Appeals court backs ban on snowboarders at Utah ski resort

A federal appeals court has backed a ban on snowboarders at a Utah ski resort.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals made the ruling Tuesday while dismissing a discrimination lawsuit filed by snowboarders against the Alta Ski Area — one of the last resorts in the country to prohibit the sport.

The court said the private company has a right to keep its slopes snowboard-free.

Snowboarders had argued that keeping them off the public forest land where most of the resort is located is discrimination. A federal judge in Utah dismissed the case in 2014 but the snowboarders appealed.

A message left with the snowboarders' attorney Jon Schofield was not immediately returned.

Alta attorney Rick Thaler says the resort is pleased and feels the justices got it right.

Two other resorts ban snowboarding: Deer Valley in Utah and Mad River Glen in Vermont.