3-24-16 MRNP Reservation System Changed

Mount Rainier National Park's backcountry campsite reservation system has crashed.  Existing reservations are cancelled and all permits will be first-come, first served this year.  Though this TNT article doesn't specifically mention climbing, I believe this means sites such as Muir and Schurman will no longer be reserveable:
www.thenewstribune.com/outdoors/article67900817.html

Wow...just wow. I can appreciate that legacy software and technological debt are easy to accrue, but between the forest service and other national parks, surely this wheel (a reservation system) has been solved at least a dozen times by different agencies. And the lack of off-site backup boggles the mind.

I'm still entirely baffled about how a storm can cause a permanent software failure...very very confusing. This is like the pool having a leak at a hotel, results in everyone's reservation getting expunged?? I can draw some very fine line of connection but until it is explained in more detail, it sounds totally asinine. Unfortunately I suspect if it was explained in more detail, the resultant facepalm would be great enough to cause severe facial trauma, hence the scanty details. Next up, most park staff business conducted via legacy @hotmail.com email addresses and major workflow problems because geocities shut down.

LMAO! Junior meadow rover ranger computer wizzes--not even 1970! LMAO

Hey at least they'll be free this year (no charge for walk-ups). But what a crapshoot.

Sounds like a market testing method to see what the price barriers will be in the future...

... create chaos and charge lots more for certainty...