| Show r r POO I - Standard-Examine- -"- r Outdoors JlMT Thursday February 1 5 1 996 7B REC NOTES v' t tip ’ : Wolf recovery Drogram j Highlights discussion i " 4t i ' 1 U i t 4 K - OGDEN - The Wasatch Audubon Society will hear a discussion of the wolf recovery program in Yellowstone National Park at its Tuesday meeting Brenda Schussman who spent the summer with the wolf program at Yellowstone will lead the discussion The meeting will be held at 7 pm at the Ogden Nature Center 966 W 12th St The meeting is open to the public a :& PUBLIC OPINION: State seeking comments on proposed trail plan SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Division of Parks and SUSAN BACKCOUNTRY BEAUTY: Skiers in the backcountry carry transceivers shovels and probe poles all in r LATHAMStarxJafd-Examine- preparation of potential avalanches Avalanche Awareness Week assume the risk of When: Now through Feb 25 What: The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center has g scheduled events that can also improve your understanding avafanches They must also recognize the seriousness fund-rasin- of avalanches of such endeavors On Saturday two presentations of “Winning the Avalanche Game" be given at the Avalon Theater 3605 S State in Murray Tickets are 8 $5 and shows will begin at 5 pm and 7 pm Call On Feb 24 a free beacon search instruction and practice will be held at Rockreation 2074 E 3900 S in Salt Lake City between 8 pm and 1 1 3 for information pm Call Want to learn more? The physics of snow and avalanches is tricky and complex Avalanche courses can teach much of the basig information but for a more complete understanding of the phenomenon one of the best sources is “The Avalanche Handbook” by David McClung and Peter Schaerer It’s published by The Mountaineers a Seattle publishing company It can be purchased ($1 995) at some outdoors stores or ordered by mail from: The Mountaineers 1 01 1 SW Klickitat Way Seattle Wash 98134 will 266-025- By JIM WRIGHT Standard-Examin- staff OK so you’ve mastered the telemark turn You’ve seen Northern Utah blanketed in snow from the tops of half a dozen mountain peaks You’ve taken avalanche courses and own shovel" ‘freeper and know how to dig a snow pit You’re starting to think ”you were born to be a backcountry skier According to a recent study in Colorado you also fit the profile of aMely avalanche victim YOTreould be forgiven for understanding that sentence to mean “The better you ski and thel ffi’cdfe you understand avalanches the better your chance of dying”: Itlsunot quite that severe but Dale’jAkins of the Colorado Av- -- 278-747- alanche Information Center compiled a report recently about avalanche deaths in the United’ States Since 1950 462 people have died from avalanches in the ' United States Utah with 42 deaths ranks fourth in the nation By far the largest number of avalanche deaths have occurred in Colorado where 152 people have lost their lives in the last 45 years Washington and Alaska both tallied 58 deaths during that period What's of particular note to backcountry skiers is that Atkins’ report states that of 160 skiers and mountaineers whose abilities were known 119 of them were experienced in backcountry travel and knowledgeable about avalanche hazards They knew what they were doing but they died anyway Atkins attributes this not to a lack of avalanche education but a failure to understand the seriousness of the risk It’s one thing to recognize a hazardous slope another thing entirely to decide whether it should be avoided g in the backcountry is no longer limited to a small e adand select group of venturers” Atkins said “Today’s adventurers often are athletic weekend warriors” As backcountry skiing has grown in popularity so have the number of avalanche deaths From the winter of 1985-8- 6 to the 1990-9- 1 season an average of 55 people died in backcountry avalanches In the last four years the average number of deaths has more than doubled to 13 The only way a backcountry skier can completely eliminate the risk of avalanche is to go bowling instead Anyone who’s ever been in the backcountry knows that sooner or later he or she is going to have to take a chance Anytime you ski or traverse an open slope “Risk-takin- hard-cor- thrill-seeki- Avalanche awareness courses a must for By PATRICIA WOOLMAN Standard-Examin- correspondent 'When ignorance can mean dcatKT there’s no excuse to not learn about the biggest hazard to wintgr Backcountry travel Lttdcations all along the Wa- satch Front many experts teach avalanche awareness classes Local universities outdoor re- creation businesses the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center and others offer expertise in the field of avalanche awareness These courses teach the skills and conduct a variety of field tests to help determine snow stability to skiers snowboarders snowsho-er- s climbers snowmobilers and other outdoor enthusiasts ' ' £ow classes are considered “basip inviting anyone who’s interested Other courses are designed specifically for backcountry 5kfcfs snowmobilers or other specificgroups Most avalanche courses divide class time between indoor and outdoor instruction Lecture topics usually include avalanche hazards and recognition route selection rescue and statistics of accidents Field exercises take the class out on the mountain to dig snow pits observe the snowpack layers and practice rescue methods Because the science of avalanches is so complex experts encourage winter enthusiasts to attend an avalanche awareness class every year in order to remember all the varied components that aid in determining the dangers Gass instructors usually have years of experience in the and many have worked for ski resorts Many instructors are connected with the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center whose main job is avalanche education and information The forecast center puts on many avalanche courses during the season which are free to the back-count- ry public Last season they taught 29 classes to 23pO people Before starting a day into the backcountry it’s wise to call the Utah Avalanche Forecast number The daily recorded update is a lengthy detailed account of what the weather monitoring equipment and field reports are advising about backcountry avalanche conditions The UAFC provides several phone numbers depending on the geographic area of interest thrill-seeke- rs hikers mountain StartdartJ xammer staff ’ The least or famine nature of this winter has left Utah wildlife -- managers asking whether they should feed bands of roaming deer As it stands now big game herds are in generally good condition said Wes Shields Utah Division of Wildlife Resources wildlife chief With the exception of a herd of perhaps 200 mule deer in the Heber Valley big game animals are having no major difficulties finding food and shelctftis winter - “Deer are moving now so they’re able to get from one vege- tated place to the next” Shields said DWR biologists have been flying over deer ranges in Northern Utah add elsewhere in the past couple of wjeks and have report ed snow conditions that are favorable to deer Shields said Fears that deer plight be trapped by the sudden heavy snowfall don’t seem to have materialized he said including the Mountains near Moab and the Wasatch Mountains from Provo to Ogden The advisory recording for the Wasatch Front near Salt Lake City receives the largest number of phone calls About 85 percent of the calls made to the UAFC are received at the Salt Lake numbers The information regarding the back side of Ben Lomond is sometimes overlapped between the two numbers No daily reports are available for areas like Monte Cristo or the High Uintas The forecast center advises skiers that conditions for the Ogden area can usually be considered typical of Monte Cristo that herd in the Heber Valley prompted But the threat to Shields and the DWR to begin a localized emergency feeding pro- gram Although big game managers dislike feeding deer sometimes it becomes necessary if not for biological reasons then for public relations People dislike the sight of roving bands of starving deer and the huge losses of fawns and adult deer in the winter of 1992-9are still fresh in the minds of many Utahns 3 One of the main drawbacks of feeding deer Shields said is that once you start feeding them it’s tough to stop Herds become dependent on the easy food so when a feeding program is started it must be continued until the spring vegetation begins growing That’s the case with the 200 head of deer in the Heber Valley and y er Stonefly Society schedules banquet for Feb 28 The avalanche forecast numbers for Utah are: annual Salt Lake City 1 advisory): Salt Lake City 1 advisory): 0 Park City: 6 Logan: 364-158- 364-159- 649-225- 797-414- Ogden: Provo: Moab: ' 621-236- 374-977- 0 259-766- 9 SALT LAKE CITY 2 - The Stonefly Society will hold its fund-raisin- dinner g Feb 28 at the Little America hotel The angler’s group monitor’s water conservation projects stream habitat and other fishing issues There will be a discussion of the Central Utah Project at the banquet Tickets cost $35 and include dinner and membership A social hour begins at 6 pm with dinner at 7 pm 7 Call Bill Partner for information staff ’ N Updated avalanche Information is also available on the Internet Addressesare: http:Wwwwmetutahedu http:Wwwwwasatchcom 268-308- and http:Wwwwstarwavecom outside Standard-Examin- been donated by Bill Hadlock of Huntsville The warming weather and rapid melting of the snowpack have opened up a lot of winter range areas that had only a week or so ago been under two or three feet of snow DWR Director Robert ' Valentine said the DWR is still prepared for worsening snow conditions but that the worst may already be past Although conditions have improved dramatically over the past two w'eeks and the deer are in little danger the feeding program will be continued perhaps for several more weeks Shields said A feeding program has been started in the Ogden Valley near the mouth of the Middle Fork of The DWR is not asking for the Ogden River Although the 200 to 300 elk in that drainage volunteer help to feed big game were not in danger of starvation animals or for donations to its the DWR is feeding about 80 to emergency feeding fund Valen90 of them to keep them away tine said The fund was set up alfrom haystacks belonging to most three years ago when citifarmers near the canyon mouth zens concerned about the plight of the deer herds were regularly DWR John Kimball deputy sending donations to the DWR director said the Weber County Valentine said the fund had Sheriffs Posse is providing the about $10000 this year and that some of that money is being used labor for the Ogden Valley feeding project and that the hay has to feed the Heber Valley herd i bikers skiers It would connect Rockport Jordanelle Wasatch Mountain and Deer Creek state parks to the existing Provo Canyon trail About 26 miles of the trail already exist said Bill Thompson recreation services coordinator for the parks division Another 38 miles will have to be built or brought up to standards he said The parks division will hold a series of public hearings to discuss the proposal Meetings will be held Feb 20 at the He-bCity Offices 75 North Main Feb 21 at the Summit County Commission Chambers 60 North Main in Coalville and Feb 22 at the Eldred Senior Center 270 W 500 N Provo All meetings run from 7 pm to 9 pm Written comments will also be accepted For information 7 call Thompson at cross-countr- Feeding program mild conditions benefiting deer 'ByJWWRIGHT riders horseback FUNDRAISER: FYI The Ogden area phone number provides information about the Wasatch Front from Bountiful to Ben Lomond peak The Logan area number covers conditions from Willard Peak to the Cache Valley the LaSal Echo Junction and Vivian Park on the Provo River The trail to be called the Wasatch Back Trail would be the first phase of a trail the parks division would like to extend to the Great Salt Lake The trail would be about 64 miles long including side loops It would be open to 538-735- The Forecast Center divides its operations into the areas of the Logan mountains there is a risk of avalanche The skiers who are still breathing have learned to evaluate that risk Avalanches occur in a wide variety of conditions some of which are truly freakish There’s not really a “typical” avalanche scenario but they are more likely to occur under certain conditions Nearly all fatal avalanches (92 percent) are triggered by the victims themselves Most are small to medium-siz- e slides that kill a single person Nearly all are “slab” avalanches where a discrete section of the snow’s surface breaks loose Most of these (64 percent) are soft or dry slabs in which freshly fallen snow hasn’t settled Hard slab avalanches which are composed of compacted snow account for 20 percent of fatal slides and wet slabs of melting snow caused 7 percent of fatalities This is an oversimplification but soft slab avalanches most often occur in the first few days after a big snowstorm These are the slides that ski resorts control with explosives Overall the UAFC received more than 700 calls a day last season about double the number of calls made to any other avalanche forecast facility in North America Idaho border trail between non-motoriz- ed When knowledge becomes dangerous Backcountry skiers Recreation is asking for public comments on a plan to build a c XT K0 'ramTv'KT’ as tf 7p er |
