Snomo in couloir

WMC - thanks for re-posting the link to your site. Looking at your map for "proposal 3," I'm close to inclined to support it, though the Teanaway portion still strikes me as catering to a currently small group of skiers (those who can and want to sled roads to access tours, versus those of us w/o sleds or those who sled up to ridges and such to access terrain). You recently posted here a notion of including an ask for a sno-park at Beverly Creek. Are you serious about that proposal? If so, have you had any discussions with the folks who plow for sno-parks regarding how realistic that would be to achieve? That notion would make the "proposal 3" map a no-brainer to me.

The idea for the Beverly Cr Sno Park came from the snomo guys entirely. It is a great idea, so WMC started talking about it.

As far as self-powered into the Teanaway, I have met folks doing Earl Peak from the Sno Park several times. I have met folks skinning all the way up the NF Teanaway Road to the end! In comparison, it is fairly common practice now, accepted, to just skin up the 4 miles to the Stuart Lake TH from Icicle- that is done a lot- for day trips to Colchuck Glacier etc.. Some of the Wenatchee skiers will skin 7 miles of the Icicle to climb Grindstone then ski out in a long day. So self powered into the area of Proposal 3 is most feasible. That area would be excellent for a weekend trip, all sort of terrain for all types of skiing, snowshoeing, camping. In the past I skinned up Stafford on Karhu XCD skinny skis and leather boots, all untracked powder, (1980's) for such multi-day trips, not a snowmobile track visible in that large offroad area! Proposal 3 also sets back the snomo access to an area of considerable snomo trespass in Wilderness. That is so well known that factions of riders on Forums ID the Wenatchee Valley guys accused of using those Wilderness areas for snomo riding. Also, Proposal 3 is about as small as it gets to get some reasonable setback from the noise. With no enforcement, unfortunately and again confirmed on snomo Forums, there are too many illegal loud snomos still out there.

The bottom line is that snowmobile technology to allow these areas to be ridden in the mainstream is a new development since early to mid 1990s, much later and very recent for mainstream snowmobile riders. There was never consideration, public comment, designation, the area never 'given' for snowmobile recreation. We are told by USFS that to make any non-motorized areas the NEPA process must be followed- so I ask, where was the process and public comment to allow snowmobiles on all of that country that I skied before any snomo tracks went away from the roads very far at all? Sadly, the well-funded snowmobile lobby has used the above NEPA process to overturn some non-motorized areas in other states, so perhaps USFS is held hostage by that threat, or comfortably able to refuse to manage the resources using that excuse?

Thanks for the interest and the discussion.

I used to appreciate some of the words by another avid east side skier who seemed to have a more balanced view on snowmobile use than WMC does.
Sadly he is banned from TAY like my old buddy PNWBrit but we can at least review his old posts to relive the memories.

From the late great and sadly banned Randonee.
Quote}
At times it would appear that some self powered bc users assume a selfish, superior, arrogant attitude. A disrespectful bc skier is no less annoying that a disrespectful snowmobiler. The joy of being self powered is that one can travel away from snowmobiles, other people, noise, etc.- I can easily travel out of hearing range of all the whiners rather quickly.} End Quote.

I used to appreciate some of the words by another avid east side skier who seemed to have a more balanced view on snowmobile use than WMC does.
Sadly he is banned from TAY like my old buddy PNWBrit but we can at least review his old posts to relive the memories.

From the late great and sadly banned Randonee.
Quote}
At times it would appear that some self powered bc users assume a selfish, superior, arrogant attitude. A disrespectful bc skier is no less annoying that a disrespectful snowmobiler. The joy of being self powered is that one can travel away from snowmobiles, other people, noise, etc.- I can easily travel out of hearing range of all the whiners rather quickly.} End Quote.

Ironic.

Very ironic given WMC's identity. haha

Hey kids, get over your personality squabbles and consider the issue of how to reduce conflict among users of the winter accessible terrain where most of the conflict occurs.

There will be separate zones for motorized and self-propelled users in the future. How those zones get divided will depend on community input.

This scenario is being played out in the Forests that have nearby high population densities throughout the West... like both sides of the Cascades.

Start pressing the local National Forest staffs now.

Hey kids, get over your personality squabbles and consider the issue of how to reduce conflict among users of the winter accessible terrain where most of the conflict occurs. 

There will be separate zones for motorized and self-propelled users in the future.  How those zones get divided will depend on community input. 

This scenario is being played out in the Forests that have nearby high population densities throughout the West... like both sides of the Cascades.

Start pressing the local National Forest staffs now. 

The two posts before this have nothing to do with my or Chris's personalities, his post was ironic given what I know and apparently Chris knows too.