Alpental / Snoqualmie Mtn AvControl - Fall 2012

   Hi again from the Alpental Patrol and Snow Safety perspective.  We have a few things coming up this fall so I thought it would be best to give as early a notice as possible.  Those who pay attention to avalanche work around Snoqualmie Pass will remember the days of artillery being used for Snoqualmie Mountain.  Back in the day we would use a 75 mm recoilless rifle when those epic storms threatened to end with a warm up and the bigger paths could potentially threaten the valley floor. If anyone has any photos from 1990 when the Phantom path trashed the shop lot and all the equipment parked there I would love to see them. Several seasons ago we transitioned to a 105 recoilless but did not ever get to fire it at the slopes. We have done the rare helicopter blasting (2008) and also managed the hazard via full closure (2008, 2011) but did not actually use the gun itself.  The ARMY is mandating that all programs discontinue the use of recoilless rifles for avalanche control.  They no longer test that very, very old ammunition and will not certify it to be actively used.  All of the U.S. programs will transition into one type of artillery, which is the M101-A1 Howitzer.  It’s a big investment for any snow safety program and with the local WSDOT Avalanche teams also needing to eventually transition from the M60 Battle Tank, it made sense to work together. Since this is a completely different weapon system we have had to do some groundwork to pull it off.  We will have to fire from the valley floor rather than up on the Alpental slope-side gun tower so it means some target acquisition work, and establishing indirect co-ordinate capabilities. It’s probably obvious that just when you need to fire, the weather is generally bad.  That is the same reason that the helicopter control is not a very good option.  Waiting for visibility can just take too long.  The bottom line is that we will need to do a targeting live-fire mission at least once in the next couple months.  A new sign will be going up soon in the main Alpental parking lot, and both an informational website and a phone info line will provide current control plans and advisories. 425 434 6793
The phone line has actually been in service for a couple years but the message has been consistently the same, “No Avalanche Control Operations are Scheduled at This Time”.  Almost everyone is carrying a phone these days so the hot line seems like an appropriate means for instantly available info. We hope to pull off the live firing at a time when there is just enough snow cover to see shot placement effectively but not enough on the ground to make ski touring very desirable.  We are thinking early November but we will have to let the actual weather dictate some of that.  Right now it’s anyone’s guess, but commonly these early snows don’t stick around and it will still be a little while longer.
I’ll update this posting as we get a little closer to the actual event, and also advise when it’s time to begin the winter uphill touring restrictions in the ski area.  Thanks as always -Gib

Thanks for the update Gib. I'll have to look and see if I have any photos of the old slide, I know I used to have some video of the carnage.

Thanks, Gib. Phone number's stored in the cell phones. Such a cool job. Shoot straight!

Is it possible the teams involved could provide an N-hour-ahead guarantee that signs/phone numbers will be updated, especially for training work?

There's more than one way up Snoqualmie; nobody wants to head down the Phantom into artillery fire. It's possible to make a quick phone call while you rip skins atop the peak or cross Cave Ridge.

I cross-posted your announcement to nwhikers and cascadeclimbers, linking to this thread. I'll delete the posts if Gib/Alpy/WSDOT do it officially.

Thanks for the update Gib.

Is there anyway would could post signage in the parking lot and the trailhead for both Snow Lake and Snoqualmie Mountain (maybe uphill of the brush cut area) about these plans? How will you ensure that there aren't people up on Snoqualmie Mountain when you conduct the tests? Plenty of people like to hike Snoqualmie Mountain on foot too.

Yes to the signs, (see original message).  Obviously making sure no one is in the area is our #1 concern.  Even more so than dealing with avalanche hazard since we can close the runout zones.  We will always give just as much notice as possible, we would hope for a minimum of 24 -48 hours.  Signs in the parking lots and trail heads will reach most but we still have those going out and about for longer trips and potentially accessing via Commonwealth or more rarely, the Middlefork.  I still hope to talk the Fire Dept into surplussing their old WW2 air raid siren and re-tasking it as an audible avalanche control warning for Snoqualmie mountain only.  It might take a few years to get everyone on the same page but you have to start somewhere.  The last thing in our favor is the weather, at the times we are most likely to shoot, most folks won't want to be touring.  For training and targeting, probably in November, we will post all of the above at least 3-4 days in advance for each effort.
Thanks for the comments.

I think the air raid siren is a fantastic idea. Like at T-15 min and T-5 min.