Spokesman-Review- "Snowmobilers desecrate..."

www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2011/ma...-slopes-near-mullan/

"A clash has been brewing for years near Lookout Pass as snowmobilers' insatiable appetite for high-marking and tracking fresh snow continues to invade more and more areas used by backcountry skiers.

Thirty years ago, snowmobilers tended to stay north of I-90 while skiers found peace and quiet to the south in the St. Regis Basin, around Stevens Peak and other areas.

Snowmobilers pretty much drove skiers out of the St. Regis Basin by the late 1990s — their high-marking and potential to set off avalanches often made it dangerous to be a skier below.

A backcountry skier can make only a few runs up and down a mountain slope in a day. A snowmobiler can foul an entire basin with tracks and noise in a few hours.

This winter, snowmobilers seem to be making a point to go in an trash some sacred ground for backcountry skiing in the West Willow Peak area south of Mullan.

Backcountry skiers, who seem to shun organization, are starting to react. Check out the Stevens Peak Backcountry Coalition website, and the update on what skiers encountered last weekend."

stevenspeakbc.org/2011/03/21/unprecedent...ce-will-take-action/

Looks like a fun zone. Is that Stevens Peak? The chute off the summit is neat.

So, is it illegal? If not, what is the beef?

Just because something isn't illegal doesn't mean it's friendly, or a good idea. Plenty of people are able to mediate conflicting uses through community norms rather than passing laws. It's not illegal for me to cut in front of the checkout line in the grocery store, but it's not a good idea or very friendly.

Here is a tr from December, 2010, describing this area:

www.turns-all-year.com/skiing_snowboardi...ex.php?topic=19095.0

But to condemn snowmobilers because they want fresh powder that skiers also want is silly IMO. The whole point of this thread is to demonize motorized snow vehicles and try to get them outlawed. I don't snowmobile, but I don't see why they should be made the bad guys just because they get to the powder stash first. If you venture into an area that allows both, then expect both. It is not 'unfriendly' or 'rude' for snowmobiles to ride fresh powder.