I’m really excited about all the feedback from the last blog post about skiing with a patroller and learning the ins-and-outs of Crystal. Kim and I will go through all the input and come up with a way to go over all your questions on Saturday February 18th. We’ll meet by the Easy Searcher on the South side… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Safety Patrol/Speed Control
Subscribe to Safety Patrol/Speed Control RSS FeedTour of Crystal through Patrol Eyes
Posted in Avalanche Hazard, Closures, Conditions, Employment, News, Place Names, Safety Patrol/Speed ControlWho here would be interested in taking under an hour to ski with a patroller and go through some of the ins-and-outs of Crystal? We would like to offer a chance to ski with a patroller to our locals (you), in hopes to answer any questions you may have, share avalanche conditions, and ski some secrete… Continue Reading
A Little More about Closed Areas and the New Skier Safety Law
Posted in Closures, Safety Patrol/Speed ControlIn response to a recent flurry of questions regarding the new Skier Safety Law currently in effect, I thought I’d go over a few basics. At Crystal, like many ski areas, we use ropelines to delineate areas we don’t want you to ski. We currently have a ropeline across the lower part of Mel’s Madness… Continue Reading
Tree Well Safety
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlThey are more dangerous than you might think.
Chairlift Loading Safety
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed Control…With all the dumpage we’ve had lately, the snow in the corral just above the loading area was high. I was digging like crazy to clear it out, but was surprised how many people didn’t know “good high snow etiquette” and almost got yanked out of the chair…
Babies in Backpacks
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlWe got asked to put something on this here ski patrol blog to spread the word about babies in backpacks on chairlifts.
I figgered “Well that’s easy.” “Ya’ can’t take babies in backpacks on chairlifts.”
Pretty concise article, huh? ……
Gondola Rescue Practice
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlZipRescue on the Mt. Rainier Gondola
A Day in the Life of a Ski Patroller
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlLet’s face it. Any day in the mountains is better than a day in the city.
First Tracks
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlThe First Tracks breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings at the Summit House is breathtaking. My favorite part- other than the Gouda quiche and peppered bacon, is how quiet everything is on the mountain in the morning. Even if you are not a skier it is one of the best breakfasts around and you can… Continue Reading
Jack’s Place
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlOne day the current Summit house may be a beautiful hotel overlooking Mount Rainier where you can wake up to the sunrising over the Cascades. But until then, just one patroller a night gets the amazing view from Mountain Top with their morning coffee. Every night of the season (yes I was up there on… Continue Reading
NOW I’LL NEVER GET TO BE ON THE TV SHOW ‘UNDERCOVER BOSS’
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlToday a bunch of us got to step away from the normal duties of patrolling to help the crew building the gondola at the summit. After lifting some huge metal beams (girders?) into place, and transferring a the pile of metal grates upon which you will walk once you disembark the gondola, we got asked to… Continue Reading
What It Takes to be a Ski Patroller
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlWhat It Takes to be a Ski Patroller
Practice Makes Perfect
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlIn the very unlikely event of a gondola evacuation, the ski patrol would come to the rescue. Last week a few of us patrollers practiced with the new ZipRescue system. It’s basically a zipline that attaches to the haul rope, allowing patrollers to evacuate passengers.
Does technology help or hinder backcountry rescue?
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlI recently wrote a post about cellphones in the backcountry on my blog: www.kimkircher.com. Last year, three bc rescues at Crystal Mountain were aided by the victim’s use of cellphones. Here’s a link to the post: http://kimkircher.com/2010/08/29/does-technology-help-or-hinder-backcountry-rescue/
Gondola Update
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlWork on the Gondola continues. Both the bottom and the top terminals are taking shape, while the line is cleared of trees. Check out these picturs taken today: The first one shows the new line between Bull and Exterminator. The second picture shows the top terminal with the top of C-3 in the background.
DON’T BURN YER BRAKES!
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlToday was my day off so I knocked-off skiing a little earlier than usual. Driving home to Greenwater, I followed somebody who rode their brakes ALL THE WAY down the hill–which is about 6 miles, if you’re not familiar with Crystal Mountain Boulevard. By the bottom, pewww! The burning-brake stench hung like a fog in the otherwise crisp, clear… Continue Reading
CAUTION ≠ CLOSE YER EYES & GO FAST
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlLast Saturday morning, a real nice gentleman swerved off the groomed portion of Upper Skid Road into some deeper untracked snow to avoid some kids. He was in an area where warm groundwater creates some holes in the snow, and he took a little tumble. He wasn’t hurt much and was real nice about it, and that was… Continue Reading
Board-Slapping, Bar Pushing, Premature Sitting & Off-Ramp Loitering
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed ControlA few people have e-mailed in about getting “yelled” at by lift operators. Let me expand on the safety rules they enforce:
Northwest Avalanche Institute – Education Programs
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed Controlhttp://www.avalanche.org/~nai/
Leave No Trace – Winter Use Principles
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed Controlhttp://www.lnt.org/training/PDFs/Winter_Use_Principles.pdf
Crystal Mountain Safety Pages
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed Controlhttp://www.skicrystal.com/The-Mountain/Safety
Tree Well & Deep Snow Safety
Posted in Safety Patrol/Speed Controlhttp://www.treewelldeepsnowsafety.com/
Progression, Ability Levels & Pelagic Species
Posted in Conditions, Safety Patrol/Speed ControlNudibranch submitted this comment regarding my recent post about patrol talking to people at the bottom of High Campbell: What warranted patroller presence in addition to the clearly marked expert-only signs? Crystal’s ski-sky interfaces do not usually attract pelagic species. Can you believe what I have to put up with? So of course I… Continue Reading
warnings at the bottom of High Campbell
Posted in Conditions, Safety Patrol/Speed ControlWE DON’T MEAN TO BE ANNOYING! So Sunday, for a half-hour I was the guy designated to stand at the bottom of High Campbell and warn people of trecherous conditions up top. It was about 1pm, so at least I was able to greet people with "have you been down this yet today?" and… Continue Reading
2011-12 Avalanche Dog T-Shirts for Sale
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