Closure notice received at MRNP Entrance Station

I agree with Marharf that the park service has the right to try to protect the vegetation around the Paradise area, although I did ski on Sunday. Boy that was nice! I ended skinning up on the paved trail and finished East of the parking lot, out the road a bit. This seemed to work quite well since they had better coverage East and no ranger to yell at me. Weeds? I cannot imagine what the park service spends to revegetate areas around Paradise. I would like to think that I was not too evil in skiing that day, but I can see how the snowboarders that had a jump 20 yards above the parking lot were having an impact. Also, felt sorry for the ranger who was trying to get the sledders to stop sledding next to the large sign that said no sledding! I think if we disperse our impact out, it is no big deal. Unfortunately, the area adjacent to the parking lots gets all the yahoos.

I suspect what Randy said is probably the motivation for this. That said, it's likely many on this board (myself included ) have 'skied to the parking lot' on days when the coverage probably wasn't quite good enough to do so. With the amount of traffic there, it takes a toll. What bugs me is the lack of consistency. I (skiing on the trail just above the Paradise lot) stopped and had a great conversation with a ranger in full uniform about snow conditions, skis, etc. a couple of weeks ago. "The best snow is right in here," he correctly pointed out. Now people are getting closure notices and lectures? ???<br>

I don't think these rules are new. As far as I know, the reason is to protect the delicate meadows. The way I see it, these rules are what keeps the park such a great place to recreate. Sure, you might think the patch of snow you're on is sufficient to protect the environment, and I'm sure occasionally you might run across a less than cordial ranger, but they're general rules which are probably reasonable considering the amount of use the park gets. The rangers have a job much like police. I work with police alot and some of them are jerks, but I don't blame them too much, cause I also see the unreasonable disrespectful "yahoos" that they deal with on a regular basis. I'll try to follow the rules and enjoy the hike. The snow will be here soon enough.

MRNP has had an environmental study in its management plan. Due to the environmental study, they are only allowed for play if there is at least 3 feet of snow on the ground for winter recrational activities in designated areas. 3 feet was seen as a reasonable suggestion becuase certain areas would melt out faster than others without damaging the vegetation.<br><br>Read the management plan.

Er yeah I just read the management plan, and this is exactly what I mean about capricious enforcement and bad science.<br><br>The management plan makes the point about the resource protection specifically with regard to snowplay, which is reasonably clearly defined differently from skiing/snowboarding. And clearly it IS different because it involves thousands of deliberate travels over the exact same piece of snow, once those runs are constructed. That's totally different from a reasonably dispersed skiing populace and to claim that a study on snowplay impacts and the specific compendium laws that result apply equally to the impacts made by skiers is bad science AND capricious enforcement.<br><br>Nevertheless, despite my bitching about the bureaucracy and its tactics, I reiterate my original point that when these situations arise we're still better off trying to understand both sides of the story and to make efforts to interpret whatever real and noble intention to help preserve resources in the Park might lie behind whatever heavy-handed piece of paper they pass out at the entrance station, and act accordingly.<br><br>Maybe it will just be easier to smuggle my skis into the park, hidden under a bunch of blankets or something

Oh boy. This is an ugly harbinger of what may come along the Crystal-MRNP border.<br><br>If it doesn't, then I can simply be written off as another paranoid wackjob. And that would be fine.