SALT LAKE CITY — A federal appeals court has agreed to hear arguments over whether Alta Ski Area’s snowboarding ban violates equal protection claims under the U.S. Constitution.
In an announcement filed in court last month, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled arguments for Nov. 17 between a group calling itself Wasatch Equality, Alta Ski Area and the U.S. Forest Service. Wasatch Equality sued over Alta’s historic snowboarding ban, arguing it violates the Equal Protection Clause under the U.S. Constitution.
In its court filings, Wasatch Equality has insisted snowboarders are “are an identifiable and cognizable class.” They cite the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which has been used in discrimination cases involving race, religion, gender and most recently, cases involving same-sex marriage.
