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More and more people seem to have taken up the sport of hiking uphill into the runout zones of avalanche paths in A-Basin, when we have it closed.   I dunno, maybe they caught Olympic fever this week and wanna get a jump on it being a 2014 demonstration sport.   In any case, ya' gotta admire their willingness to earn-their-turns even if you can't admire their decision making!

But really, I know it's not fair for me to call it "decision making" because at least SOME of the people we talk to out there aren't savvy about how far avalanches can run, and bury people.  They just haven't developed the "mountain sense" to recognize conditions that can (sorry, Marketing Department, but I have to use this word here) KILL them, or the judgement to make choices to protect themselves.  

Sooo.... in response--again, to these CHANGES we've noticed in guests' behavior--we've extended the A-Basin closure line down by the bottom of (C-6) the High Campbell chairlift.  We've put 2 gates in to allow access at the most popular entry/exit points when lower A-Basin is open. 

When A-Basin is closed, the gates will be closed. 

When avalanche hazard warrants restricting access to the Damn Fine Forest  trees, the gates may be closed. 

When the on-hill information kiosks (Top of Chinook, REX, Green Valley & Forest Queen) indicate that Southback is closed but those gates are open, it's OK to ski the Damn Fine Forest  trees as long as you don't ascend above a traverse...or higher than the first bench above the right-hand gate.  (And kookie "ascending traverses" don't count; just go with gravity, OK?)

Bottom of High Campbell, looking South-ish (arrows point to gates)

Bottom of High Campbell, looking East (arrows point to gates)

Rope-ducking continues to be prohibited at Crystal Mountain because shwoo-boy, you never know what kind of hazard we might be warning you away from on the other side!  Expect this new line-extension to be a work-in-progress as we figure out it's best placement, and feel free to give us suggestions! 

And....If you're familiar with the area and stumble upon a bunch of stranded skiers/boarders, corralled by our ropeline, please send them to the nearest A-Basin exit  with our apologies!   ;o)

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IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD, THE PLAN IS TO GET SOUTH BACKCOUNTRY OPEN THIS WEEKEND!

 If you're not at Seattle Ski Fever & Snowboard Expo this weekend, you better come up!

Graham submitted a comment about last March's 'A-Basin Gate' article.  What he wrote echoes what we often hear from closure violaters and what many others have asked in-person.  Sorry if this seems elementary, but I want to make sure things are real clear here:

Yes, entering a potential avalanche path from the top is better than entering it mid-slope.  If an avalanche occurs, it's better to have the largest volume of snow below you, rather than above, coming down on top of you.  Sure, there's a slim chance you could get "spit out the top" and end up on the surface just like there's a slim chance you could get "thrown free" in a car crash if you're not wearing your seatbelt.  But experience has shown that it's very, very unlikely that betting on that chance is going to work out well for anybody!

Avi gear (avalanche rescue gear, like shovel, probe, beacon) neither prevents avalanches nor reduces your chance of getting caught in avalanches--it helps speed recovery if you're buried in one.  If you're alone, it doesn't help you.  If your group carries only one beacon, it doesn't help you.  If you get strained through rocks & trees and suffer trauma rather than suffocation, it doesn't help you!   

An Avalung, from Black Diamond, can help, but only if you're wearing one.  And it only extends the amount of time you can survive while buried, it doesn't supply limitless air.  Even though the tube and mouthpiece look a little like a snorkel, it isn't one--it pulls a limited amount of air from within the snowpack, not fresh air from above, and it doesn't help you "swim to the surface" at all.  (The page linked above also has a cool video of a guy wearing an Avalung who was actually buried and rescued while wearing a helmet-cam.  Check it out.  Chilling!)

To reiterate:

THE LOWER "TRAVERSE-TO" A-BASIN GATE will remain closed on some days until the snow safety decision-makers feel adequate tracks have been put in, in the 25-or-so avalanche starting zones in A-Basin (Why do you think it's called "Avalanche Basin?") and the North side of Silver King.  That may take a while on "big dump" mornings (that's snow country jargon for "deep snow") when the wallow up the King is slow.  When the gate is open, we plan to have a sign at the Throne Saddle (where the hike starts) indicating so.  Keep yer eyes peeled!

KEEP THE CHANGE

Are you THIS guy?  (Read with a grizzly "geezer" accent:)  "I've skied here 35 years and I've always skied that gate and never had a problem, and nobody knows this terrain better'n me, and why'd you whippersnappers have to go and change how you do things, dagburnit!"

Yup, Roscoe, some things have changed since you were a young'un!  New ski gear allows people with less mountain experience to access Expert terrain.  Our new Northway chair has changed a lot of people's routine on powder mornings.  Computers have allowed better communication between ski areas, and avalanche forecasters, and the tracking of accident data.  And those neon pants you're wearing are so un-cool that they're almost cool again!  Fer-shizzle!

Things keep changing and the decision-makers keep trying to pay attention and respond.  Skiers used to enter that A-Basin gate and tended to stick to the first line of untracked snow they came to.  Nowadays, skiers put in these big-ass traverses around the whole basin.  (And by the way... KNOCK IT OFF, YOU'RE RUINING ALL THE GOOD POWDER LINES!)   So rather than waiting for a tragedy to force a change, we've altered a procedure because we noticed a change in guests' behavior, learned from other ski areas' experiences, and want to be proactive in helping our guests manage their safety!  You down with that?

AN-TI-CI-PAY-YAY-SHUN

I've been asked how to anticipate when that gate will open.  It'll vary.  When you're riding Forest Queen chair or at the top of High Campbell chair, look over toward Silver King.  When you start seeing a few tracks in most every chute, it's probably OK to mosey over to the gate to wait in line.  (No guarantees!)  Some days it'll be earlier than that.  Like I said, watch the sign at the Throne Saddle!   

Have fun this weekend, and remember, it's still early season--unmarked hazards exist!

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We have re-established the mid-slope "traverse-to" gate from Campbell Basin to Avalanche Basin!

The New Plan
During times of higher instability, the Ski Patrol may keep the mid-slope Avalanche Basin gate closed until those responsible for the snow safety program are satisfied that most of the slide paths have been adequatedly skied (released and/or compacted) from the top. A sign specifically pertaining to the mid-slope A-Basin gate will be placed at the Throne Saddle near the start of the hike to South Backcountry when Southback is open, but that gate is not. 

The Throne, showing the traverse across "Hamburger" to the gate (arrow).      (Photo: Chris Morin)

The Southeast side of The Throne with the Gate (arrow)             (Photo: Chris Morin)

So that's the word--the gate is back, though in a bit different configuration.  After a big dump (I'm talking about SNOW for non-skiers/boarders who have found their way here) don't make a bee-line for that gate without checking the sign at the saddle as you pass by.  It will not always open when Southback opens, as it usually did in the past.

Why, you ask?  OK, picture this: 

There’s nothing quite like the feeling on a deep powder day when you drop into an untracked chute and 3 or 4 snorkel-breath turns down, you notice the slope is moving along with you. A quick cut to the right or left and the sluff of loose powder continues harmlessly past you. You catch your breath then continue, leaving perfect hero tracks in the fluffy, deepening debris.

That’s good, right?

Now imagine this: Same deep powder day, same untracked chute. You stop to let the growing sluff pass by you just as some Wingnut zips out from around a corner, traverses below you across the middle of your line and gets buried by the snow you just released. Now you and your buddies’ great powder morning gets sacrificed trying to dig out an airway for someone you don’t even know, in the 4-or-so minutes before asphyxia sets in.

Less good.


As many of you know, the Ski Patrol likes to get terrain open as soon as safetly possible after new snow falls. Nothing is as valuable in the mitigation of avalanche accidents as the tracks of skiers and snowborders that cut up slabs and compact weak layers in the snowpack. “Hike-To” terrain such as South Backcountry receives less compaction than the “In-Area” parts of Crystal. That’s part of why those AVALANCHE PRONE AREA signs, along with recommendations to TRAVEL WITH A SHOVEL, BEACON, PROBE & PARTNER, are posted at each gate. We expect the people who choose to travel there are choosing to travel there wisely.

But during last season (2007-2008) and its near-record snowfall, we began to notice a disturbing new trend of skiers & boarders, alone and in large groups, traversing from that lower A-Basin gate around the entire basin, crossing about 25 commonly-observed avalanche paths mid-slope. In the world of Snow Science, that’s not considered wise. ('Cuz what’s it called again? Oh yeah, that’s right, AVALANCHE Basin! Sheesh!)

When we talked to some of these people, it was clear that many of them had no idea they were in harm’s way. So we felt obligated to change the way we managed this area by removing the gate. Now, after further consideration, we’ve decided we can re-establish the gate but change the way we manage its opening on certain avalanche-prone days.

But what about the trees?

For those who’ve written in about the trees below the gate: When the gate is closed the trees will be out-of-bounds because they’re just too close to the avalanche path. But the good news is that there IS a gate now, so the trees will usually be pretty easy to access.  Just check the sign at the saddle before you go!

 

Day in the life...

Since I wrote the first draft of this article, I had THIS experience. I was half-way through ski-cutting (with a guard) just below the ropeline along the top of Rick’s Face, that big rock just beyond (skier’s left of) the 1st switchback on Kelly’s Gap Road. It was right after opening on a deep powder morning when one should definitely keep a partner in sight. Someone who was obviously a great skier comes flying down Right Angle and sprays me with snow, just barely stopping before hitting the ropeline and knocking me over. I tell them to be careful because knocking over a ski patroller—who is ski cutting avalanches—in a closed area—well, there are just some problems with that.

The person then continues down and stops right BELOW Rick’s Face, never looking up at me or the avalanche hazard I had just said I was there to mitigate. They also didn’t seem to notice the big piles of snow I created, up against the trees below, definitely deep enough to bury someone. They skied off happily, as they should, but the moral of the story is this: Ya’ gotta keep those avalanche eyes ON when you’re in avalanche terrain. Keep a partner in sight. Travel one-at-a-time so you don’t load an avalanche-prone slope all at once. Travel with a transceiver you've practices using (perhaps over at the "Easy Searcher" next to the Cambell Basin Lodge) a shovel, and an avalanche probe. And the lesson of the A-Basin gate is: don’t cut into avalanche-prone terrain mid-slope until it’s first been released or compacted from the TOP. It’s better to be BEHIND large amounts of moving snow than right BELOW it!

Happy Skiing/Boarding

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