MRNP: Bold as brass, up your ...

On that point -- given the sad events on 1/1/2012 where Margaret Anderson, a Mt Rainier Law Enforcement Ranger was killed in a gun battle with a whack job and another Mt Rainier Law Enforcement Ranger was fired upon, with multiple bullet holes in their vehicle, including one in the shoulder strap of their seat belt -- I personally can appreciate that Mt Rainier Law Enforcement Rangers would prefer not to operate with a skeleton crew.

The skeleton crew referred to the plowing crew, not the LEO staff; I have no idea and have heard nothing about whether all LEO positions are filled (there had to be 2 vacancies after MA was killed and her husband, another LEO, transferred).  I would agree with you Randy, that there might be some MA rationale behind the closures; MA would not have been killed if it had not snowed (or if the Park was not open in the winter) and the perp had not been required to stop for a chain check, then had to revert to trying to escape up a road that dead ended because Stevens Canyon was snowed in (I've seen no toxicology reports or IQ estimates on the perp, just his bare-chested arms-bearing Rambo-pose picture).

Personally, I believe the failure to fill the plow crew positions was a result of long-standing beliefs on the part of the management staff who believe the park should not be open in the winter (due to hazardous driving conditions for the unskilled drivers and hazardous weather conditions for the unprepared recreationist) and analysis of the seemingly increasing number of people becoming lost in the backcountry, and some dying; many of these seem to be snowshoers relatively unprepared for backcountry travel and navigation, but not all.

So it may be an effort to reduce recreational "incidents" for which no concession fees are paid by reducing number of days the Park is open (2 closed administratively and an additional 1 or more due to hazardous weather, avalanche danger, and equipment malfunction) leaving the Park most likely to be open Fri, Sat, Sun to keep visitation numbers relatively high and reducing the number of open days in which there is sufficient daylight for people to get themselves lost.

The alternative: simple failure of management to recruit critical positions in a timely manner.

And, yes, this folk has written his Congressman (Reichert, who is on the Parks committee, whose district includes the park, and who used to be on the Ways and Means Committee) and both Senators and has talked face-to-face, one-on-one with the Park Superintendent. Reichert's staff telephoned Supt. King immediately after my email and responded to me via email saying King was more than willing to talk with me. When I talked with RK he had forgotten that Reichert's office had contacted him about my concerns until I reminded him they had "Oh, yeah."

...result of long-standing beliefs on the part of the management staff who believe the park should not be open in the winter (due to hazardous driving conditions for the unskilled drivers ...

I think there is certainly an element of that in the way the park manages the road and (to the frustration of skiers) keeps the gate closed until the plows have returned to Longmire. While volunteering at the park, listening to the radio chatter -- even with the road fully plowed and late opennings and all -- it is amazing the number of incidents that occur on the road -- there are a lot of slide outs on those hairpin curves -- I guess people just don't believe those "10 mph" warning signs.

For reliable winter access I think it would be better if they bult a tram from the Nisqually river bridge to Paradise and groomed rather than plowed the road, that would be fun -- but it's never going to happen.

For reliable winter access I think it would be better if they bult a tram from the Nisqually river bridge to Paradise and groomed rather than plowed the road, that would be fun -- but it's never going to happen.

That would be very cool, Randy. I'll "dream" about that with you

Of course we'd need a "midpoint" station at Ricksecker Point so that recreationists skiing down the groomed road could download there allowing them and there groomers to avoid Glacier Hill in conditions of high avy danger. :

Remember these episodes when the "push" to expand the North Cascade Park is once again resumed.  Do we want more or our mountains consumed by a park service unable or unwilling to provide services we already have?  I don't think so.  Especially if such land is already well protected and preserved, but just not in the warm and fuzzy embrace of the national park disservice.

Agreed, and the same thing applies to adding Mount St. Helens to the empire.  If it ain't broke, the NPS can unfix it.   

For reliable winter access I think it would be better if they bult a tram from the Nisqually river bridge to Paradise and groomed rather than plowed the road, that would be fun -- but it's never going to happen.

One can only dream what our mountain infrastructure would be like without that idiot John Muir.
Look at the Swiss.
unofficialnetworks.com/crazy-swiss-mount...frastructure-115625/

Remember these episodes when the "push" to expand the North Cascade Park is once again resumed.  Do we want more or our mountains consumed by a park service unable or unwilling to provide services we already have?  I don't think so.  Especially if such land is already well protected and preserved, but just not in the warm and fuzzy embrace of the national park disservice.

This.