New Mt. Rainier Policy

Not to de-escalate anything but those guys (IMG) have been up there since Monday.

-Seth

I had assumed that they had been taking advantage of the policy that allows camping Monday and staying Tues & Wed and coming down Thurs assuming the park is open, but it is obvious the trailer door is open to allow equipment to be loaded (or unloaded) for a trip down on the roads closed to the public. Likewise a camera shot of people standing around in the far end of the parking lot, apparently lightly dressed, gives lie to the claim that the weather was too bad for people to be up there.

Well that pretty much shuts it down in the winters...but they gotta plow the road anyway or becomes unmanageable.
Just don't see the point???

Is this due to the sequester?
I find it ironic that before the sequester there was dooms day painted. After the sequester the stock market booms.

To be clear, I have absolutely no problem with the concessionaires ~ without them there would be no obvious expose' of Park shenanigans.

Sequester?  Excuse, not cause - King could settle the matter in a minute with a public airing of his budget.  It should be clear to all by now that vogtski has been right all along..

I'd expect letters are being drafted at Tahoma Woods HQ this morning instructing the guides to park off-camera in the future.   

I wonder how often the road is plowed just to let these expensive winter mountaineering seminars reach/leave Paradise, when the park has no intention of opening to the public that day?

Well that pretty much shuts it down in the winters...but they gotta plow the road anyway or becomes unmanageable.
Just don't see the point???

I'm quite certain park management sees the Paradise closures as a safety issue.  They can't just come out and say they think we're too stupid to be allowed up in winter conditions, hence the weaselly excuses.  Paradise used to have almost triple the winter visitation it does today.  Literally millions of cars have driven that road over decades of winters and NOT been avalanched or wrecked.  Lowest common denominator management can't deal with a few fools, so the 99% are locked out increasingly often.

It's too bad the next round of budget cuts won't be applied at the top of this dishonest and dysfunctional outfit, but will fall heaviest on those who actually range. 

I'd expect letters are being drafted at Tahoma Woods HQ this morning instructing the guides to park off-camera in the future.      ...

or the cameras will be repositioned to provide "a much better scenic and virtual experience"   

I'm far, far past disgusted and exasperated.

There, as far as I can see, is zero accountability in the NPS right now. Crooks get promoted, rangers run private firework parties with no disclosed consequences, the parks are closed to the public yet open as profit centers for private enterprise, public 'input' meetings are located and timed so there is little chance for public input.

I've gotten to the point where I'm not convinced that a 5% budget cut is enough: The scheduled winter 'closure' (presuming you aren't a guide service) at MORA amounts to 7.1% of the entire year (2 days out of 7 for three month: 2/7/4). If they aren't working for the public interest and aren't firing miscreants, let them twist in the wind.