Avalanches on Red and Granite

Except that the $300,000 is what is paid to the Forest Service and you've made no allowance for health insurance, retirement, taxes etc, which the Forest Service subtracts out of their salaries before paying them.  Then you have the issue of what you do the rest of the year to make ends meet....

I realize that there really is no way to not come across as a jerk by bringing this up, but when you're only working 6 months a year at least you CAN do something for the remainder of the year. 75k for 6 months work is still a lot better than 75k for 12 months work no matter how you look at it, regardless of how much is deducted for insurance/pension/whatever. 

Frankly, my point isn't really to harp on the level of their salaries in an absolute sense. I thought it was a surprisingly large number though, and thought others might think the same, but in my mind it's only relevant if it's considerably more competitive than other avalanche centers.  So far, I've had a much harder time finding budget information for other avalanche centers around the country, though it looks like most have faced large budget cuts at least once between 2008 and now.

Maybe it would be more insightful (or not..) to look at the total operating cost on a per week basis.
$350000/26(weeks) = ~$13500/week. So if the goal was the continue operations through the end of april, rather than ending in the middle of april, presumably it would cost an additional $27000. If lack of funding is the concern, how much additional funding would it take to continue the avalanche forecasts through the end of stormy season? Is 27k the right number, or am I missing something? If next year is dry and it stops snowing in march, does NWAC shut down early and keep the balance of it's budget, or does it continue forecasting through the middle of april anyway for fear of losing funding the following year?

While NWAC serves a valuable purpose to many during the winter, skiers, snowshoers, climbers, and ski-dooers need to be able to make reasonable choices about snow conditions as part of going into the mountains on their own.

Summits and great ski runs are not guaranteed and turning around should be part of the decision process.

Try to figure out the mountain conditions without depending on the NWAC reports...

While NWAC serves a valuable purpose to many during the winter, skiers, snowshoers, climbers, and ski-dooers need to be able to make reasonable choices about snow conditions as part of going into the mountains on their own. 

Summits and great ski runs are not guaranteed and turning around should be part of the decision process. 

Try to figure out the mountain conditions without depending on the NWAC reports...

Shit...I hate agreeing with TE.

I have a question...that 13 member group of snowshoers?...where they part of an organized group or club? Seems like a large number if only an ad hoc group of individuals.

Sam, I'm somewhat supportive of you on this and considered bringing up those observations some years ago but realized their was no win in it (discussion of salaries). Clearly, however, there is a need for continuing 'full level' reporting further into the Spring, although it's doubtful that this would have mattered in these cases - or any others where potential users are unlikely to source the info (even with smartphone readable icons right on the signs).

Very pleased to see so much effort to spread the word - NWAC, outreach, signage, one-on one, even at retailing level, including snomos etc.

Why is there generally such a large ignore-ance of safety resources? My own experience has been the close-call motivation - nothing like a near disaster or two to cause a rethink - not everybody gets that chance.

As far as personnel go, There were quite a few mountain rescue individuals up at snoqualmie on Saturday. We were dispatched to Red Mountain and 3 got there right away and another 3 arrived shortly there after. Time was taken getting to the scene because avy conditions needed to be assessed and best route to the patients found. By the time the patient was packaged and ready to be moved, much more help arrived. We did what we could to get her out in a timely and safe manner.

I don't think the idea of every back country skier receiving a message when someone is missing is a good idea because then you have a huge free for all and many people with a lot of different experience levels going in and possibly doing more harm than good.

When I was on my way in I did not notice any signage, though I was not necessarily looking. I think that signs are a great idea and besides putting them there, making sure they are clear of snow and and as easy to spot as possible.

One thing that has bothered me about that day is the fact that there were a few back country skiers that day that took it upon themselves to rip down newly hung flagging which was put up to make sure other personell coming into and out of the field did not stray from the trail. When we saw them tearing it down and stuffing it in their pockets, which was overflowing with our ribbon that they had torn down, they said that if people couldn't be in the woods without flagging then they didn't need to be there. I tend to agree with that line of thought, BUT it is not their place to be tearing it down, first of all if someone did need that flagging to find their way back then those skiers have essentially signed someones death certificate possibly AND created another mission for MR and SAR to go in and find those potentially lost individuals.. In our situation however, that ribbon was intended to make sure the teams coming in and out of the field made it just fine WITHOUT DELAY... So I ask that anyone who see's fresh flagging hung in the trees, please do not tear it down, it could mean peoples life...

The NWAC work day begins in the wee hours of the morning, like 3 or 4 a.m. And the job has a high level of responsibility, since the public is depending on their work. Combine that with the fact that they only get paychecks for six months a year, so the equivalent annual salary is meaningless. Their compensation seems well-earned to me.

Not to mention finding PhDs in meteorology who are also expert BC skiers. Rare birds. Great resource. Damn happy and lucky to have them here.

April 1 is the normal peak snowpack depth, so an extended reporting period would be nice, but then, assessing avi hazard in spring is arguably simpler than earlier in the year.