OCR Text |
Show Every alpine ski area should "be the origin of an educational program. Through motion pictures, photographs, lectures, and personal contact, the skiers should be taken "behind the scones and shown what a complex, difficult and often dangerous job it is to keep an alpine area open for their pleasure. It is a dramatic subject. VI. CONCLUSIONS 1* Public use on a large scale of alpine winter sports areas is feasible. The 10-year record of Alta where every administrative problem exists in aggravated form, is proof. 2. Avalanche hazard is the most important of these problems. to exist to some degree in every true alpine ski area. It is certain 3. Critical avalanche hazard is not continuous in time or location. Sufficient knowledge of snow behaviour is ,now available so that trained observers can foresee the approach of dangerous general avalanche conditions. To some extent, localized avalanche hazard can be predicted. >+. The basic causes of avalanches are terrain and climate. Ten contributory factors have been identified and are employed at Alta as the basis of avalanche hazard forecasting. Further research is required to improve and correct our understanding of these factors and to evaluate others known to exist. 5. Avalanche safety at Alta depends upon certain active and passive protective measures, tried and found satisfactory in most cases. Passive methods are based on restrictions. Active methods include stabilization of slopes through use, protective skiing by trained observers, and explosive release of major type avalanches. 6. Avalanche hazard forecasting is a flexible, continuous process. Formulas, valuable as a guide, are misleading if used arbitrarily* 7. Administration of an alpine ski area requires specially trained and qualified personnel. Familiarity with the area is as important to the administrator as general snow experience. S. The Alta Snow Studies provide basic information from which safety plans for other alpine areas can be derived. 9. An educational program to familiarize skiers with avalanche safety problems is essential. 10. The Forest Service is vitally concerned in snow research due to the demand for the development of western alpine ski areas, most of which are within national forests. |