OCR Text |
Show Administrators of snow safety in alpine areas must often defend themselves against accusations that they are over- cautious, that highways and slopes are closed every time a snowflake falls. The best defense is a good set of records, which always proves the exact opposite. The two tables following are analyses of restriction records. The first covers a highway which was closed nine times during one winter due to forecasts of hazard and is self- explanatory. The second table is a cumulative restrictions chart covering seven years' operations at Alta. The following comments are of interest: 1. Columns 2 and 4. The highway was closed or restricted due to hazard 6.6$ of the period or an average of 11 days out of an average ski season of 166 days. It was closed or restricted because it was merely impassable an average of 22 days. In both categories of restrictions for part of a day, they were lifted soon enough not to interfere materially with use by the public about half the time. 2. Column 5. The entire area was closed an average of 2.4 days per season. Total closure is always under storm conditions so severe that no one would go out of doors anyway. 3. Column 6. There are restrictions of one sort or another in the skiing area an average of 20$ of the season. Most of such restrictions do not interfere materially with public use. 4. Columns 7 and 8. Lifts were closed or restricted due to mechanical or power failure, or inability to operate due to wind an average of 18 days per season. 5. Column 9. There were two avalanche accidents in the area during the period. One was in the touring area and rescue operations were successful. One was on the highway and resulted in a fatality to a member of the highway crew. Both were the outcome of failure to observe hazard warnings from the snow ranger. 6. Columns 1 and 3* The excessive restrictions on the highway due to impassability in 1948- 49 and 1951- 52 were caused principally by lack of snow removal equipment. 7. In any case, restrictions amount to a very small percentage of a winter season, certainly not too great a price to pay for safe operation. - 58 - |