Following an unannounced inspection Thursday, Hesperus Ski Area agreed to shut down for the remainder of the season for violating safety rules.

An engineer for the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board visited the small ski area east of Cortez and found five safety violations that "create an unreasonable hazard to public safety," according to a the inspection report.

The popular ski hill was then issued an emergency shutdown order and closed down for 72 hours.

At a meeting with the safety board Monday, owner Jim Pitcher agreed to a voluntary suspension of his aerial-lift operating license for the season, said Bruce Douglas of the Department of Regulatory Agencies, which oversees the safety board.

"There are a lot of things they need to do to come into compliance," Douglas said.

The board voted to refer the matter to the attorney general’s office for disciplinary action. A settlement agreement must be reached that specifies corrective actions in order for the area to open next season.

The infractions were operational in nature and focused mainly on personnel not being where they were supposed to be while the area’s one aerial ski lift was running:

• Under provisions for "operating personnel," the area was cited for violating a rule stating, "The operator shall be located where he/she can observe the aerial lift in operation. All primary aerial lift controls and communications shall be immediately available to him/her."

• The area was cited for violating a rule stating, "One or more person trained to provide first aid/emergency care at the Basic Lift Support level, including CPR, shall be available at all times when an aerial lift is operating and transporting passengers."

On Thursday, the lift operator was also the designated first-aid person, which is not allowed, according to Angie Kinnaird, operator administrator for the safety board.

"One person cannot accomplish both jobs at the same time," she said.

• The area violated the requirement that "one attendant shall be on duty at each loading area."

Due to employees being away from their required locations at the lift, two other rules were violated. One states that the supervisor’s duties are to "discontinue operations on any aerial lift due to physical, weather, personnel, or other reasons and to enforce operational, maintenance and safety rules."

The other stipulates that operator duties "shall be to assume responsible charge of the aerial lit and to advise the supervisor of any condition or occurrence that may adversely affect the safety of the operation."

Pitcher said yesterday that he did not contest the violations, but added that the area is safely run.

"They caught us with our pants down on a one-time thing when a supervisor left his post for a minute," Pitcher said. "He knew better, but it happened and here we are.

"We run a safe operation."

Pitcher said that the settlement agreement communicated to him over the phone Monday was "fair and I do not see any problems" in complying.

But Pitcher was unsure if the lski hill known for its short but steep runs and well-made snowboard park would open next season.

"Us smaller areas have it tough," he said. "Look at what happened to Stoner (northeast of Dolores). They had to close down because of regulations they could not keep up with or afford. For bigger resorts, it is never a problem."