The CragBaby

I am not a backcountry snowboarder (yet) as I have yet to take my avalanche safety classes nor have I cut my spare board in half.  However, this below alert by Save Our Canyons still intrigues me for a couple reasons.

1. Why would the Powderbirds or any organization be given such a long permit?  Why not have a necessary annual renewal measuring impact?
2. This is the third time within the last 2 weeks that I have received an email along the lines of possible negative environmental impact, but for some odd reason I only have a couple days to respond.  WTF? Is this a lack of organization on the non-profit side? A break down in communication between the parties involved?  A marketing tactic to try and get people to respond since the deadline is looming? Seriously… why are these issues not thoroughly addressed to the people who will be affected?!

Here is the info from Save Our Canyons about the Wasatch Powderbird Guides.

The Forest Service is seeking comments regarding the renewal of Wasatch Powderbird Guides (WPG) permit. The renewal would allow WPG to operate until 2020 without the requirement of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). We feel that there are significant impacts that should be considered in the decision of permit renewal. We are asking for you to submit your comments.

The deadline for comments is this Friday, December 19th. PLEASE let your friends and skiing buddies know that they should send their comments in too! This is a critical decision, and it will affect the future of the central Wasatch for decades. Make sure your friends don’t miss this deadline!

Your comments don’t have to be lengthy or complex – they just need to be written and sent. The suggestions below should help you write an effective comment.

Submit comments to Melissa Hearst, Salt Lake Acting District Ranger 6944 So 3000 East, Salt Lake City UT 84121, fax 801-733-2684, or via e-mail at comments-intermtn-wasatch-cache-saltlake@fs.fed.us.

SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMENTING ON WPG’S PROPOSED 10-YEAR PERMIT

The way to make comments more persuasive to a government agency is to clearly address them to the questions the agency must ask itself when considering an action that might affect the environment. These questions mainly revolve around a) whether the agency must analyze the impacts of a proposed action and document these in an environmental impact statement (EIS), and b) what the analysis in an EIS should include, if the agency decides it must prepare one.

The questions the Forest Service (FS) has before it in this case are:

1. Can we use a categorical exclusion?
The FS wants to use a new Bush regulation, called a categorical exclusion (CE), that allows it to avoid doing an environmental impact statement (EIS). But the agency can’t use the CE if a) impacts from WPG’s operation are “significant” or b) impacts have increased significantly since the 1999 EIS, or will increase significantly before the end of the new 10-year permit (2020). So the number one thing anyone could say is to the effect of “based on the growth in BC use I have observed over the last _____ years, the 1999 EIS could not reflect the impacts occurring today, and there is no way that impacts will not increase dramatically before the end of the term of the proposed permit.” Focus on noise and safety impacts, since, arguably competition for ski terrain is not an environmental effect, so not something the FS has to care much about. Remind the FS that it did not do any new analysis of impacts on other backcountry users in the 2004, so the most recent analysis of these impacts is already nine years old and, under the new permit, WPG would be operating TWENTY-ONE YEARS after the last analysis.

2. Should we prepare a new EIS?
Urge them that the backcountry has continued to get more crowded so they need to take another look at noise and safety impacts because, with increased congestion in the BC, these impacts are significantly greater than they were during the 1999, or even 2004, EIS.

3. What should a new EIS analyze?
Suggest what effects of WPG’s operations you think the FS should consider before it decides whether to issue a permit to WPG or what limitations to impose on it. Examples: perform noise measurements/mapping, perform backcountry use measurements/mapping, require WPG to provide number of individuals served, determine presence of and effect on sensitive, threatened, or endangered species.

4. Should we continue to issue these permits to WPG, or tighten restrictions on it?
Argue why heli-skiing is an inappropriate use of public lands, or appropriate only with certain operational restrictions, etc. On this point, regarding claims that WPG’s operations are “elitist,” keep in mind that the FS tends to see non-heli backcountry skiers/riders/snowshoers as just as elitist (“physically endowed” vs. “financially endowed”). Good points to make in favor of eliminating or restricting WPG are that the overall benefit of the permit to the public is disproportionate to the adverse effects, and that the adverse effects to the public are asymmetrical—experienced only by one group, non-motorized forest users.

Use this link to view the scoping notice: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/uwc/projects/wcnf/proposed/salt_lake/wpg_final_10_year_scoping_notice.pdf

For information about this issue and commenting, please contact Carl Fisher, Executive Director of Save Our Canyons, at carl@saveourcanyons.org or at 801-363-7283.

My Thoughts

Since I am not a backcountry snowboarder I have very little to opine on this subject. My initial response is I don’t care if everyone wants to play in the backcountry as long as it can still be safe for everyone and that the terrain isn’t being ruined. I do think that such a long permit is a poor idea as the Powderbirds will know they are locked in and can become complacent about how they treat the environment and locals who bust their butts hiking up the hill.

Is this an ignorant way to think? If so, please comment up and let me know.

On the lift. The boys are on the next chair.

I headed up to Solitude for a half day of riding with Triznut and The Tobin James. The conditions were better than expected when we started to ride, but as the day progressed a storm blew in. Next thing we knew we were riding up the chair lift, surrounded by thunder and lighting and were told that the mountain was closing down. It was dumping snow, so we slowly made our way down from the summit, enjoying all the fresh lines. By the time we made our way to the bottom the lifts had re-opened for one last run. W00T! We took it, smiling all the way down. We finished out the great day with a classic Garlic Burger and beer at the Cotton Bottom.

The Tobin James with me in the background.

All three of us freezing but happy!

Third time up in this year of powder was spent at Snowbird with Shaft and later joined by Dr. M. Snowbird has been my resort of choice for the past three or four years and feel like I know the mountain well. However, Dr. M. had a whole handful of excellent beta of chutes and tree lines I had never skied. Poor Shaft had already done a 5mile snowshoe walk / race that morn and remained cheerful as we drug him all over the mountain. Good times!

Me real smiley on The Road to Provo.

Dr. M joined Shaft and I half way through the day. Even though he has skied for years, he insists on always have the bar down on the chair lift. =D

Shaft also captured the Snowbird boogie, a staple for a good day of riding.  H.I.P. #2, this is my equivalent of the “Going to the Burren” dance.

I haven’t really hit up the snow this year. Seems funny to live in Utah, especially this year and not “slide on snow”. I think I just needed a break for a year. I usually have a season’s pass and take snowboarding a little too seriously. So, I didn’t make the investment and have only gone out a handful times, though our snow has been phenomenal. I think this year I just wanted to climb more than board. And the rarity of the days has made riding real fun. One powder day in January Triznut, BW, Shaft and I decided we were heading up because we were slammed with powder. We waited two hours (Triznut and BW in one car and Shaft and I in another) by the 7-11 at the base of the canyons. We were hoping to get up Big Cottonwood for a day at Solitude, yet when the 2 hour wait mark hit, Shaft and I headed up Little Cottonwood to Snowbird. It was my first time to snowboard with Shaft and it was such a great time. The powder was fantastic, the lifts were not too busy and the alpenglow on Superior at the 4 o’clock hour was stunning. I had taken pics, but unfortunately they were erased. No pics, but still great memories.

I have purchased a season pass to Snowbird for the past four or five years, loyally riding at least every Saturday and Sunday plus more while I was in school. Last year I started to burn out on being specific resort bound and just on snowboarding in general. As a result I decided to forego the pass this year and thought I might expand and check out some other resorts, or even considered just climb all winter long.

My first day out for the season was with Gunner and one of his orthopedic surgeon friends, Kubiak, at Snowbasin. Sure I had heard of Snowbasin, but I had yet to ride there. To my surprise the terrain was phenomenal and the crowds at least half of that at Snowbird. Huh… who would have known? To top it off, riding with Gunner and Kubiak was a blast as we all loved to swerve through trees and the day even ended with Kubiak’s pass being revoked. =D

Once a year, my work calls a ski day in the winter and a water-ski day in the summer. Today was the Ski Day. I went up to Snowbird, as that is were I have my season pass, and it was a bluebird powder day. The best part was the grayhghost, the Stone-face-killah and Wydysh all had it off work as well. The three of us enjoyed the powder, and the grayhghost (you will never believe this!) snowboarded rather than skied. I actually saw him fall, a sight I have never before witnessed.

A bearded grayhghost. Photo by me.

Me and the StoneFaceKillah on the lift. Photo by me.

Me enjoying the pow of Little Cloud, quite soon after they opened the gate. Hell’s yeah. Photo by Grayhghost.

TB having anything but a good day. Bummer.

As many of you have probably noticed, global warming is really starting to take a toll. Just look at New York. Absurdly warm temperatures about a month ago, my friend Charlie had the top down on his convertible, and now upstate New York has 9 feet of snow! We have seen weird weather here in Utah as well as it is now February and we have had hardly any snow. The top of the Cirque at Snowbird is still rocky and there is a sign by one of the chutes that says “rocks!”.

But yesterday warmed my heart. We had been pounded with snow the night before and Sunday conditions were fantastic. I got to the resort at my usual time, around noon’ish, and there were still powder shots, walk on trams and many double black diamond gates were open. I was grinning ear-from-ear while riding through the trees with my friend Wydysh.