

    If it did happen, someone’s word isn’t enough to prove anything. If it were your father or brother, you wouldn’t want to believe the word of one person either.

    Use your heads, wait for some version or witnesses or proof to come out before running off half cocked.

  107. Erik says:

    I can’t believe this. You should consult with an attorney.

  108. Jake says:

    If you had a “big filming camera” why didn’t you record it as proof?

  109. MJ says:

    I believe what “always two sides” is implying is that, maybe she as not really punched in the face like she claims. Who knows? If this really happened it’s easy, sue Vail! End of story. If she wins she’ll have all the money in the world for her son to train.

  110. Ex-Tahoe Mom says:

    I am so sorry this happened to you and your child. Whatever the cause of the situation was, allowing a mother and child to feel unsafe while at their resort is Vail’s failure. No child should ever be treated the way your child was in the first place! Athletes should encourage young children in the park and teach them by example how to be courteous to other riders. This man should be kicked off the mountain for that alone. I learned to ski in Tahoe and lived there as an adult for 12 years. I have never been a fan of Northstar for that very reason… it is completely over run with rude, careless people. I can see how easily this escalated with the locals there. I left Tahoe years ago and it is still amazing to me what passes as acceptable behavior there. I am so sorry you had to experience this, but good for you for standing up for your child and continuing to stand up for yourself even when someone threatened you. He will always know what a brave, strong mother you are!

  111. George McMullin says:

    This is all a lie. None of this really happened. FAKE

  112. Shelbi Jay says:

    Thank you for sharing your story Danelle,

    I work for Channel 2 News in Reno and we’d like to contact you to hear more about this. If you’re interesting in speaking with us, please shoot us an email at [email protected] or call us in the newsroom at 775-861-4290.

    Again, thank you for sharing your story.

  113. concerned reader says:

    hire an attorney and sue them. absolutely not okay. not. at. all.
    shame on all these people. shame on them!

  114. Mimi P says:

    I’m a local, this is being discussed amongst my wide reaching group of friends and colleagues and we’re appalled. Very appalled.

    A lawsuit against the perpetrator and Vail Resorts is in order. I’m certain that you’ll be able to find legal representation to assist in making that happen.

    You did not deserve this and we locals stand with you, Danielle.

  115. Barbara says:

    I don’t care if she hit him first and told him to Fuck off… There is never an excuse for hitting a women. Period.
    I live in Summit and this is why I ski pretty much exclusively at A Basin = Not a Vail resort.
    Sorry that this happened to you. Don’t stop until that asshole’s pass gets taken away for life.
    Don’t blame the lifty, he literally has thousands of people’s safety at his hands.
    You have options for other great mountains here in CO. Copper, Winter Park,A Basin, etc…

    • Educated Dirt Bag says:

      if a woman can’t be hit, then she shouldn’t hit someone.
      you get a pass until you hit me then I knock you on your ass.

  116. Bob says:

    There are law firms that do nothing but litigate against ski resorts. Find one of these guys, I know Denver has couple of very strong and successful firms and would LOVE to take your case.

  117. Blossom says:

    Sounds like the same entitled idiots that cause road rage incidents in that area. Also, still waiting for 2 sides to prove their point with some eye witness details, or be remembered as a hopeless troll.

    Sue Vail. Sue them.

  118. Cindy Weintritt says:

    I find it unreal that people are giving this poor woman a hard time. I have two relatives who work at resorts that Vail has purchased and the resort now SUCKS big time. Vail is a joke and could care less about its patrons. It’s a shame they are now moving on Mt. Rose – take a great resort and ruin it. I will never spend another $$ at a Vail resort.

  119. Renolocal says:

    Go to Mt Rose. They aren’t owned by Vail. Much better staff.
    Sorry this happened.

  120. mike says:

    I see no record of a police report, and no record that the police were called out that day.

    I have to assume that this went down in basecamp, the most populated area of that mountain. I dont see how this would have gone down and not one person would have stepped forward, be it employee or other person on the lift. I ride there quite often and I find myself astonished at how professional they tend to carry themselves.

    I also have a hard time understanding how I have posted these questions a number of times and you have denied every single one, I would love some type of response or I will need to start asking other places that you have posted.

    Im curious how your kid was just riding on the coping and another person just cut him off, there isnt alot of room between the coping and the fence at the pipe there

    Im having a very hard time believeing that the Vail corp, whom above all will value the family friendly atmosphere of Northstar would take a dirtbags story over yours.

  121. Rewq says:

    You need to sue then in an Iowa court. You need to put this story on Twitter and tweet it at them and link it to their FB page and any other social media.

  122. FishyStory says:

    Sounds to me like this story is completely emotionally charged and one-sided, full on detailed account of the “attack” that happened to her yet her side of the story is a lot less detailed… Seems to me like she started and escalated this altercation and she is now trying to play the victim. Anybody else find it funny that there is no account from witnesses (which there DEFINITELY were)? Those quotes she has of the man, do you really think nobody would intervene if there is a man threatening to kill another person? She states very clearly that she had a video camera – why not record the altercation? No matter how buddy-buddy the guy may have been with the resort workers, there is no way this went down how its explained (in a very classic emotional one sided account). I’m not saying the guy is innocent, but I can guarantee there is more to this story than she would like to admit. Mothers can be crazy, that’s pretty much a natural fact – admit your involvement and be done with this. I can’t wait for the other side of this story to come out. And btw, either that 6 foot snowboarder is extremely malnourished and on the verge of collapse, or you are seriously exaggerating the “punch” you received to the face. Full of holes, this story. Another btw, hitting women is never acceptable? Sexist a-holes is what you are. We live in a society that provides rights equally to women and men, and so there is no discrimination in self-defence. Am I saying the man was defending himself? No. My point is that sometimes, it IS okay to hit a woman. They can take away a life just as easily as they can bring one in. Death does not discriminate. Let’s not forget the amount of male victims of domestic abuse… This is the 21st century. No more “can’t hit a woman” bulletproof vest. Y’all fought for equality and now you got it.

  123. Cheryl Rowder says:

    I say, carry pepper sray from now on! My sister has a violent neighbor who allows his dogs to terreorize the neighborhood. Once I convinced her to carry pepper spray, her courage improved as she knew she could defend herself. I say- go for it!

  124. MK says:

    Vail Resorts has definitely lost control over customer satisfaction ? I, nor my family members, will be patrons at their properties again. Thankfully, I grew up at Heavenly and North Star… holding on to the good memories “pre” Vail Resorts managing them. Families… all members… Must feel safe and like they will have protection if needed… but many don’t, my family included. Blast Vail Resorts and North Star with bad reviews, as well as spread the word by sharing. https://twitter.com/vailresorts and https://twitter.com/skinorthstar

    • Dusan says:

      The less families up there the better. Northstar is actually nice, i just never go there because it’s “family oriented”. Too many parents like to camp out behind turns and ridges, along with their kids.

  125. Courtney Law says:

    I am so sad reading about your experience. I’m a local to Reno and am angry at those jerks!!! Errgghhh!! Clearly I’m not able to compose my thoughts.

    Anyways, three points. First, I will avoid north star like the plague it is. Next, I’m emailing them now. And lastly, please come back with your precious son. Not to north star, but Northern Nevada. If you come back, let us ladies know and WE will ski and board with you. We will stand behind you and your son.

    You are welcome here, the violence and hatred put out by others is not.

  126. Amie says:

    I don’t know what you expect NorthStar to do? They are an absolute joke of a resort. It’s all about the money. Notify the placer county sheriffs department. Violence against women and children is no joke. I would stop at nothing to get the justice that is deserved and to show your son that this is absolutely unacceptable in society and that the world is better then big business pushing things under the rug. Fuck that guy and fuck northstar. Sorry.

  127. steve says:

    At first I was as furious as everyone over this story. And I truly hope the story is true and this lady gets total justice.

    However a little research shows that she is a very prolific blogger and is all over the internet. This doesn’t mean what she has claimed is not the truth just that I have heard of many stories on the Internet that turned out to be not true.

    • j says:

      I wouldn’t call her a prolific blogger – I made a website for Wes a few years ago and Danelle likes to write so I made her one too a couple years later.

      While I didn’t witness the incident I did see her right afterwards very obviously upset. I have literally no reason to not believe her and Wes. Plus I talked to a Northstar employee on the phone and their version really wasn’t any different.

    • David Zemens says:

      A prolific blogger? She’s written like 4 articles in the last year, and though she has a Facebook page for her blog, it’s not been updated (apart from this article) since September.

  128. Jenny says:

    Girl you need to take Northstar to court. Definetly talk to a laywer, cause 1 grabbing on the thigh, sexual harrasment, the physical abuse is another charge and endangering a minor, another charge. they probally comitted between 5 and 10 offenses. You should be paid for your season pass, as well get it back. And they need to pay for all your pain and suffering and the guy get banned and put in jail for what he did. Noone ever should experience that little alone a female and her 9 year old son. I hope that Justice finds you cause it would def. side with you. I’m sooo sorry that you had to experience something like that from a group of cowards. He’s lucky I wasn’t there cause I’m 5″4 110lbs and full of feisty. I woulda took his snowboard and knocked him out with it. Anyone standing around especially males, are all cowards as well. I’m surprised they didn’t video tape it. You should check cause that will help you out as well. You might as well call your son the adult and them the 9 year Olds cause your son definetly showed he is more of a man then anyone there. He also has kore degnity, pride, and strength then anyone who even saw, looked or heard any of what was going on. This is something to not let go of even if it seems like nothing is getting done. Call a lawyer for sure. Hope you guys get justice for what happened to you, and I bet if your husband was there that man woulda just been a kiss @$$. Cowards!

  129. Patty says:

    I’m very sorry for what you went through and how you were treated. Please don’t give up do not just complain….. sue their asses! Them taking your season pass is a bunch of bullshit! Also I’m would love to know what came about after filling out the police report? Was there an arrest or charges brought against the snow boarder? Because there should have been! More power to you and your son… Do not let this attack change the way he thinks about snow boarding. Hopefully when this is all over… You will own that resort and go fire those damn security guards yourself!

  130. Steve says:

    You should own Vail after this

  131. Mia Kattus says:

    This is completely awful, but unfortunately not surprising. I’m a former Vail Resorts (Northstar) employee. I was bullied, picked on, and treated terribly by my boss when I worked retail there. He treated me different than anyone else, and I still have no idea why. He also made innuendo-like comments to another employee and even grabbed her by the face. When she tried to file a sexual harassment complaint, nothing was done. I met with a higher up to discuss how the manager was treating me and that it was hurtful and his explanation was “he probably doesn’t mean to.” Later on, he made false allegations against another female employee as an excuse to let her go. When she proved the accusations wrong, she was offered her job back by HR but decided to quit because she did not want to work for someone who made up a reason to fire her. Anyway, terribly sorry to hear about this and I hope the police or Vail Resorts can crack down on these issues! The man who hit you should have gone to jail!

  132. n says:

    if you comment about this on their facebook page you will be banned, fast.

  133. Tom says:

    vail sucks. I was considering buying season tickets to northstar but Im sticking to squaw alpine.

  134. cody says:

    Dear danelle,

    I’m sorry to hear about this, it really is horrific. I am and have been a snowboard instructor at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. Employees there are very passionate about the sport, the people, and safety. If you are ever in Utah I would be more than happy to get you and your son free passes to enjoy our resort without the fear this despicable human being bullied you into. We have a small but fun terrain park and rarely are there ever long lines. Unfortunately our season ends in a few weeks but feel free to contact me next year and I will definitely keep this promise.

    Being a male snowboarder I want to promise you that the majority of us are not like that and it is dispicable. I’m sorry you and your son had to go through this. I’m glad your son has a passion for this sport and I hope he continues to loving it and grows into an amazing rider.

    Best wishes,
    -Cody

    [email protected]

  135. Julianne says:

    EVIL PREVAILS WHEN GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING. I hope there are 2 sides to this story, because the current one on this blog is absolutely disgusting. No one should be punching, grabbing, intimidating, slapping with a glove, screaming at, etc. any other human being (MAN OR WOMAN) for any reason unless it is in self defense or to save someone else from harm. Period End. If this is all that truly happened- good for you Danelle for standing up for your son.

    I have a question- why did take your pass? Because you called the police? That’s an odd policy. I would ask them to site the reasons for rescinding it- certainly just asking another human being to respectfully watch his mouth while yelling at my kid and to watch how he boards wouldn’t warrant rescinding a several hundred dollar pass. I wouldn’t stand for that, if that’s the case. If that was my child I would have definitely said something to the A-hole that cut him off/or told him to watch it. You watch it JERK- he’s a child. And he’s entitled to the park like the rest of you maniacs. It’s basic human respect to watch out for others- whether you’re on the mountain, on the road, in the grocery store, old, young, man, woman, dog, boarder, skier, whatever. I really hope this has a better ending that unfolds. The current standing is absolutely outrageous- and not only the employees/Vails fault but also EVERYONE that witnessed it (2sides!). Go read about Kitty Genovese- murdered while her entire apartment building did nothing.

    A dear friend of mine’s grandparents met and were later married- at a prison camp in Kentucky in the 1930’s. The husband was an inmate, and his future wife was the daughter of the Prison Warden. Her groom was in prison for beating the living hell out of guy- to death- in a bar in KY- because that man was beating the living hell out of his girlfriend. That abusive man deserved to die, and the man imprisoned for rescuing the woman in need deserved a medal- not jail time. He was defending a person in need. I know that I learn from Danelle’s story, and the one I just told. (I know that bride very well and she is still alive today).

    I’m sorry that things unfolded for you the way they did- even if it is only your perception- it sounds traumatizing. I hope you get the help you need and I second the notion that you should seek legal advice and start by filing a report if you haven’t already.

    (female skier, new to the area, in case anyone needs to know).

  136. erik says:

    Shit going viral Yo, Northstar fucked up big time.

  137. Lori says:

    Why don’t you get a lawyer and sue Vail and the man that assaulted you?

  138. Davi says:

    First, wow, this kid can rip!

    In all my days skiing at Tahoe I experienced first hand a “heated” skier once, I was closing my boots on the lift line and for a split second my poles touched the guy above his waist, didn’t endanger him at all but he was super pissed. I apologized a few times and the guy kept trying to infuriate me for physical contact, I’m not someone who bites gratuity invitations to violence, some locals stepped in and told the guy to chill, the guy immediately popped out of his bindings and asked if the other guy wanted to fight him as well. Luckily things cooled off.

    Now, most Vail mountains, and specifically Northstar, is well known for being family friendly. I could never get a even a bit of speed close to a patrol without them complaining, I’d be very surprised if that’s the full story to it. Nothing justifies the guy hitting her, as well as nothing would justify her slapping him on the face. If any of this happened, the staff didn’t do their jobs but I have the impression that both should likely be banned within reason.

  139. Brett says:

    I’ve noticed how you’re painted yourself as the innocent nice person in this story that does no wrong. No where do you claim that you cussed, antagonized or have any responsibility in this? Clearly this guy was very angry with you. That never happens for no reason. I do believe That never should a woman be hit for any reason. I don’t like the fact that you’re lying and embellishing this story to make yourself look like an angel. You and I both know you’re not being honest. That’s clear and makes me wonder what really happened……

  140. Father O'Twogirls says:

    Next time out whiz right past NorthBore and ride the Mothership…Mammoth Mountain…where we keep the love alive! Hard to get stoked at lake level so angry groms let their frustration show. When their season ends they filter down to our big boys mountain and the hate and foul language commences.

  141. John says:

    I’m sad to read this. Have seen some of the Northstar park crew
    in action.

    Found this on a closed local FB group “Nevada County Peeps”.
    Nevada County includes Grass Valley and Truckee CA.

  142. Chris says:

    I am so very sorry for you and your son. What a horrible experience. What a bad example their staff provided to you both. Not acceptable. For what you experienced as well as a permanent memory for your boy.

    I give my kudos to your guts and passion to speak and reach out about it. What happened in a business that taking money, covering asses of douche and violent behavior, permanent scars for you both – is a punishment to you and your son?

    By saying so by you, I hope there is positive change. You have my e-mail I think by this post. I support you 100%. And, I respect you for being brave to put it out there. Your son is right, you are a very brave Mom! I would and have done the same thing.

  143. Brian says:

    I would definitely have that guybarrested for assault and sue him for damages $$for your pass etc. I would also post this everywhere so peepa know northstar sucks i dont like that mtn any way. Cant believe mo one in lone interveined on your behalf. I woulda knocked the guy out

  144. Brooke Smith says:

    This is horrible. I really think you should consider suing. I bet you could start a gofundme if you need help with legal fees. I am a Tahoe local, raised in Tahoe, and my dad is 25+ year ski patrol at Squaw. Let me know if you need help. Locals will support you. What happened to you is bullshit.

  145. Christopher Dee says:

    This is sick. Stoned idiots, need their heads bashed in. And whoever has been dealing with this at that Northstar resort, and whoever has been dealing with this on the Vail side of things, needs to grow the hell up and look at the simple facts of the matter, and start to act like a real human being.

    You are a woman, a mother, with a family, who obviously has shown many actions of common sense, decency, care, concern, and general respect towards others. Sure everybody doesn’t agree all the time, but the guy was just a rude stoned asshole, as certainly can be evidenced by the other people. And the guy hit you! Any boss that doesn’t understand how to take logical action in such a situation, should absolutely be canned.

    Keep taking this up the authority chain and do not stop until they make it right. I’d help you if I could, but I can’t, so sorry. But what you are doing here, is right. I don’t do business with losers, because that’s how good capitalism works, and until they take steps to try and make this workable and right, neither should anyone else who learns about this stuff. Please keep us informed if civility eventually happens.

  146. Amanda says:

    I agree with the above comment. Other locals will support you. The “good ole boy” problem is prevalent in this community. I am so disappointed to hear this whole story. I will never visit Northstar Resort after reading this.

  147. Wesley says:

    Start a riot! I agree sue the pants off them and if all else fails have a huge group of locals come together and make sure you get your pass back and or get something to be done about this a hole and who ever was supporting him..you got my support

  148. Seems odd says:

    Something is really off about this story. Nothing gave this man the right to hit anyone, no excuse at all. Again though, something is missing from this story.

  149. Anon says:

    You need to go to the media about this.

  150. Meg Gibson says:

    Sue them. If you need a referral to a Plaintiffs attorney that will do it on contingency, message me. It’s a long process, but they’ll have to pay their lawyers many times over what your pass cost. Sending a demand letter that you’re suing unless they reinstate your pass might work. Send it by certified mail to their General Counsel.

  151. lori says:

    Dirt bag I would go after his ass and the resorts. Then they might get a clue its not OK to hit woman……………………….

  152. Marie says:

    Please hire an attorney and sue this place. Your son is allowed to be a witness if he consents and you do as well. A good attorney should take your case on a contingency basis- meaning that you don’t pay until settlement (although their percentage is usually higher for this). If you’re willing, the smart thing to do would be to find other people that have experienced this (i.e. via social media) who are willing to add on to a class action law suit. You will be dealing with this for awhile, but will likely have a large monetary settlement and better yet- enforce strict rules & fines for this property do the same continuous issue is prevented. That is the best way to fight back & win. Good luck.

  153. A Concerned Citizen and Truckee Local says:

    Unfathomable! I am speechless that this was allowed to happen to you and dumb founded that Northstar took this ignorant and uncaring position. Shameful really.

    I am so sorry my dear. I am not a fan of lawyers but this situation demands nothing less than a big fat lawsuit. Money seems to be the only thing these corporations will listen to these days. Criminal charges against the bully would also be nice. He should get his pass permanently pulled.

  154. Mark says:

    I hope someone kicks that pricks ass so bad he’ll never be able to ski again. If he treated my wife that way I’d be looking for him outside of Northstar.

  155. Sparafucile says:

    I truly wish you, Danelle, didn’t focus so strongly and repeatedly on the fact that a *woman* was assaulted — but rather that ANYBODY was assaulted (by somebody much larger, too).

    The fact that you’re a woman, in today’s currency, should buy you NOTHING — especially “victim status”. Being a victim of battery makes you a victim, not your gender.

    That said, I wish you or somebody around you had been videotaping, as the secondary crime comes from the lying and deflection of responsibility. And for that, this shitburger and Northstar should pay, and pay dearly.

    • JC says:

      When violence against women is no longer a HUGE issue in this society and in this world, then yes, maybe gender shouldn’t matter. But since it is an issue and it also is part of the story (she was with her son…there is a correlation here) there is no sense in leaving this fact out of the equation.

      It matters. If you can’t see why, maybe you should think a little more about it and ask some questions before you form an opinion and post hurtful, uneducated things.

  156. Manny Peddy says:

    I agree something sounds fishy. Everybody is lobbing love her way, but if you read some of her other posts she does demand equality. I think unfortunately she might have gotten a dose of it here.

    Insert 5’2″ dude in her place that comes screaming at the lift line at some bigger stoner local. Maybe 5’2″ dude pushes the stoner local a few times and slaps or hits him. Continues to berate stoner local.

    Stoner local doesn’t take too kindly to that and knocks 5’2″ guy flat on his ass.

    Is it right stoner local gets physical? No, but it sounds like this got stupid fast and she got pushed around a bit. Based on the picture it doesn’t look like she got flat out cold-cocked.

    Everybody has jumped to her side because “she is a girl and got hit”, but in a lot of her other blog posts I see how “super athletic” she is and how she “doesn’t want to be treated like a girl.”

    This guy definitely can’t be accused of doing that. He apparently treated her like the 5’2″ dude doing the same thing, but maybe a little better.

    • gondolbongsnowboardclub says:

      Nah, taking her at her word the dude initiated the first physical contact by grabbing her shoulders. Maybe you missed that part.

    • JC says:

      So you’ve read into her other posts, taken them out of context and are re-applying them here? So let me get this straight…”Doesn’t want to be treated like a girl” = hit/berate/threaten me like you would a man of my same stature?

      WTF kind of logic is that?

      Nevermind the other assumptions you’re making. Man, can you just sit the f down and not talk?

  157. Dan West says:

    I am so completely appalled to hear what happened to this dear lady and her child. I try to be a calm, peaceful person, but if I had been around when this a@@hole assaulted her, I would have knocked him out cold. Then I would have called law enforcement before I kicked his ribs into kibbles and bits. These out of control scumbags need to be kept away from the public.

  158. Barney says:

    “Hands up dont shoot”

  159. Emily Ryssman says:

    You people are all INSANE. She is obviously using an argument between two people (valid or not) to promote her lil cash cow son! It’s so obvious…and I’ve lost that much more hope in humanity after this post and the comments. I’ve been abused as a woman and am an advocate for those truly abused. This woman is a media seeking flatlander yuppie. Period. Bye.

    • Harold says:

      “flatlander” You gave yourself away there, troll. So, are you a personal friend of the man who assaulted the author?

  160. bn says:

    thats 1 side of the story

  161. Brown bear says:

    I’m a local and skied Northstar since it first opened. Over the last decade I’ve noticed a shift in the clientele and the culture on the hill. I’m not surprised at your story or that a knucklehead like that boarder was there. I’ve moved on to Squaw Valley which is much better but not really a boarder place. I like it for skiing and I haven’t found the same hot head individuals there. That young man needs an antidepressant and some anger management classes to control his impulsive rage. Just remember, there are a lot of crazy people out there. Raise your son to be solid, settled, and even and use that dufus as an example of what not to be. In the mean time, press charges through the local law enforcement.

  162. Northstar 30 Years says:

    I’m a thirty year+ homeowner at Northstar and while Northstar and Northstar NPOA are different animals than Vail Resorts, the place isn’t the same place I bought into. It’s just a giant money vacuum cleaner now.

    I hope you sue the living shit out of Vail Resorts.

  163. Anonymous says:

    It doesn’t matter WHAT he said JE HIT A WOMAN INFRONT OF HER CHILD’! There is not a single thing her or any other woman could say that warrants being punched in the face! If he did in fact have her leg pinned down she had every right to try to slap him away! This woman is clearly a seasoned rider, and as a fellow seasoned rider and mother of a son, I too may have asked somebody to show caution on the mountain especially around children! It’s absolutely absurd how they dealt with the issue. I can appreciate a large company not wanting to draw attention to a violent incident which is why it is even more surprising this is how they responded! Had they done what was right and made their customers felt safe this atypical would have never been written, or it could have been written a lot differently and could sing their praise on how they helped the matter! But now, if I were you mama, I wouldn’t stop until every one who has ever heard of Vail Resorts knows your story. It seems that this woman was trying to teach her about right of way and son some mountain etiquette( clearly somthing this scumbag’s parents failed at). I have been riding in Tahoe for 25+ years, and worked at two of the now Vail resorts. And while there have always been some ass holes out there, I don’t believe that this shit would have ever resulted in this way. I have personally called security on jerks for less and seen them set with appropriately! The only thing Vail Resorts us done is raise prices, not standards. AgainNO MATTER WHAT YOU SAID OR HOW YOU SAID IT BEING TOUCHED IN ANYWAY IS NOT OK!!!! So ya, some guy puts his hand on my leg unapproved, you better believe I’m doing more that slapping him w a gloved hand! Keep showing your son how strong you are and that no one should get away with treating anyone like this! Shame on you Northstar, I’m embarrassed to call you home.

  164. Julane says:

    I am outraged by this. I’m also outraged by some of the other comments here. As a mother, if my child is in danger, by another human or the environment, you better believe I will confront the situation as shredmom did. The park is for everyone’s use to enjoy and experience whether young or old. This mother responded out of concern for her son safety and just goes to prove that even the most innocent of intentions can be met with even more greater results. Its becoming a very scary place when you risk getting treated the way this person did. Too bad she didn’t have pepper spray handy. Its
    obvious the “bully” has no respect and has boundary issues and we can only hope we don’t hear of something like this later on, down the road, with even more casualties, as a result. Even more, with this dudes picture.

    Shredmom, you said you had your camera. Was it on? Was there any other kids or parents around at the time your son was yelled at to get out of the way? Perhaps there’s film somewhere of him that may have captured him acting on poor judgment. You could always try to put something out there that asks if anyone else has witnessed or been involved in a similar situation with Vail resorts to contact you, compare notes and hold Vail responsible. While we put ourselves at risk in order to enjoy this wonderful sport, hobby, life goal, it is up to the resorts to ensure our safety and the safety of others when using their parks, including people who treat other like-mind enthusiast, so poorly. Don’t give up and don’t let anyone or anything prevent you from seeking justice.

  165. William Evans says:

    Ski-Board Rage is ridiculous,getting out of hand, and completely unacceptable in all its forms. Abusive acts whether physical, verbal, psychological, or any form it may take against women is appalling, disgusting, and should never ever be tolerated. All Real Men need to chastise any/ all man/men engaging in sexist and abusive behavior toward women. Men stand up for what is right and stand against sexism at all cost, and make our moms proud. That being said I am Truckee/Tahoe resident and Gnarschralping skier since blasting out the womb and find it hard to believe onlookers and employees alike reacted in the fashion and manner claimed, with having witnessed all types of Rage incidents on hill including assault of women I’m surprised a beat down was not dispensed on the male involved by fellow riders or the itchy trigger finger cop wannabe hero security guards that live for altercations and incidents like this to exercise their authority. In closing the statement she makes in the email sent to Northstar about her son being to young to ride the mountain alone is outlandish and a tall tale in the least if you consider her accounts of her sons abilities, and it gives a lot of insight into her personality. I mean I was getting dropped off alone to ski when I was five. Learning how to ride safely, confidently, and knowing ones limits comes from and matures when riding solo in my opinion. Little dudes time has come mom to learn to fly solo and leave the nest, land your helicopter, and as a contingency for your filming dilemma mount your camera on a drone, get drone pilots license, relax at base area film and watch from above.

  166. gregory says:

    I was born and raised in the area….You see the locals bullying people all the time…. I know live in Texas…. If a woman was being beaten here, every guy in the line would beat the shit out of this guy…. He must have buddies working there that see him all the time and did not want to stand up to him… The men that saw this and did not help are cowards…

  167. Jordan P. says:

    Some of the comments here are appalling.
    And it seems everyone thinks she was acting in a provoking manner, as if the incident started in the lift line.
    AS IF SHE DOESN’T HAVE THE RIGHT TO STICK-UP FOR AND PROTECT HER CHILD!!!
    If some idiot tried to run my kid off a half pipe, I wouldn’t have said anything. I would walk up to him smiling, grab his shoulders, and knee him in the groin hard enough to break something.
    And then tell my kid as we walked away, ” that’s what you do if anyone threatens you to the point you are scared they will hurt you.”

  168. Jordan P. says:

    Some of the comments here are appalling.
    And it seems everyone thinks she was acting in a provoking manner, as if the incident started in the lift line.
    AS IF SHE DOESN’T HAVE THE RIGHT TO STICK-UP FOR AND PROTECT HER CHILD!!!
    If some idiot tried to run my kid off a half pipe, I wouldn’t have said anything. I would walk up to him smiling, grab his shoulders, and knee him in the groin hard enough to break something.
    And then tell my kid as we walked away, ” that’s what you do if anyone threatens you to the point you are scared they will hurt you.”

  169. Weston Everett says:

    I work seasonally for a company owned by Vail Resorts, this is shameful… Don’t know if it’ll do any good but I sent an email to corporate asking them to look into this and handle it. I don’t want this kind of rep for Northstar, or through them the rest of the vail resorts and companies, its despicable. Truly sorry that it happened, that guy should’ve spent the night in jail.

  170. RG says:

    This is appalling! I have been a homeowner at Northstar for almost 20 years and have never heard anything like this before. Northstar prides itself on being a safe, family friendly resort. I want to find out who that guy was and get him banned from Northstar … as a homeowner, I don’t want him anywhere near me, my family or my friends. Please email me privately and let me know the names, as well as contact information (if you have it) of everyone you spoke to during and after this event … I am going to reach out to all the powers that be to get this guy banned and demand restitution to you and your family.

  171. Ed Wetta says:

    Danelle,
    All I can say is I hope this idiot was arrested and I wish I was there, because the minute he put his hands on you, he would have been on the ground, crying like a baby waiting for the police to take him into custody. There are always two sides of a story, but your physical injuries and the fact that as a skier for 40 yrs, it is the downhill skier/ snowboarder to safely pass, or they can have their ticket revoked. This is what happens when a society is afraid to take action when they see something happen, because they don’t want to get involved. By the way, I always ski with something a little stronger than pepper spray just in case you run into a wild animal, which in this case you did.
    Hope you and your son are ok.
    Retired Police Officer

  172. Jay says:

    Not surprised this would happen in an extreme right wing religious theocracy. They hate women in religious countries. Beating women and assualting children in the greatest pastime of American white Christians.

  173. Freedawgers says:

    Should’ve bought a Sierra pass in the first place.

  174. Nik says:

    I worked for North Star in 98-99 …. Years ago ! 🙂 even back then when it when it was really North Star – before being bought out . Thr was complaints of snow boarders – but also people on skis too tho . Thr is lot of dif levels of riders all 2gether ! As well of driving a car / horse / bike / pretty much anything u can come across in life . Aggression should be handled the same across the board tho. I feel u should have call truckee police from the get go. So what if they got annoyed – that’s thr job . U could even have called and said ” I don’t feel good how this is being handled” I was born and raised in truckee then moved to Reno in 2000. One thing I can tell u I’ve learned in my 39 years . It’s all $ and who is boss . Who might get a beter score on thr operations or manage on a btr profit . I’m sorry this happened to u .

  175. zamboni slim says:

    seriously

    FUCK VAIL! first they buy kirkwood and now this?!? can i please get involved somehow to help you and ur son find justice? there has to be something…

  176. Carina says:

    What a terrible story. I am so sorry this happened. The account is emotionally super-charged, so Danelle will need witnesses to give impartial statements. It should definitely be formally investigated by the Police as well. A couple of points of advice for Danelle, if she is reading this: 1st: remove the references to money if you want locals to help you figure out who-dunnit. Anybody who can buy a trip to Northstar and Colorado to film her son appears massively entitled. This won’t help you gain sympathy from potential witnesses. Keep in mind that only a quarter of kids in the local community ever get to go to the ski hill. 2. As much as Northstar seems like a perfectly manicured Disney-esque resort, park riding anywhere is gnarly business. I work with 8-10-year-olds at (Tahoe’s friendliest) resort. When we enter the big park, all of the park riders are on edge. They make assumptions that we lack the knowledge and experience to be in the park. (Yes, I am also small and female.) There is a fear that we will improperly pass through a blind landing zone or otherwise put ourselves in harms’ way. I can feel their fear, which occasionally gets expressed as annoyance. We go out of our way to demonstrate good park etiquette. When going to a new resort, rent an experienced instructor for an hour. This pro can point out all of the safety issues specific to each park and the expectations/culture specific to that resort.You may even be introduced to some of the regular riders. Unfortunately some resorts have riders with the stereo-typical territorial and rough so-Cal surfer mentality. While i cannot vouch for all of its riders, I will say that I am glad that you finally made it to the friendly mountain, Alpine Meadows. Btw, we have fantastic mountain hosts who direct traffic when there are lift lines; they are chosen for their ability to keep things positive and fair.

  177. Bill Stevenson says:

    If you can find him on FaceBook point him out so we can gang up and attack him.

  178. Bill Stevenson says:

    Sue them. Take their and his ass to court and sue them.

  179. Kristy M says:

    I live in Reno, Nv. I hope you have the name of the person who assaulted you and you press charges. Then sue them for damages. You can prove the loss of your pass and additional costs incurred. When you end up back in the area for trial I have an extra bedroom and many couches for you (or you and family) so you have a place to stay and feel safe. Please don’t let him get away with this. The next person this bully picks on might get it much worse.

  180. Kelly says:

    So she never called the actual cops? That is the only thing that makes no sense to me, as a female, if she were in fact in the right.

  181. B says:

    I didn’t read the entire comment thread, but what I did read…are any of you parents? If someone puts my child in danger on a recreational mountain, you can be sure that I am going to confront them. I’m not going to walk away and try to report it to some pot head lift operator. Do you know how fast people go on and off lifts, he would be lost in the sea of people on the mountain. Besides that it’s not like you are in the ghetto and expecting to be bitch slapped by somebody if you speak your mind. I’m
    5’2″ just like this mom, and if someone puts my child in danger, you are going to hear mama bear come out! What is wrong with people today? You know people heard the confrontation and witnessed it! Are people so afraid of what others might do that they cower at any sign of confrontation? What happened to standing up for others in need and knowing the difference between right and wrong!?!? I am absolutely appalled by the lack of reaction from fellow human beings. I’m sorry you had your pass revoked, completely unjust!! In the bigger realm of life, you taught your son that you don’t back down to anyone and are looking out for his best interest. Like your son said, he saw you as “Brave” not scared or fearful. I would rather be that than the later. Your son will grow up and not be walked on because of the courage you had that day on the mountain. Again I am completely appalled with the way the Vail Resorts has handled your situation. If they feel you provoked the incident perhaps the better resolve would be to revoke you from that specific mountain, not all of the remaining resorts your pass is valid for. Not like you EVER want to go back to Northstar anyways! While complete justice would be for the creep who assaulted you to get what’s coming to him and your pass not to be revoked at all, it doesn’t seem like they will ever make their wrong a right. I wish you the best in your endeavors to make sense of all of this. Best of luck in your continued love of shredding up the half pipes, jumps, bumps, etc…

  182. Ryan says:

    Well it’s official even on Northstar Wikipedia page it says that they are Pro-women beaters …. And 5% of their lifts are too.

  183. B says:

    So, you took your 9 year old son on the superpipe? And were just hanging out on the upper deck for fun? It’s a feature in a terrain park, not a playground. Please hire a proper coach. You’re just endangering your son’s and everyone else’s safety.

  184. Sean Michael Wiley says:

    Well I just want to say that aggressive riding in a terrain park, and trying to intimidate the smaller kid was the first act of violence and completely plausible! There is a lack of respect in town that I am so ashamed of, and never used to be part of the Lake Tahoe mentality.

  185. Molly says:

    Danelle,

    I’m so sorry about what you experienced out in Colorado. No woman, let alone a mother with her child, should be subjected to that kind of public violence at a resort. I’m from a ski town in Vermont, Ludlow, where Okemo Mountain Resort is located and cannot fathom having Okemo reacting the way that Vail Resorts did. I hope that you continue to go out and chaperone and snowboard with your son, obviously not back at any Vail Resorts. If possible, I would definitely look into coming out East for next winter for Wesley to train. Okemo has the best terrain park in the East and many world class snowboarders, like the Teters, have started and trained here. Obviously the mountain itself isn’t as they are out West, but we definitely treat our visitors with more respect, having grown up on the mountain and working for the Resort myself. I also believe that Crested Butte in Colorado has the same ownership as Okemo.

    Snowboarding, especially in the park, is about looking out for each other, and I can’t believe that a grown man would treat you and your son the way your attacker did. The resort should be ashamed of themselves, unfortunately they’ll probably make a ridiculous amount of money this year off of $20 hamburgers and $170 lift tickets. But the next time I’m in Colorado I’ll be sure to avoid any Vail Resorts.

    Again, so sorry for your experience and I hope that you and your family can move forward from this. Best of luck to you, Wesley and the rest of your loved ones.

  186. Jacob says:

    What a bunch of douche-tards. I’m not usually a huge proponent of violence but that entitled p.o.s. deserves the ass-kicking of his life and the rest of those bozos deserve a smack in the head, too.

  187. Anonymous Local says:

    I find it so incredibly difficult to fully support either party in this story. Half of me is siding with the group saying “WTF!?!? Who is this idiot that punched this lady in the face in front of her nine year old son?” and the other half of me is siding with the people saying “Where are the witnesses? Where is the other side to this story? If this lady was really in a crowded lift line, would there really not be a single person that steps up and stops this kid that’s screaming that he was going to kill this woman, and then punching her in the face?” Like many other people who’ve commented on this blog post, I don’t want to sound disrespectful and I’m certainly not saying that it’s okay for anyone to hit anyone else over something like this, but there is clearly a lot of unknown surrounding this story. Does anyone here know someone who personally witnessed this whole thing happen? Perhaps the guys that she quotes in the story would like to step forward and provide some information? Or maybe figure out what lift-op was working that day and see what sort of information he has to bring to the table? I’m quite curious to see how this story develops as witnesses are asked to testify. About 10 of my friends have posted this story to their Facebook page, and being that I’ve lived in the area for 8+ years and am seemingly around the same age as the guy in the story, I find it hard to believe I wouldn’t know the who the guy is, at least through one of my friends.

  188. Nate Ingram says:

    I’d be taking that to court I’m sorry to hear about what had happened to your son and yourself and sincerely hope he continues to love and enjoy the sport it would be very sad if the action of the man and park people ruined his outlook on snowboarding. I hope you guys had an amazing rest of your vacation hopefully things will be much better next year for both of u. If u decide to go back to that shitty park bring ur husband. I pray justice comes to those people that did you two wrong.

  189. RD says:

    This is just another typical day at Vail resorts’ Northstar at tahoe. You will get used to it after a while.

  190. lydie says:

    Hi Shredmom,
    great writing and thanks for sharing. I tried to spread your story on social media, we’ll see if it has any effect on Vail Resorts…
    Since you had the support of the policeman, saying there are always violent issues in Northstar maybe you could press charges with his witness ?
    maybe not against the guy at fault but against Northstar security service which clearly doesn’t guarantee anyone’s safety!
    good luck for the rest of the season and good job on letting your son follow his dreams (maybe one day he’ll be famous and have a voice to let people know about this)…

  191. Aaron says:

    Sorry to hear about your experience. That it horrible. Hopefully something will come out of this if we are all sharing the story. I would’ve not allowed that to happen if I was standing there. Stay strong and thanks for sharing your experience. It takes a strong women to stand up a to a bully and write about it.

  192. HittingWomenIsn'tWrong says:

    Shredmom looks like a class-A cunt. I’d probably have beat up her kids too so they learned a valuable lesson as well.

    • Noelle says:

      Upset about failing the third grade for the 12th time? Sorry sweetie. Ask your Mommy to cut back on your ADHD meds. They’re making you too aggressive.

  193. Adam says:

    Please send this to the snowboard magazines. The entire snowboard world needs to hear this story.

  194. Anarae says:

    This man’s behavior is absolutely unacceptable!! And the response from the business is even more so. I wish for justice in this situation and will be sharing your story everywhere!

  195. Cliff says:

    Sounds to me like you should keep an eye on your 9 year old. There are fast and big people out there and you need to be in a better spot. Yes, he probably overreacted, but the start was your son in his path. I’m so tired of everyone complaining and needing justice for their children. Life isn’t always fair and you’re not always going to be able to show them that the world is going to yield for them because it’s proper. Have him man up, he’ll be better for it.

    • Harold says:

      “Yes, he probably overreacted, but the start was your son in his path.” Are you kidding, troll? The person downhill always has the right of way. Period. Ski/board under control. Period.

    • Deanna Rempel says:

      NOBODY is in your path on a ski hill. It is your responsibility to avoid them. BASIC RULES.

  196. Doc says:

    She had a camera. Why didn’t she tape any of this?

    • JC says:

      Sounds like it was big piece of equipment, not a small handheld. Hence this reference “(I’m 5 foot 2 and was carrying a big filming camera and wearing a large backpack)”.

      How is she just going to casually take that out? Also, I personally wouldn’t take it out because this jerk-off sounds like he would have broken the equipment. At this point she was just trying to compose herself in this awful moment while in front of her kid.

    • Doc's Doc says:

      hen someone is assaulting you survival is the mode not “let me get my camera out of my backpack”. Do you really have to ask this? How is this not common sense?

  197. Kevin Sun says:

    I am so sorry of what happened to you Danelle. I just sent an email to Vail Resorts and Northstar that they have just lost my business. I was planning a group trip of 20 people to go to Northstar this year, but have decided to not execute the trip due to your incident. I will give my business to a more decent resort. Hope all things are well.

    • Traci says:

      Thats awesome! Totally awesome i will never take my kids there. We live close and I will drive further away to not go to Northstar

  198. David Zemens says:

    Can we see Vail/Northstar’s response email???

  199. Mandy says:

    Tweet to northstar at: @SkiNorthstar
    Let them know this is unacceptable. Ski/snowboard culture can be very chauvinist, it’s time to change that. And yes, please seek legal council, I think you have a good case. Thanks for speaking up about this horrible, traumatic event. Don’t let it stop you and your son from hitting the slopes.

  200. Sol Naciente says:

    post the C.O.O.’s contact info so we can start flooding her office with calls and emails. Everyone showing concern should repost this blog on Northstar’s FB page with a comment of solidarity for the mama.

  201. N.W. says:

    Sounded like you waited to contact the police because Northstar threaten to take away your pass if you did. That should have never stopped you from calling 911 when the incident occurred.

    I get that you’re trying to shame Northstar here, and clearly they didn’t handle this incident well, but you should be talking to a lawyer and pursuing a civil case against the violent individual who assaulted you. And file a police report if you haven’t already.

  202. SallyAnn says:

    Have you thought about contacting a few professional snowboarders to rally support? Their support may get Vail Resorts to budge. Just a thought.

  203. Kate says:

    So disturbed and sorry this happened to you!

    I’d suggest riding in Utah! Brighton has amazing terrain parks, the people are awesome, lift tickets are cheaper and the costs for lodging are way more affordable.

    I work in live broadcast tv for ski and snowboard events and have been to dozens of resorts throughout North America and I always cringe working at Vail resorts.

  204. Ambar Duenas says:

    It is important to take a legal stand and file a lawsuit to hold this place of business accountable for their neglect to protect your safety, and to side with an individual who is clearly abusive because chances are you are not his first victim and will not be his last. This business needs to be held accountable for their neglect and utterly inadequate, mishandling of a dangerous situation. Sue them and let a ver LOUD clear message be sent to them and any other facilities that if they fail to uphold safety practices and do what is right when a situation like this arises then they will have a heavy fine and have to pay restitution for the pain and suffering you surely endured in those moments. Get a bulldog attorney now if you have not yet done so. I tend to be one that says do not get into lawsuits but in this case, they absolutely need to be held responsible for what happened.

  205. Dan V says:

    Why is there no mention of the agressive snowboarder’s name? Lift operator, security, others in lift line surely knew who this guy is. Make that public and let it go viral. The Resort will have to act then.

  206. Fair Wages says:

    Typically, every story has multiple sides, but the article sure paints Vail Resorts in a terrible light.

    Other than feeling bad for the victims of the incident, what concerns me most is Vail Resorts apparent ability to ban someone from all their resorts, as many of their resorts are on public land. Many of VR’s Special Use Permits issued by the USFS have BELOW MARKET LEASE RATES and can be terminated by the USFS to serve the public interest.

    While there might be examples where it would serve the public interest to ban a person from National Forests, it seems like an individual banned by Vail Resorts should, at the very least, be able to appeal the ban to the USFS with Vail Resorts being required to explain why the individual was banned.

    While a business on privately owned land might be able to make a case for reserving the right to refuse service to someone, a business on public land at a below market lease rate should serve everyone unless there is a compelling reason to the contrary.

  207. Mason Wheeler says:

    I personally work at Mt. Rose ski resort just on the other side of the mountain. I would love to have you and your son come over to Mt. Rose. Even though we may not have all of the terrain parks stuff that Northstar has we definitely have a family oriented mountain and everyone is very friendly! Please contact me as I would love to see you guys up there! And tell your son to keep shredding! We need more respectful snowboarders on the mountains around Tahoe!

  208. Jason Sean Richard Wright says:

    As a native of the Sierra-Nevada’s I am appalled that this happened. Not only how North star “handled” it, but also that a raging woman beater would not be put in his place by someone, ANYONE, around. In the quiet mountains we like to pride ourselves on things like chivalry, honor, respect, and compassion. If this has happened in from t of me, that guy would have to love with the scars for the rest of his life. I’d have a hard time not inducing PTSD for him. I see this as a fair consequence for what he has done to you and your family. In behalf of those who are of good heart, and stand-up character, I deeply apologize to you and your family for all of this… The way North star dealt with this is getting them put on my “blast list”. I’m putting them on blast as of now. I will be calling for a world wide boycott of all their services and facilities. All women I know who are active in mountainous regions will most likely be the first to partake. Then their friends and family will follow suit. We must show that a company needs to be responsible for safety and other things concerning their customers. I will be sharing your post as widely as possible to help get this out there. Knowing this happened just a week or so before I went back home to Tahoe for my 30th birthday, I can’t help but notice that yes, things have changed a lot since I moved to the SF area… And not for the better. I noticed a change when I went, and now I know it was more than just my personal recollection of my old town… It has become an area of mass consumerism and bullying. There are more “ass holes” and “d-bags” now then there ever used to be. I feel it is also important to note that many of Europe’s “elite” come to lake Tahoe for vacation as it reminds them a lot of their home towns. That’s not just the scenery, but the vibe, the feel of the town, as well. It used to be a quiet little mountain town…. Now it is a haven for woman beaters? Inconceivable.

  209. Steve says:

    My wife would’ve beat the shit out of the guy and she’s 5’4″.

  210. Mom says:

    The entire incident was traumatic especially given that your 9 year old witnessed the entire situation. Collecting your “wits” after the fact I understand as well – now find an attorney and check on suing Northstar for 1) lack of training for its personnel (lift operator, security and COO) 2) cost of the pass they wrongfully revoked 3) emotional and psychological damage to you and your son – I’m sure there’s more but this is a start. You should also contact the DA after obtaining a copy of the police report and have the immature man baby charged with assault to the fullest extent of the law and then take him to court as well. Whether he has money or not his life will be a living hell because he will have to hire an attorney to defend himself on 2 fronts so his ability to pay for passes will be next to non-existent and will more than likely end in a permanent mark on his criminal record infringing upon his ability to find and/or keep a job. As for the other patrons who didn’t bother to step in and help – shame on them all – I feel sorry for your mother, wife, fiance’, sister, niece, or granddaughter….obviously it would be their fault if this altercation happened to them….

  211. HK says:

    I have followed all of these post with interest. While I agree there are some “missing parts of the story” I think it potentially illustrates a larger problem. Last month at a Tahoe ski resort, while skiing in a green area with my eight-year-old granddaughter, I was T-boned by a snowboarder that I assume was skiing out of control. This resulted in a broken hip. I will recover just fine but I live with the thought of what might’ve happened had he hit my granddaughter. There were also multiple other children in this area. I contacted the ski resort to see if there was anything that could be done to prevent some child from being seriously injured. I was told skiing is dangerous and the ski resort had an excellent safety record. Driving is dangerous but we don’t not allow drivers to drive intoxicated or go 100 miles an hour. It is my impression that the ski industry as a whole wants to minimize some of these issues. It seems that the ski industry should be more proactive to prevent “a few bad apples” from causing similar instances or injuring other people.

  212. Elliot says:

    Danelle-
    I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’ve never heard anything like this before..

    Is there anyway to help out? maybe by snowboarding with you kid in colorado?

    You should stick with it until they give you their pass back, punish the asshole, and publicly apologize to you..

    This is really one of the most insane things ive heard of a mountain doing before..

    Has the situation changed at all?

    Please update me: [email protected]

  213. Frances says:

    Have you considered taking legal action? If there is a pattern here, it must be stopped.

  214. David says:

    I apologize for what happened to you. I’m extremely shocked and upset by this. Not just because of what happened to you, or the response from NorthStar/Vail or even the snowboarder’s hostility towarards you.

    What angers me is the level of apathy from others in the area who stood by and didn’t step in. I’m not saying that somebody should have responded to violence with violence, but to intercede in SOME level as to where the altercation could have been aleviated or downplayed.

    People need to stop standing by and doing nothing because they “don’t want to get involved”. If you stand by and let situations like this happen, you are no better than the person committing the assault or the resort punishing the victim.

    • Educated Dirt Bag says:

      yeah, like her husband who just stood there.
      This woman overreacted and is now trying this case in the court of social media.

  215. J Mcd says:

    Get a good lawyer and sue. It’s the only thing that will get the corporate guys’ attention.

  216. Bonnie Harris says:

    Please contact me. I am working on a story of another assault (the instructor was assaulted, the attacker was let go and the assaulter was given a performance warning) and would like to talk to you.

    • Are you aware of the sexual assaults at Vail resorts against female employees? The recent settlement for Vail managers demanding sex from foreign female employees?
      This is “the perfect storm” of a branding crisis. I know of another very similar event involving a woman being assaulted by a Vail employee and then being harassed for years after reporting it.
      I think you are on to a good story, it’s already going national.

  217. Lynn C. says:

    I am so sorry for what you were put through in this situation. A man should never hit a woman. I do hope that Northstar can do the right thing and reinstate your pass.

    I do hope something positive can come from this for you…and for you to heal. I wish you and yours well!

    As for that man, karma will catch up to him.

    Take care!

  218. Teryn says:

    We live about 30 minutes from South Lake and 45 from North Lake, and spend a lot of time and money at the avail Resorts all year round. We will NEVER spend another dime there again knowing about this. I hope you disregard the ignorant, ridiculous people that are twisting this into anything other than what it really is. Like you said, mentioning something to this man, you never thought your consequence for that would be getting punched in the face. My heart breaks for you and your little man.

  219. S Mergruen says:

    Girlfriend, take this story to the MEDIA!!! Nothing brings about faster action than public accountability. Start calling the local news stations. What are the odds that the bully who assaulted you is connected to the resort in some way? As in the spoiled son of some CEO??

  220. S Mergruen says:

    Clearly the employees there knew him and we’re covering for him. If he was a random guest, he would have been viewed as a liability and removed from the Park immediately.

  221. Beth says:

    I’m so sorry this happened to you. Assault is against the law. Period. And we should all (men, woman and children) feel safe to walk around public areas. I hope you pursue this. Vail resorts should be ashamed. I hope the man is brought to justice and gets the help he clearly needs.

  222. Rob says:

    ouch that is some messed up stuff. You guys keep living the dream and don’t let this bring you down! and to be honest you’re not missing anything by not going back to Northstar (or as a lot of people like to call it- FlatStar). this also gives new meaning to the term Park-Rats that inhabit and knuckle-drag in that area. I agree with everyone who suggests to sue the resort and that guy personally because this will not change unless you force their hand. keep on keepin on.

  223. Traci says:

    I am so sorry that this has happened to you. 8 cannot believe no one has done anything but blame you. I pray that this does not go on without getting Northstar fixed. Because this is so horribly wrong!

  224. Jen says:

    Hi Danelle,

    Thank you for sharing your story. I sent an email to Vail Resorts expressing my disappointment with how you and your child were treated. I hope that they receive enough pressure to make the changes necessary so their resorts can be safe and welcoming places. I sincerely hope that you and your child are able to get some help so that you can heal up from this traumatic event.

  225. DonnaLou Morgan says:

    I just sent an email to the Today Show and hope they will rally. One call from them could put an end to this disgusting treatment. If Vail Resorts chooses not to talk, apologize, reinstate her, the Today Show can do another story about Wes and his mom. Getting it out on national TV will certainly hurt their reputation and bottom line.

    Let’s all send an email to them! [email protected]

    I’m in a chorus and we started learning the song Brave. I’m going to have a difficult time singing that tonight.

  226. Fawn says:

    Intrawest, I want to know what you have to say to all of this, and Vail resorts, you should be absolutely ashamed of your selves.

  227. Lynne Pena says:

    Won’t be going there to ski ever again! That employees stood by and watched/let this happen is despicable! That they watch while her 9 year old son was there – disgusting! Sounds like women and children aren’t safe there!!!

  228. Kristen says:

    How awful! Let me just say that the reason Northstar did nothing was because they don’t want to accept responsibility. A son of a friend had a terrible accident in Vail which was Vail’s fault (long story). Vail never apologized, which was all my friend wanted. The family had plenty of money and decided to go against Goliath and sue Vail Resorts. Vail never expected it would come to this since they are a huge corporation. Well, my friends family won the lawsuit. Vail could have avoided a huge settlement by simply accepting responsibility, but they chose not to and lost millions of dollars. I think you should find out who this kid was and file a suit against him. Assault is illegal. If he’s someone special, as he says, maybe your family could get compensated.
    Btw, I’m in Truckee and posting the hell out of this post.

  229. Matt says:

    I feel for the woman and her child. However, I have worked for Vail resorts and I am not surprised by how they dealt with this. Simple solution: Don’t support Vail resorts. There are plenty of places to snowboard/ski that are cheaper and just as fun. Try Ski Cooper, A-Basin, Loveland or Copper mountain.

  230. Maggie says:

    You should send this to local media — both in the Tahoe area and in Colorado where VRI is based.

  231. Steven says:

    This is appalling. I’m done with their season pass. Winter Park/Cooper here I come.

    Make this right Vail!

  232. Steven Glissmeyer says:

    I am so sorry this has happened to you, and your son having to witness this act of cowardism ! The entire security team should be fired along with the lift operator! Know this, if I had observed that guy putting hands on you or any other woman for that matter! I would have knocked him the F#CK OUT !! And to all the cowards that stood there and did nothing, you all should be proud of yourselves for not helping ! Doing nothing makes you just as guilty as the attacker ! People disgust me !!!

  233. Candace says:

    You need to get a lawyer ASAP. The longer you put that off, the less successful your attempt to find this man will be.

  234. Fernando says:

    What troubles me the most about this horrible incident is that no one intervened and assisted this woman and her son. How many people witnessed this incident and did nothing?! How many men witnessed this guy’s actions and did nothing? Cowards. Sheep that are afraid of the wolf. Not this sheepdog. This incident would’ve been over swiftly. Guys like this pray on the weak and get away with it because nobody wants to get involved. Until this happens to you or a loved one will you hope that someone comes to your aid.

    • G says:

      I wondered this as well. It was a Thursday, but you would hope there were still enough decent people around to do something about it or at least stay and offer themselves as a witness.

  235. SD says:

    My suggestion would be to find out what pro snowboarders ride for vail resorts and identify them by a photo. Then you will have their name!

  236. SD says:

    Northstar California Resort- Pro Riders
    David Wise
    Chas Guldemond
    Danny Toumarkine

    • Mel P says:

      Chaz Guldemond’s home ski resort is Northstar and he was there the day of your assault. I’d try to contact him and see if he knows who the guy is. He’s married with a child so he might be more sympathetic and offer help in finding the man who assaulted you. https://www.facebook.com/ChuckG.tv

  237. CK says:

    Your story is terrible on so many levels. There are two sides to every story, however abuse both physically and verbally are never tolerable. I’m sickened how this event unfolded, I have so much love for snowboarding and the mountain environment, I’m just shocked at how Northstar has handled this based on your story.
    I would suggest you take legal action, in an attempt to set the tone that abuse in any form is not tolerable and holds stiff penalties. Action against the resort and the snowboarder. Lift operators are most likely not trained on how to handle these types of situations, it appears they need to be.

    • 406 530er says:

      in the surf world…this is called localism and there is no place for it at a sanctioned resort or in the backcountry. these guys all know each other and clearly protected each other. I would venture to guess this character is a “pro” with sponsors and feels he is entitled to his little park at his little hill.

  238. mary allard says:

    Northstar, I am boycotting you forever! I will keep buying Squaw Alpine or Sugar Bowl passes.

  239. Thalia says:

    This is terrible and so sorry it happened to you. Just out of curiosity, the management cannot just all be a-holes. So what is their side of the story- there are always 3 sides of the story. Yours, his, and the truth. Yours is terrible- and I don’t know what I would do, it’s just awful. But what is his side, that the management is obviously paying close attention to? Just wondering. Why in th world would they be supporting him? What’s his name- we can all FB stalk him! Sorry again!

  240. John Faithful Hamer says:

    Dear Danelle: Many of your critics seem to be missing the point: you’re a mom, and our species wouldn’t have made it to the top of the food chain if our mom’s weren’t fiercely protective of their young. When someone seriously endangers your kid’s safety, all sorts of hard-wired instinctual shit kicks in. The adrenaline levels in your blood stream must have been through the roof! I’ve seen this happen on a numerous occasions. For instance, I remember watching the toughest guy in my neighborhood (a real thug, monster bad-ass) slam into a four-year-old with his bicycle near the Saint-Lawrence River. He was higher than God, it was a total accident, and the kid wasn’t seriously hurt. Still, the mom came at him like wild animal. She’s screamed and yelled and punched and slapped. Dude didn’t move a muscle. Just stood there, said I’m so, so SO sorry, and took her totally understandable freak out like a man. A 17-year-old thug on mushrooms knew what the appropriate response to this situation was, and he knew it in his bones, instinctively (without thinking or analysis). That this freak who assaulted you didn’t see this is a testament to his sociopathic nature; that the pricks on this blog who’ve defended him don’t see it is a testament to theirs.

  241. Nicole says:

    Do you have email addresses for these idiots at Vail/Northstar. I will gladly email them. Looking for LinkedIn and Facebook pages to message, but not having luck.

  242. 406 530er says:

    Your kid rips. Get him a pass where there is real terrain and better park ethics. NStar, all my life (40+ years) has only looked to increase crowds and douches from all over the world come to this “resort” to get some film cred while true rippers are shredding natural terrain with park tricks. From what i see in your edits, your kid is ready for a mentor who can show him where to go, how to go, how to maintain ettiquette in stupid crowds. Northstar isnt even what I call california anymore…its what the ski/snowboard industry wants it to be. there are plenty of riders out there and coaches that would really get excited to help your kid realize his talent so he can have this gift the rest of his life. This happened to me at a skatepark back in the 80s…my mom wasnt there…but it affected how I treated other skaters/riders/skiers for the rest of my life. Etiquette and respect are lost in these sports unless the individuals step up their game. That dude who hit lives here, in my town…his dirt nap will soon come.

  243. Eduardo Aguilar says:

    Hi Danelle- first off, I’m so sorry that you went through what you went through. I snowboard with my wife and am looking forward to teaching my 8 year old daughter soon. After hearing your story, I can’t help put imagine what I would do to a coward that would ever speak to or touch my wife in this manner.

    This all being said, I think that this incident deserves a broader conversation about the bullshit macho culture that dominates the mountains this time of year, but I also wanted to offer up a small, but effective recourse. I recently conducted a twitter onslaught on a company whose policies I disagreed with. I think that at the very least, this tactic can be used to secure a refund for you and your family from Vail for your season passes. Using a hashtag like “#NorthstarAssault” will flag in their feed and can be quickly leveraged by folks that have commented here to deluge Vail with this critique. I found that it took me less than a dozen tweets before getting a response from the targeted company and less than an hour to resolve my issue. The trick is to make sure you comment on their existing post and add the hashtag.

    I know that this is only a small tactic for a tiny piece of this insane incident, but at the very least, it can get your money returned, give you a sense of agency on the issue, and shame Vail/Northstar for their ridiculously poor handling of this.

  244. Jalew says:

    Everyone demanding more info should at least read her next post, a follow up, that answers some of the questions in these comments.

  245. Charles Ruffing says:

    I want the Lift Operators Name.. I want the mountain managers name.. I want the name of the head of Ski Patrol at Northstar. I want to speak directly with the Head CEO of Vail Resorts. I want this crook that attacked this mother and child found arrested and made an example of. This shit won’t fly VAil Resorts…

  246. I wish that I had time to search for phone videos because in this day and time, almost everyone whips a phone out and records altercations. This would do much to enforce Kelly’s story and could back up a threat of a lawsuit. I’m very sorry that this happened to her and her son. Go to Crested Butte, CO and ski. Good people there. If you had published the instigator’s name, I would have sent Guido after him. (wink, wink) I don’t think the public in Texas would have ever let it go so far. I will share your story. I hope that youth group ministers read this story also. I would hate for MS and HS groups to be exposed to that behaviour and violence. The dude sounded like he was on steroids.

  247. BP says:

    As somebody that works booking vacations for not one, but TWO of the LARGEST resort/casinos in the Reno/Tahoe area, I’m going to make sure to make your story known and expose NorthStar for the violent toxic environment its proven itself to be whenever the hint of a possibility arises.

  248. Larry says:

    Sue, Sue And sue.
    There is a great lawsuit there.
    Call Stewart Katz in Sacramento he is the best lawyer out there.
    916-444-5678

  249. HR says:

    Do you have anyone in the lift line that could be your witness? I hope you get financially compensated for all of this. It sounds so wrong! I’m so sorry this happened to you.

  250. A real local says:

    This is awful. Unfortunately like they said “you know how those snowboard guys are” is on it’s way to truth. I used to live in Breck for almost fourteen years, and have watched the crowd get more douchier every year. Mostly all of the trust fund kids from back east like to come out and play local for a season. We called them trustafarians.

    On a side note though, I watched Wes’s video and that kid is flippin sick!

  251. Robert Noll says:

    Where were the men ????? I’m soon to be 66 yrs. old and even at this old age I would not stand idly by while a woman was being beaten….and I don’t care where it is !!! Are the only guys with balls the ones who are causing all the trouble ???

    The resort was clearly in the wrong and many have already have written to that fact. I am just amazed that in this day and age women are surrounded by a bunch of men wimps !!!!

    Again….even at this age I will take a beating if need be to protect a woman !!!!

  252. Big d says:

    Sue them, name vail, the specific resort, all the employees involved and the guy who assulted you. Any lawyer worth their salt will take the case. If you don’t want to involve an attorney, contact investor relations. http://investors.vailresorts.com/contactus.cfm

    Also start a hashtag tie it to vail’s and let’s have everyone use it so people who search vail see it on the first page.

  253. sarah says:

    two words… Gloria Allred

  254. Ana says:

    You know what scares me the most? The comments.. By reading some of them, it makes me lose even more hope in the world. Girl, fight this, for your son! Sue them not for the money, but for the lesson (to your son) and the chance to make them review their concepts and priorities…
    And guys who are commenting this, I don’t care if the story is missing something, or weird, of even if she was wrong, or yelling historically, or even throwing thing at the guy. The point is IT DOESNT MATTER. Boundaries, people. NEVER hit a woman! Doesn’t matter if you are right! Punch a woman??? In front of her kid??? WTF world????
    I really don’t think that’s Vail Resort way to handle things I’m truly shocked… Don’t let this go.. Go to the newspapers, media.. Make people know what happened so they can be puneshed!

  255. Lisa says:

    Sue them all. End of story. Reach out to Gloria Allred.

  256. G says:

    As if I needed any more reasons not to ski Northstar…. I’m torn by this story because Kirkwood is a part of the Vail family and that’s primarily where I use my pass. I honestly could not fathom something like this ever happening there – or even Heavenly for that matter. But I’m still torn. If this is true this absolutely shameful behavior from them as well as the idiot who did this to you.

  257. Educated Dirt Bag says:

    If a petite woman doesn’t want to get hit in the face, she shouldn’t hit a man.
    A woman hits a man, the man should defend himself.
    Just another entitled tourist puke.

  258. Georgina Rumsey Levey says:

    Come to Aspen- you are welcome here and it is a great place for young boarders to ride!

  259. AM says:

    And now the truth comes out and you are just a sniveling dumb ass who got their pass taken for good reason! Just how wasted were you when you plowed into the back of this guy? Hey bud go take a run by yourself mama needs some “water”. You disgust me and are all that is wrong with America! Go back to Iowa and stay there, the fine folks of Colorado will not miss you!!

  260. Heather says:

    That’s horrible! I think next season you should try a Mammoth Resorts property instead.

  261. dank memes says:

    last time someone cut me off i cut there neck

  262. Vail Resorts says:

    Your hot

  263. Jana says:

    You are so strong for sharing something so traumatic. Stay strong and keep pursuing your justice. It is just horrible that that man assaulted you and horrible that the lift operator did nothing.
    You did the best you could in a scary situation, to protect yourself and your son. That sweet boy can help you through this. Keep reaching out for support. There are people like me, who believe you and support you in healing and obtaining justice.

  264. Aidan says:

    Wesly probably puked cause he was so imbarassed! I watched this chick get her ass beat! She just wouldn’t shut her trap up! She’s one of those moms that thinks her child rules the world. And yes, Infact did contact vail resorts and “step up” I told them the truth. I told them what I saw that day. I saw an obnoxious mother who smothers and over-parent’s a 9 year old talk smack and get hit….My mom always taught me never to talk shit no matter what cause you don’t know what the other person would do, she clearly never learned this. Sucks that wes is pretty decent at shredding hope his mom doesn’t come to his competitions and run her mouth. Glad she got her pass pull, shes a true gaper at heart only difference is she can make a turn. Have fun from watching from afar- Love the one that stepped up

    • Bill says:

      Wow, Aidan, there is never an excuse to get violent toward someone, let alone a woman. If this “dude” was as good as I’m sure he believes himself to be, he could have avoided the whole situation. You’re an asshole, brah.

  265. Chris says:

    I don’t care what your story is, if you have the ability to take your son around to different mountains to train for months at a time you are privileged. Stop your crying and don’t screw with the wrong people.

    • Jason says:

      It’s amazing how the Internet brings out the trolls to batter women. Get a real hobby ahole.

    • Diana Andres says:

      I hope you get justice! Please look at the pro-assaulter comments on the Northstar Resort FB page and check out the commenter photos. You just might be able to figure out the name of the guy who did this so that you can press charges. Also, there is an ARMY of women and mothers who would sign a petition to pressure the resort to do more. You need to be able to turn the matter over to the police to have any chance at justice. Obviously the resort will just keep protecting these assholes unless their hand is forced.

      • Chaucer's Revenge. says:

        Yes, check out the pro assaulter comments, starting with Chris above. He sounds like just the thug you’re looking for. Or he’s one of the thug’s friends.

    • Diana Andres says:

      Doesn’t matter if she is ‘privileged’ by your standards or not. In this country, you shouldn’t have to worry about being assaulted for defending your child. And your “don’t screw with the wrong people” comment just adds support to her story. This was the attitude of the perpetrator and everyone around him. So clearly he did something wrong – you just happen to believe that it was justified because she was being a b****. So I guess men can do whatever they want to women because you can always justify it by saying that she was asking for it.

    • johan Plankster says:

      Chris- Good point, “Stop your crying and don’t screw with the wrong people.” Vail should take your advice. Believe me, Vail PR is having a VERY bad day.
      As far as being “privileged” explain Sean White, his parents were dedicated not privileged. Blue collar not wealthy.
      You clearly haven’t seen her son ride, the kooks at Northstar should be staying out of his way.
      This entire fiasco proves that snowboarding is a poor life decision;|
      Oh and that Vail will digs faster the deeper they get.

  266. peter says:

    Say what you like, whatever the circumstances, when a guy “Hits” a woman he is a coward and anybody who tries to resonate that his actions are okay is of the same breed and culture as the coward.
    Even if as you say Aidan she was obnoxious why the need for the confrontation why not just smile and carry on doing what your doing (no need to beat up a woman) maybe there is a hint of jealousy because a kid of 9 is showing the big lads how it should be done.
    And as you obviously know the security guys, you know they are not going to do anything anyway, because your the local whizz kids there.

  267. Alex says:

    To hell with the haters and the sad little internet tough guys on here giving you shit. None of them were there and none of them get it. I’ll believe you.

  268. Martha says:

    I worked for a Vail Resorts property. And I also am a female snowboarder. And sure, accross the board no matter where I’ve ridden, I’ve encountered misogynistic men who enjoy putting women in the sport down. That’s an antiquated attitude but sadly the nature of the industry for the moment but there are a lot of women doing awesome things to change those attitudes. Regardless, everything about this is not okay. I read this story a few days ago and thought about it a few times since. Vail Resorts is a place that isn’t very supportive of women.

    I left the property I worked for and moved to another resort system that actually values me for my skills, education and talents. I was awarded and recognized for my hard work at the Vail property I worked for but when I was unfairly treated by a misogynystic male superior and reported it, I was treated like an idiot, threatened into silenced, and my hands were tied. I’m not the kind of woman to cry wolf over just anything but this guy was seriously out of line and treated me poorly because I wasn’t a man, even I though I was his (self-admitted) best employee.

    I’m not saying this compares to the physical violence you expreinced- That is disgusting and inexcusable. I’m merely stating that vail resorts isn’t a place that supports or protects women and that is the real tragedy.

  269. Taamer says:

    Why didn’t the Police make an arrest? I’m so confused. The ONLY way to feel any sort of justice is to file a lawsuit against them. Nothing else will do. They don’t care. People will snowboard and people only have a few choices so the CEO won’t even care because their entire corporate staff knows it won’t effect business. PLEASE sue them for the hat they did to you and even more for what they put your child through, having to see that. I can garuntee you one thing, if I had been there, he would have been crying like a baby when I got done with him. It’s sad that nobody else did anything to help.

  270. Simona says:

    Muresan is that a Romanian name? Very popular in Romania.I am from Sacramento and been many times skiing at Tahoe and Sugar Bowl. I never had problems but I hade my shares of careless snowboarders and skiers which think that the mountain belong to them and anything in they path is just a bump.I am truly sorry for what heppend to you and your son…it is not faire .Very smart of you to report the incident to police.Next time ,hopefully won’t be a next time…just call the police right a way.. They will really help and bee on the right and faire side.Wish you good luck and bee strong for your son…

  271. C b says:

    The only way to hurt a giant is to chop down the bean stock. Bean stock is finance.http://investors.vailresorts.com/ they are a publicly owned company. Ever woman invested in this through personal or retirement investments needs to encourage their portfoloio managers to devest in Vail Resorts until resolution is made.

  272. Maleficent says:

    STAY THE COURSE – DO NOT BACK DOWN. THIS JACKASS NEEDS SERIOUS REFORM. THE RESORT MUST! REALIZE HOW SERIOUS THIS IS. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU AND YOUR SON! THE FACT THAT NO BYSTANDERS JUMPED IN IS ABSOLUTELY SICKENING! I HAVE NEVER KILLED A MAN, BUT I HAVE READ MANY OBITUARIES WITH GREAT PLEASURE.
    …his would be one of them. THANK YOU FOR SHARING AND I WISH YOU THE VERY BEST IN YOUR JOURNEY BEYOND THIS UNFORTUNATE, OUTRAGEOUS EVENT.

  273. Marc says:

    Just another grown man with mommy/daddy issues. He couldnt stand up to his big mommy or daddy so he takes it out on women. Makes him feel big and strong. He’ll get his.

  274. JessicaLee says:

    As an employee of a Tahoe Vail resort I do want to stand up for the lift operator she continually throws under the bus. We train and train and TRAIN lift operators NOT to interfere or get involved in situations JUST LIKE THIS, especially like this, and to immediately contact Dispatch and Ski Patrol. Especially when violence is involved! We DONT NOT want the employees to get any where near something like this. It is NOT I repeat NOT the responsibility of the Lift Operator or Ticket Checker to side with guests, and/or take physical or verbal action in these circumstances. What if the employee got caught in the middle and made the situation worse? What if that employee was then harmed as well in the process? Then that employee would not only be part of the problem, but part of the legal aspect of it all. And trust me, they do not get paid enough to become part of this kind of dispute.

    For all those above who say that by-standing while a woman was hit was in excusable, what if a man was also physically assaulted? And you’re asking the minimum wage lift operator or ticket checker to make that kind of moral choice right then and there, while working, while trying to keep all the other guests they’re surrounded by SAFE. Not fair. And on a totally different level than this women’s issue.

    Unlike what this woman is saying, the employee was most likely NOT A LOCAL, more than half of most lift op departments in Tahoe are made up of out-of-town kids who moved here from the east, midwest or different parts of the west coast. Not a lot of local kids work for Vail actually (as I think most of you would agree, they work for Sierra or Alpine, because they think Vail “sucks”).

    Agree to disagree with me, I couldn’t care less. Just understand there are very strict and firm rules as to why the employees standing at the lift were only as involved as they were. They do not want to get caught up in your bullshit so to speak. They just want to make it to the end of the day with a few good runs in and no trouble. Did you know Vail employees get fired on the spot (even on a day off!) when we are involved in a collision with a guest on the hill at ANY Vail resort, even if we are in CO and we work in CA. Fact. Ask any of us.

    Three sides to every story. Hers, his and the truth. Time will certainly tell for all three hopefully. I also tried to post this comment last night and am trying again a 2nd time now.

    • Johan Plankster says:

      JessicaLee-
      Why did Vail pull his pass but not release his name, while they released the full name of the victim including her middle name?
      If he is the ‘victim’ why pull the pass?
      If #shredmom is the type of person that randomly hauls off and hits strangers she would have a long criminal record. She doesn’t seem to have any such, if she did, Vail would have already told the world.
      There is a woman that posted that her violent ex works at Beaver Creek on work release and spend his nights in jail! Quality people?
      A young female employee was gang-raped at Kirkwood this season and there have been drug overdoses and violence. All very hush, hush.
      If Vail people are trained so well why did Vail managers in Co. just get busted for forcing female workers to preforms#x acts?
      Vail has a history of allowing women to be abused and attacking them when they speak up.
      If you report a safety issue to Vail more than once they will pull your pass.

  275. http://www.northstarcalifornia.com/northstar-experience/about-us/guest-letter-3.24.16.aspx

    Justice is served, fuck you lying bitch. Continue writing self-entitled blogs please but don’t fucking tell lies. It makes you and every other feminist look like fucking morons.

  276. Chris says:

    As her husband, first of all, I’d like to say I support her 100% in whatever direction she decides to go with this, understanding in a situation like this it is easier to walk away and pretend it didn’t happen, as Northstar has done, than it is to take action. Second, thank you to everyone who has posted supportive comments and advice. That means a lot to us and it helps make my wife feel safer being away from home to know she is not alone as she was during the incident. Third, shame on all of you posting harassing comments intended to cause her to fear for her safety while she is out doing something she loves or to feel demeaned for standing up for what is right. I also feel sorry for and apologize to all other women that are subjected to that sort of derogatory language and or behavior.

    • Chris, Good attitude! Must be tough not having been there but maybe a mixed blessing, it’s hard for most men to imagine what they would do if they witnessed their wife get punched by a thug.
      I know a woman that had something eerily similar happen at a Vail resort. There is a lot of support out there for all of you.
      The N* Yelp page got taken down because so many people were posting bad reviews in support!
      We all support her and to heck with the lonely losers hating women on line.

  277. Stephen says:

    The authorities have apparently now been successfully motivated to be more engaged.
    “Now the dispute is in the hands of the Placer County Sheriff’s Department.

    Sgt. Dave Hunt of the investigations division said detectives returned to the resort Thursday to speak with potential witnesses and identify the male snowboarder involved in the fight.

    “We are going back and we are interviewing those people,” Hunt said. “That way we can identify the suspect and get his side of the story and find out what really happened.””
    http://www.rgj.com/story/life/outdoors/recreation/2016/03/24/tahoe-ski-lift-fight-snowballs-into-flame-war/82233168/

  278. CPT_Bacon says:

    Reading this makes me sick, I will be sure to avoid ANY of their resorts.

    I think one of the saddest aspects of this story is how everyone stood by and watched a woman get assaulted in front of her child without doing anything about it. What does it say about our society that other grown men won’t step in and do the right thing? Had I been in line that day, I can assure you that there would have been a police report because that man would have needed immediate transport to the hospital – and there are plenty of folks who would do the same.

    It is worth mentioning, a great thing to do with your son would be to take Krav Maga with him. Teach him to defend himself and give him the tools to do the right thing while learning to defend yourself as well. If he ever witnesses anything similar, he can make sure that it is the last time that raises his hand to a woman.

  279. Kirsten de Jager says:

    Hit them in the wallet… Just left a 1 star review with a link to this post on Google Review to their resort. Hoping everyone does the same.

  280. Soni says:

    I’m so sorry you went through this. I was wondering if you’ve considered contacting Ultra Violet to see if they’re willing to take on Northstar/Vail Resorts? I forwarded this blog link to them. If you’re not familiar with Ultra Violet, they take on many issues, but primarily women’s rights and run media campaigns against individuals and corporations treat women like you were treated.

  281. Annah says:

    I’m beginning to not believe this story. More folks are coming out who witnessed this and this isn’t what happened at all.

    She said she filed a police report, I don’t believe that either. Saying you filled out a police report and actually filling one put are two different things.

  282. J.T. says:

    Being a snowboarder who started in the early nineties who always enjoyed all aspects of the mountain (pow, backcountry, racing, park, etc.) and has ridden at resorts all over the west half of the country, I am in no way surprised by this story.

    In general terrain parks seem to operate by a different set of rules. For example, as is shown in some of the above comments, people don’t think that the skiers code of conduct applies in the terrain parks, specifically the portions about maintaining control and the downhill skier ALWAYS having the right of way. Trust me, I know how much it sucks when some gaper is sitting in the landing or just flowing all jacked up through the park. I can remember sitting at the top of the Northstar pipe waiting for the mobs of people, who had no business even being in there, snake my turn until I just went for it. I pushed my luck, but if I had to pull out because I was going to hit somebody I did. My flow or ability to ride better than others never trumped common courtesy or the safety of those around me.

    Northstar is a whole new level of bro-brah elitist park mentality. For almost two decades of riding hundreds of days, I have avoided serious confrontations with people on the mountain. Actually I have never been in a fight, but after being suckered into a Nortstar/Sierra pass, I almost landed in 3 in a matter of one season. In each situation it was some park rat who was a decent rider, but quite honestly maybe half the park rider I was, not to mention the rest of the mountain. If I am riding by myself I will charge through the park fast. Many times I am riding with others of mixed ability levels, so I can’t flow as normal. In two of the cases it was some punk yelling at my friends, wife or myself to get out of the way as they did some sloppy trick but failed to correctly judge the speed of the rider in front of them, causing a near collision. A typical intermediate mistake and response. In both cases when I caught up to these guys they ignored me as I was obviously staring them down very closely and making loud comments about their behavior. I can either conclude that they think this behavior is okay, or they can’t back their talk.

    On another occasion I was cut off by a park staff in front of me as he decided to skid to a halt at the top of the last table in the section. I pulled off to avoid him only to have some moron lecture me to not ride through the jumps unless I was going to hit it. My blood instantly boiled and to be honest I can’t remember what I said. It wasn’t pleasant and it was the closest I have ever come to beating the crap out of somebody. As usual he backed off and nothing occurred.

    That season was the last time I paid for a ticket to Northstar. I had to go back for events, but it was on somebody else’s dime or I got flowed a ticket. I haven’t been back in many years. Their park is good and they have a lot of features, but that mountain sucks in general. If Northstar ceased to exist tomorrow I wouldn’t even care except that it would mean that all those idiots may have to ride somewhere else.

    With that being said, the entire story is plausible. Is it biased? Well how can it not be, all writing is,especially given the particulars of the situation. Is it embellished? Could be, but if even half the story were true it is a blatant failure on Northstar.

    In dealing with these types of people, you have to keep pushing. So many times have small incidents escalated into serious formal claims simply because the other party tried to bully the victim into giving up. This is a very likely explanation as to why the original author sat on the story for so long. She may have even thought that Northstar would right a wrong and given them the benefit of the doubt.

    In case you didn’t want to read all that, in short, my 2+ decades of riding, competing and being involved in the industry makes this account plausible. However I wasn’t there and neither were 99% of the people responding to this post. Hopefully the truth comes out and the offenders are punished accordingly.

    • SnowmakerLurch says:

      Thoughtful and well written post JT! I couldn’t agree more.
      I wish the dirtbags would just get off the mountains. :/ They make level-headed snowboarders (and skiiers) look bad with their antics, get the snow-cops hyped up, and honestly bring down the whole mountain lifestyle with their elitist mentality. Someday, I hope the kidiots realize that they’re behaving like bigger “gapers” than most of the tourists they whine about.

  283. Cindy says:

    1. Please retain an attorney; I am only licensed in PA, so can’t be of much help.

    2. Please seek counseling, particularly for your son. This is a traumatic event.

    3. If, and only if, a professional does not feel that either of you will be further traumatized, take this story to as many media outlets as possible.

    I am disturbed by the many “blame the victim” comments posted here – when will we stop doing this?

  284. Marty says:

    Sorry to hear of your troubles.

    I remember when Vail used to be a prestigious name. They should be careful as company representatives, not just to avoid lawsuits, but because a companies’ good name can go down the drain very quickly.

    I saw the photo of what appears to be your husband. He looks like a big healthy young guy. The lout is lucky he wasn’t there. He is also very lucky that there wasn’t a strange man there large enough to manhandle him into submission. My experience is that, over time, this kind of guy is going to get hurt in many bad ways. Which, of course, is not helpful in resolving your issue.

    I will post this on my Facebook page, which is the way it came to me. Over time, and with enough sharing I imagine that it will not be good for Vail’s business.

    You might be able to approach this through an attorney, by a claim that they are interfering with a business. Anyway, best of luck to you. I don’t like bullies.

  285. Thomas Wells Kenworth says:

    I will glance uphill to see that no one skiing or boarding is coming down, at a speed appropriate for that particular part of the slope and the crowd conditions at the time. Then I will move out and down.

    Should you have the nerve to come barreling down and then smash into me, you will be captured on my rear facing GoPro helmet cam. I will then sue the crap out of you and any Ski Corporation that does not yank your ticket.

    The basic right of way rule has always been that the downhill person has the right of way, and anyone coming from higher up the hill has to steer clear. Unless this has changed, and I doubt that it has, you can be held liable for any injuries, mental or physical, that you cause.

  286. Crystal says:

    Let’s just say this young woman confronted the perpetrator with some loud condemning words for nearly plowing over her son. Now, how frightening that there is this little beautiful scenic place of recreation where at any moment and at any time you risk being attacked by an out-of-control snowboarder! I suspect there is an element of a sort of snowboarding road rage here and we know road rage has sparked violence and even murder. If the park condones violence and even disciplines victims you’ll eventually end up with out a family friendly, or even civilized person friendly, community — what you will have is a park of bullies! Boy, if that’s what they are after, good luck with that! You have your own little lawless, crime ridden city up there!

    • Robyn says:

      Have any of you seen the apology letter that’s been published by the resort? It’s says that Dannielle started the fight, she purposely plowed into the guy and then fell on the ground pretending to be hurt by the guy. There was an eyewitness. This all just made up BS and she got all of us to believe it. I really can’t stand liars!

  287. Bre says:

    North Star needs to *at least* be held accountable for naming only the women in this case in their press release and not the man. Smells like a PR cover up and is at least a double standard. Either name both or name neither.

  288. Kate Ohno says:

    My ONLY criticism for this victim is, why didn’t you call the cops and file an assault report? You gotta get this shit documented, because now it’s just your word against theirs. I’d love to see you sue and get big money, since money is the only thing that gets anyone’s attention. I just really, really wish you’d pressed charges.

  289. Kate Ohno says:

    The official response:

    On February 25th, at approximately 1:50 p.m., Northstar Ski Patrol was immediately alerted to an altercation at the Vista Lift Maze. Ski Patrol, Security and Mountain Safety promptly responded to the incident and completed an investigation. One eyewitness to the incident stated Mrs. Danelle Muresan-Foster was the party who was physically aggressive toward another guest. The eyewitness stated that Mrs. Muresan-Foster collided into the male guest in the lift maze from behind; she fell to the ground; and, he tried to help her up. The same eyewitness also stated that Mrs. Muresan-Foster initiated the physical altercation by slapping the other guest. Mrs. Muresan-Foster admitted to the security officer who responded to the scene, a former Sheriff’s officer, that she slapped the other guest. No witness beyond Mrs. Muresan-Foster reported any physical violence toward her. The investigation also found that the other guest engaged in inappropriate behavior with abusive language. Our security officer repeatedly offered at the time of the incident to contact the local authorities for Mrs. Muresan-Foster, however she repeatedly refused. After concluding our investigation, Northstar restricted the skiing/riding privileges of both guests.

  290. Noelle says:

    I read the statement NS posted on their website. All pivots on one witness account. I cant believe that one witness was all that was needed for NS to formulate a statement on their website. For all we know, the witness knew the attacker. Where are the other witnesses? They have to be out there.

  291. Eric T says:

    Howard was soon fired.

  292. Melissa H says:

    I want to offer my condolences. No one should ever be treated this way. I would strongly suggest that you get a lawyer and file a suit. The description of your reaction after the attack and going to another resort sounds like PTSD. Vail Resorts needs to be held accountable for their actions/inaction. The only way they will change is if people stand up for themselves.

  293. kelly says:

    So sorry you had to deal with that, you should DEFINITELY take them to court!!

  294. Stacey S. says:

    Speaking from experience, I will say that sometimes you just must press charges with local authorities. The organization I worked for and its police force did not assist me when I had an incident; however, I purused a protective order against a person who harassed me. Thank you for sharing.

  295. Carter Sanders says:

    I never had anything that bad happen at Northstar when I skied there a lot, but I did see a lot of moderately bad snowboarder behavior and witnessed the lift line workers being very chummy with some of the worst offenders. It wouldn’t surprise me if this story were true just as told. Here’s a note I wrote about my experiences there over the years. https://www.facebook.com/notes/carter-sanders/unchecked-horrible-snowboarder-behavior-at-northstar-resort/10153619087487903

  296. R says:

    Don’t worry about not knowing the man’s identity. If you contact a lawyer, he or she should be able to get a court order forcing Northstar to release that information. I know this is an old post, but I hope you contact an attorney (and update)!

  297. OLya says:

    why did she slapped that dude at first place????!! WTF

  298. Jon Benn says:

    A similar instance happened to our family at a Vail resort just this past weekend. Vail did the same thing and banned us, we found your story and thought that it was important to tell you. Do you still snowboard at Vail Resorts? The banned us for sticking up for what is right and we have some of it on video.

  299. Faith says:

    I was considering being an instructor for Vail Resorts but I definitely will NEVER have anything to do with them, especially as I am a petite female (although I actually HAVE carried pepper spray in my coat more in case I ran into a large or scary animal on a remote trail). I have taught in Utah, Vermont, and Ohio, and thanks for the warning. I know this happened a while back but I hope you keep up some kind of a funding account or something and then use the money to buy a pass anywhere else but Vail!

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  301. Sam says:

    This has to be one of the worst cases of abuse in public setting I have ever heard of. If I was there I would have intervened by first asking someone else to video and audio the entire event with my cell phone. Next I would have asked the lifties to contact the ski patrol and police. Then I would have enlisted the help of as many men as I could to help me take this insane looney tunes down, place him under citizens arrest for assault and battery and detain him by any means until police could arrive. People take no action when bullies act up. I don’t let that kind of stuff go. I may get hurt in the process but I will never stand by and watch another human being be harmed by violent prone lunatics.

  302. Fave says:

    Did she ever follow up? I live in Incline Village. North Star has been like this for years. It’s basically snowboard thug central. My kids only went for races. The key is to know your mountain and pick one that’s appropriate for you and your family.

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