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Show nes UDo olla LJ P etgatney -eceaalt” Mek caine angen esti? aman enc gg seal Nisa apis tapi aaa — Page 10-Wasatch Canyon Reporter, Spa continues from pg. 7 and — The Avalanche Forecas tCenter bor in the Jacuzzi, no doubt. referring to a pair of rearentry Hanson’s. A woman on her way out of the pool remarked “ We 22 March - 4 April 1995 shouldn’t even bother going skiing on this trip.” I fully understood by Sara Lindeman where they were coming from as I dejectedly left the Spa to go to my third job. If you have yet to visit, check out all the Spa has to offer. To learn more about memberships, In response to an internal probe of the Department of Transportation’s avalanche safety program, the UDOT, in conjunction with other con- specific treatments, prices, or to make a_-reservation, call . 521-6040 (outside the Valley cerned area organizations, will release a list of recommendations to insure safe call (801) 742-2222) extension 5900. We all acknow!l- travel in Little Cottonwood Canyon. ) edge it is our steeps and pow- This internal soul search- der that make Vaillites drool; ing came after the resignation of lead avalanche forecaster Rick Wyatt. Wyatt cited his let them drool over the Cliff - Spa as well..SWCR No breaking the sign line lack of confidence in the avalanche-control program at UDOT as the reason for his resignation. | Following the hubbub of Wyatt’s highly publicized departure, several area organi- zations Central, including Alta the Forest Service, Alta Ski Lifts, and Snowbird Safety met to discuss the problems plaguing UDOT. At the meeting in January the various organizations decided to break into commit- tees to address the target problem areas. Committee topics included personnel problems, policy issues, future questions such as what the UDOT would do should artillery (used to control slides) become unavailable. UDOT Lsisaliasa Specialized Shoes Stiff, light , and comfortable! os SPECIALIZE. | fh ih | eek, ‘OGDEN — Ground Control Sport 59.99 Ground Control 79.99 SLC 1370S.2100E. 583-1940 SUNSET LAYTON 2317 N. Main 825-8632 110 .N. Main 546-3159 MIDVALE | ll casters and canyon 707 E. Ft. Union Blvd. «561-2453 *SANDY 13th E. and 106th S. 571-4480. _*open any day now! yo Cottonwood Canyons Jim McMinimee served as the chair of the personnel committee. < He said they _. addressed issues concerning the relationship between fore- - Ground Control Ultimate 119.99 3259 Wash. Blvd. 399-498] Maintenance Engineer for Big and Little | foremen,. the crux of why Wyatt bailed from the UDOT. William Hale, the LCC canyon foreman, made dubious judgment calls without listening to UDOT forecasters, according to Wyatt. “Things started getting rough in the last three or four “One area that it is lacking in is equipment.” | In predicting some of the recommendations the small years,” Wyatt said. “The pres- committees sure was escalating over how decisions were made. It was proved by all of the people who left.” will make, McMinimee said UDOT, in conjunction with the Forest Service, will check into putting a remote weather would have occurred had forecasting center at the bottom of LCC near the Tanners Flats area. However, in order to Wyatt not left, according to begin planning for a new _ However, immediate UDOT made changes after Wyatt’s departure. But, they weather station, the Forest McMinimee. While the small Service will have to complete committees were studying the large issues that faced the a wilderness impact study to determine whether the $2,500 department, two seasonal station could harm any forecasters, Jeff Larson and indigenous ecosystems. Dave Madera, were hired to bolster the morale and to Kimbrough said_ the ensure the safety of LCC trav- weather station would be elers. The two forecasters came from LCC and are familiar extremely useful. with the canyons, said Tom Kimbrough,. a US Forest Service avalanche forecaster. | Larson came _ from Solitude Ski Resort and Madera previously served as an Alta gunner. “The LCC program is probably not quite up to standards if you look at other forecast stations across the > country,” Kimbrough said. ) “Slide paths down the canyon are really inaccessible. Right now there are no remote weather stations in there. It’s kind of a blind spot. They are almost completely inaccessible in a storm,” he said. | At Alta Central where avalanche activity information is disseminated among the lodges in Alta, dispatcher UDOT Continued on pg. 14 — —_ 5 Roe oe = ¥ ir |