I had to bite my keyboard lip when this conversation was more active, because my initial reaction was spout off my thoughts on the matter without knowing much about it. That said, I instead wrote the park's plant ecologist to learn her thoughts on the matter. She today responded thusly:<br><br>"Thank you for your interest in the regulations regarding snow depth and skiing. We have some data from a variety of places that I will share with you. Near the parking lot, in an area where we allow "snowplay" - essentially sledding, we conducted a survey of vegetation height. The area is covered with mostly low shrubs and young trees. The maximum height of the measured shrubs was 2.7 feet while the mean was 0.9 feet. Conditions of snow vary and general recommendations for protection of vegetation are to have 2 feet of snow above the vegetation to allow for compaction, particularly where there is repeated use in the same track. As you climb higher in Paradise, the shrubs and tree transition to lower vegetation, that could likely withstand a lower snowpack for repeated activities.<br><br>"We have photodocumentation of damage to vegetation done by skiiers and snowboarders when the snow levels are low. The carving of turns in low snow can expose and carve into the vegetated surface. Some people run across young trees, breaking their tops off. Additionally, the construction of jumps has led to damage by exposing the ground and even pulling out plants while digging the snow to create the jumps.<br><br>"Snow compaction studies have shown that heavy snow compaction can lead to shifts in vegetation resulting from the mere compaction as well as the delayed meltout time. I'm sure you have seen areas where heavily used cross country ski tracks or even tire tracks are still visible while areas adjacent have melted out. This delay in meltout in the alpine/subalpine environment with a short growing season can lead to a complete shift in the plant community from the showy flower species to more grasslike species.<br><br>"The requirement of 2 feet of snow for skiing and boarding is in place to protect the resources of the park. I am certain that there are many skiers and snowboarders who are very conscientious visitors and in small numbers would have minimal impact on the Paradise area. Since Paradise is the most heavily visited area of the park in summer and winter we must develop guidance that prevents unacceptable impacts."<br><br>She ended her note with an invitation to ask her any additional questions if I had any, but this is reason enough for me.<br><br>Now that you know more on the park's position, I'll offer a sliver of my own: the takeaway here, I believe, is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If that means I need to boot it a little ways up the trail until the snow deepens, I'm more than willing to do that. And to be honest, I'm a little surprised to find backcountry skiers that aren't.<br><br>Having said that, I'm certain there are those wholly unconvinced by the small amount of science she forwarded. You may have good reason to believe that. However, if having worked heavily in research for the past decade has taught me anything it's that there's always other interpretations and other data. Sometimes you have to make a call and have that be the policy. With a delicate natural resource, it seems quite reasonable that policy would fall on the conservative side. And we are talking about Paradise here--the area surrounding the parking lot is the destination of many summer tourists. I think it's less than surprising they pay more attention to its usage and its showy flowers than to less popular parts of the park.<br><br>With regard to crabby rangers, she didn't send me any data on that policy.
