PUBLIC SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING
AVALANCHE CONTROL AND WINCH CAT OPERATIONS
Do not travel above red line during Snow King snow control.
Snow King Patrol and Grooming Operations Need Your Help
Avalanche control and winch cat operations present hazards to anyone in the vicinity. For the safety of skiers, boarders and hikers, as well as the safety of Ski Patrol and Cat Operators, Snow King is asking for your help.
During avalanche control work, we ask that no one travels above Slow Trail until work is complete. If you must be on the hill at all, stay below Slow Trail (see red line above. Any time there is 4 inches or more of fresh snow, or if the wind has been blowing, there is a good chance that control will take place.
During winch cat operation, you must stay entirely off the run being worked on, and well away from the anchor where the cable is tied in. The high tension cable used by the cat is extremely dangerous. Look for the flashing yellow lights on the cat and red flashing lights on the winch anchor. If you see these then the cable is out and you must choose an alternate route.
As the popularity of hiking the King grows, maintenance work becomes more difficult. If you must hike Snow King during these times, please respect the needs of our workers and do what you can to make it the safest situation possible. We are attempting to avoid accidents of any kind. Please do what you can to help us avoid limiting access to the mountain.
Snow King needs a better way to alert uphill traffic of AVI control.
Do they sound an alarm before AVI control? A warning light at the base a hour before bombing? A horn 15 minutes before a blast? Do they just expect uphill traffic to read their minds? Come on. Safety isn’t about wishing for people to know what’s going on.
As for the winch cat, I’d suggest a bootpack in the trees well away from Exhibition when the cats are tied to the concrete pedestals. There’s no reason why uphill traffic can’t continue if it’s in the trees well away from the active slope. Most cables are going to snap in the direction of tension and not off into the trees.
Thanks for the word on that.
There are signs posted on the king notifying skinners and hikers of avi control. Last time I saw them they can be found at the base of the hill and at the top of Cougar lift.
Boooter, Snow King is very gracious in allowing us to use the ski hill for free to get a quick lap or two in the day before or after work. Instead of whining about the way Snow King alerts uphill traffic about avi control, you should be happy that they allow us to take ourselves and animals (surprisingly) up their hill. They could be dicks about it and not allow uphill traffic at all in the winter or ask us to pay a fee.
We should appreciate the generosity of Snow King rather than give them a rash of crap for not looking out for you going up hill.
How about banning hiking at ski resorts everywhere. Its such a yuppie thing. Let the workers get the mountain open for the paying public. Go hike somewhere else.
Dear “Jumbo”‘
Would it be possible for you to provide a more constructive solution? I hike snow king three times per week year round and I am not a yuppie. I am a very active, loving and grateful member of my community who appreciates the outdoors. I am also a member of the low income class and hiking respectively in accordance with the rules of the resort affords me the benefits of enjoying my national forest public land which my excruciating taxes pay for that is within my public right to enjoy and share the benefits of void of machinery that is unnatural to the landscape in the first place. Hiking is excellent for my cardiovascular health and reduces my risk of many diseases. I also get to see other active, loving and grateful members of my community in the woods on our way up and down. I also get to raise money everytime I get to the top for good causes. It is not only about the way down, or the hike up, but the continued protection of our public land and an excellent way to maintain and enhance our wonderful community. I am happy to comply by whatever Snow King Resort needs in order for all of us to continue to have a safe and positive experience. I invite you to join me snowbiking with backcountry gear to the base of the mountain and onto one of my lovely hikes anytime. All us bikers/hikers are pretty amazing generous people and it dawned on me that your broad ignorant judgementalism must be a huge source of suffering for you and the people you intend to inflict while you exclude yourself from a sustainabl community of friends you just haven’t met yet…
Jaia, sorry to bum you out man. I just see it as a safety issue. There is a lot of ignoranse out there with the hiking crowd at resorts. Here in Sun Valley, it has become a HUGE problem safety wise. I have been hiking most of my life. I mostly hike away from resorts to get away from people. I ride the lifts on Baldy because it is awesome. We have had a huge increase in uphillers during operating hours, and it is getting wierd. Yes, right now you can hike up anytime, but a lot of hikers just don’t get it, oh well. I was kind of joking by the way. Been skiing Jackson area since the seventies. Love it.Sorry you feel insulted. My bad. Have fun, and happy hiking