TheSnowpit.com News Blog

• BNSF denied bombing rights to Glacier NP
• Wasatch gets to shoot, but not Gazex

As the start of the season approaches, ski resorts from Mammoth to Banff are opening their first runs, Gallatin NF and Crested Butte have released their first advisories, and the debates over avalanche control methods begin appearing again in the media.

You may remember my note of the 'shells vs sheds' debate from last season between BNSF Railway and Glacier National Park. After four total years of debating, the National Park service has 'issued a final rejection' to BNSF, telling them to sack up, build some sheds, and stop shooting at the wildlife.

Not all decisions are so logical however. Through a loophole, Alta is allowed to do control work with Howitzers mid-canyon in the Wasatch, but they are not allowed to install Gazex exploders. That is, they are allowed to lob things to within the wilderness areas from without, but they are not allowed to install any actual artillery in the wilderness. Gazex exploders have been used successfully around the world from Europe to Teton Pass.

• Three survive Hood Avalanche
• The McCain Climate Speech
• Glacier National Park and the Shells vs Sheds Debate
• Federal Land Avalanche Monitoring Bill returns to the Senate
• Heat re-activates Blackcomb's Dec 5 crust

The recent heat has already brought on a few incidents. Blackcomb closed all but two lifts this past weekend due to obvious avalanches and instability. Cornice failures, snow coming loose from rocks, and other natural triggers persist, and a few class-3 avalanches have occured in closed areas in-bounds. Further south, snow came loose from a rock outcropping and sent three climbers for a 350 foot ride on Mount Hood near the Pearly Gates. The climbers survived and descended the mountain with the assistance of Mountain Rescue.

For those of you who, like me, were a little unnerved by the extensive west-wide heat over the last week, perhaps it's time to read McCain's Climate speech, complete with commentary. He poo-poos modeling, brings the issues away from just fossil fuels, proposes increased nuclear power research, and speaks of pressing the issues internationally. An interesting view on how at least one politician views global warming. This was followed up shortly afterwards with commentary on how global warming affects hurricanes and storms. Though not explicitly snow-related, the search for answers for what global warming will do to our planet before it actually occurs continues....

Some classic issues are still present, however. Environmentalists continue to keep tabs on Glacier's plan to use artillery to control avalanches. BNSF Railroad has suffered losses in the past because of avalanches coming off of land located within the park, and wishes to use artillery to control the avalanche risk. Though snow sheds over the rails would be a less-impactful option to the park land in question, the initial investment to construct sheds has BNSF balking and as the rails themselves lie outside of park land, Glacier can only prevent shelling, not require shed building. Started in 2004, the political struggle grinds on.

Sometimes politics aren't all bad, however. Struggling with what could be called the greatest avalanche risk in the country and only one federal avalanche forecast center (Chugach) to help, Alaska's Ted Stevens has re-introduced a bill to require federal avalanche monitoring of federal lands. Though successful in the Senate twice before, the bill has not yet seen success in the House. Maybe a third time will be a charm.