Alpental 1/20-21

Well, that is definately news to me and i've had a pass at the Alp for at least 10 years or so. Guess i'll need to get a new card? It does seem crazy to deny a person who has all the gear (and has had a BC card for goodness sake!) but in my view it's more to have a hard line and thus get a lot of the newer riders to sign the waiver and get cards and all that. Probably a lot of folks have never bothered to get the pass since it seems like you actually need it maybe once every 4-5 years.

Yeah, I would watch for more happening with regard to this subject. There has been a fair amount of chatter since Sunday with Patrol getting an earful... This appears to have been a while coming. What we still don't completely understand, is whether this was area risk management leaning on patrol to be more active or patrol just acting on their own.

Of all the areas I have skied, Alpental has one of the most lax rope / boundary policy enforcement that I have witnessed. If this were Colorado, there would be a County Sheriff here every day confiscating gear and taking someone away.

So, what do others here think?

Do you favor an enforced, BC pass policy if handled correctly?

M@

One vote for yes.

One vote for yes.

I'm totally with you on that. While patrol is definitely crackin down on having your card on you, it's worth it if it means people being safer out there. They're taking any form of the BC card, no matter when it was issued, or you can just stop at the Shack and get a new one. Be sure to carry it with you so you don't ruin the fun for everyone else.

A minor annoyance for a few minutes while getting a card, but one that will insure that there are less bozos out there.

Of all the areas I have skied, Alpental has one of the most lax rope / boundary policy enforcement that I have witnessed. If this were Colorado, there would be a County Sheriff here every day confiscating gear and taking someone away.

I got the impression after taking to ski patrol last week that the sheriff's office is going to become involved soon...

Yeah, they have been saying that for about a month....

Here is a link to an article worth reading:
www.earnyourturns.com/articles/dynamic_a...epg.php?articleID=38

Here is a excerpt about Washington State law:

Washington: Revised code of Washington, Public health and safety, Section 70.117.010

(7) Any person skiing outside the confines of trails open for skiing or runs open for skiing within the ski area boundary shall be responsible for any injuries or losses resulting from his or her action.

The Washington law is one that backcountry skiers can live with. It does not pose any criminal liability on the backcountry skier, it only states that the skiers can not hold anyone but themselves liable for their own indiscretion. This law could also be used to make a lost or injured skier pay for the cost of search and rescue on their behalf.

The date on this article is 1993, so it would be interesting to know if there have been any changes to the law...

M@