Caveat emptor!!!! Paradise, Mt. Rainier

Anybody know where the real regulations are cataloged?

There are a couple references to the five feet of snow policy in the superintentents 'Compendium', a list of regulations by royal proclamation for each Park:  www.nps.gov/mora/parkmgmt/upload/2012-MORA-Compendium_Final.pdf

There's nothing specific to skiing that I could find, but on page 4, it's the threshhold for grooming the tube runs, as I suspected.  There's also a five-foot snow depth required for winter camping on page 8 that adds the phrase "measured at the NOAA weather station".

There's some interesting other stuff; tho, such as the following prohibition that might explain the disappearance of the Tatoosh slush cup:
"2.50(a)  Conduct a sports event, pagent, regatta, public spectator attraction, entertainment, ceremony, or similar event."

I think the 5 foot depth requirement makes sense for Paradise and it's snowplay area.  The snowplay area really gets hammered from the crowds of sledders.   I'm sure the rangers have a range of reasons for the 5 foot requirement -- and certainly avoiding damage to the underlying meadows is a big part of it, but not the only one.    

I suppose if the park didn't allow sledding at all then they wouldn't need the 5 foot rule (nor the ambulance stationed there on weekends),  but sledders do provide the bulk of the entrance gate and snack bar revenue during the winter -- so without them it would be harder to pay for keeping the road open during the winter.   I saw recently that the Hurricane Ridge road will now only be open Fri-Sun -- for budgetary reasons.

I think if you boot up/down the paved trails below Alta Vista you'll be much less likely to have any conflict with the rangers.  

It takes quite an effort to keep the Paradise meadows from degenerating into a maze of social trails and ultimately a dust bowl -- But the meadows are in much better shape now than they were in the '60's and '70s -- thanks to people making an effort to stay on the trails (and rangers and volunteers reminding them to do so)

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There's some interesting other stuff; tho, such as the following prohibition that might explain the disappearance of the Tatoosh slush cup:
"2.50(a)  Conduct a sports event, pagent, regatta, public spectator attraction, entertainment, ceremony, or similar event."

I think the Pinnacle Slush Cup was a victim of it's own popularity -- when it was just a small group of friends it was no BFD -- but a few dozen people was too much.

Back in the '60s and '70's there was a "Slush Cup" held 4th of July weekend at Mt Baker ski area -- there is a pond near where the road starts climbing towards Austin Pass. I think it got canceled when liability issues make ski areas avoid doing anything risky.

FWIW almost all the tracks are on the summer trail. A couple will wonder here and there, but for the most part they're all on the trail. Its the easiest way to avoid buried treasure

FWIW almost all the tracks are on the summer trail. A couple will wonder here and there, but for the most part they're all on the trail. Its the easiest way to avoid buried treasure

we'll see if that remains true this weekend. Most weekends after early parking-lot-level snow I've attended up there have left large portions of meadow looking like they'd been weed-wacked.