Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Avy center launches sidecountry class

Course will focus on out-of-bounds skiing

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By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer

The Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center will launch a new class on Saturday, designed to directly address the growing contingent of skiers ducking the rope and skiing out of bounds on Baldy.

Center Executive Director Chris Lundy said that the class will cover avalanche basics such as how to evaluate a snowpack for stability and how to identify warning signs of avalanches. However, just as the center tweaks a class for the special needs of snowmobilers, this class will be tweaked to include issues skiers may face out of bounds.

"It's the same ideas and concepts, but there are a lot of things that will be shifted for out-of-bounds skiers," Lundy said. "We're putting it into a perspective that applies to their user group."

Out-of-bounds or sidecountry skiers are a growing user group, as more advanced skiers duck the ski area boundary rope to take advantage of fresh powder in areas surrounding Warm Springs, Turkey Bowl off Seattle Ridge or "The Burn" area where the Castle Rock Fire cleared out foliage in 2007.

The distinction between sidecountry and backcountry skiing is minimal. While backcountry skiing involves a hike up a mountain, sidecountry skiers take a chairlift to access an out-of-bounds section adjacent to a ski area.

However, skiers may not realize that when they "duck the rope," they encounter risks not present on groomed, maintained runs. The avalanche risk is significantly less in the designated ski area, as the ski patrol uses explosives and other measures to reduce the risk of a slide.

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Lundy said the class will likely concentrate more on the psychology of risk-taking in the sidecountry than the center's other courses do.

"One of the biggest problems with out-of-bounds skiing is that people take the attitude they have in bounds out of bounds," he said.

He added that he plans to discuss how to travel safely in groups, how to identify an unstable snowpack without digging a snow pit and how to use the avalanche advisories and warnings to prepare for the sidecountry.

One of the biggest risks to out-of-bounds skiers, Lundy said, is that while backcountry skiers have time to analyze snow conditions on hikes up slopes, sidecountry skiers essentially go straight into avalanche country once they leave the ski area.

"A lot of the analysis out-of-bounds skiers should be doing happens before they duck the rope," he said. "Once you duck the rope on Baldy, you're in avalanche terrain. Decisions need to be made before that."

The class will be held from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, on Bald Mountain. Registration is required beforehand, and participants can register by calling 622-0095 or emailing info@sawtoothavalanche.com.

Those participating must either have a season pass or purchase a special half-price lift ticket for the day. Suggested donation is $25 to the center.

Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com

Beacons on Baldy

Sun Valley Resort has opened a new beacon park on Bald Mountain between Christmas Bowl and Christmas Ridge, allowing all skiers with a lift ticket to practice with their avalanche beacons before making a run or ducking the rope.

The park opened Tuesday morning, said Rich Bingham, snow safety director for the Sun Valley Ski Patrol. "We've just been waiting for enough snow to put it in the ground," he said. The park is funded by St. Alphonsus Foundation, partly due to the efforts of Dr. Rick Moore, a frequent visitor to Sun Valley for the Ski and Mountain Trauma Conference each November.

Sawtooth National Forest Avalanche Center executive director Chris Lundy said that while Bald Mountain has had a beacon park for several years, the new one is more high-tech.

"It's quite a bit more sophisticated," he said.

Instead of having only old beacons buried in the snow, the new park allows skiers to turn on and off specific beacons with a remote control. It is similar to the center's own park at the Baker Creek trailhead. The park is available for use by anyone with a lift ticket.

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