Introducing Cascade Backcountry Alliance

Hi All,

Some further updates on project priorities and feedback we have received:

One of the areas folks have been most responsive about is Mt. Baker and the 542 corridor. A recurring issue that folks have mentioned is the contentious relationship between the BC community and the resort. While we are familiar with the problems that have occurred in the past (e.g. accosting BC users trying to park at the area), we are also sympathetic to the concerns of the resort. If anyone has further productive input on this, or some means of extending the olive branch and starting a productive dialogue, we would love to hear it.

Another park of relieving some of the pressure on the Bagley Lakes/Table area would be to improve access to backcountry areas along the highway, either by plowing parking for sled access or plowing the roads far enough for reasonable skinning. To that end, we've identified two key roads that the motorized community and hopefully you all are interested in: Twin Lakes/Winchester mountain road and Skyline divide road. These are obviously great options in the shoulder seasons when access is feasible, and would be great alternate options during winter. We are hoping to hear back from the Forest Service soon, and will update you all when that happens.

Thank you for all the input thus far.

hey conrad,
do you have any plans to help regulate the Lot4 dog park trail @Alpental.
parking, uphill traffic and dog poop are a real problem for avid downhill users of this recreation area.
asking for a friend.
Thanks in advance and good luck with parking
on a new snow day any weekend this winter.

may we be blessed by UllR
bobby

hey conrad,
do you have any plans to help regulate the Lot4 dog park trail @Alpental.
parking, uphill traffic and dog poop are a real problem for avid downhill users of this recreation area.
asking for a friend.
Thanks in advance and good luck with parking
on a new snow day any weekend this winter.

may we be blessed by UllR
bobby

Hi Bobby,

Glad you asked (for a friend)-just had some great conversations with folks about this.

Ah, yes, lot 4. You only dig a snow cave there once. While the dog poop and general rodeo are unpleasant, I think the central concern here is the downhill/uphill travel conflict. The resort obviously has a permit area and paying guests that suffer from clueless uphill travelers, and one collision is probably enough to threaten access for all. The resort has been exceedingly generous in its handling of the traffic lot 4 receives from non-paying customers.

Currently, we are at the stage of reaching out to the resort to see what their perception of the issues are, and areas we think we can collaborate on. Some solutions we hope to bring to the table are discussed on the snoqualmie pass projects page on our website. To elaborate further: managing the movement of people in highly traffic areas basically requires infrastructure and education. Parking has been discussed above, and some other elements we would be reliant on the resort for: creation of a dog-walking area, grooming an exit trail, etc. However, we as an uphill travel community also need to take responsibility for our actions, as well as be respectful of ski area operations. To that end, we are hopeful about signage and designating different travel areas, whether that be a marked snowshoe area, a set skintrack, an informational kiosk in the lot, or other outreach and education efforts.

As far as the dog poop: is there a doggie-bag dispenser at the trailhead? or anything about dog waste? My memory is failing me here.

Thank you for taking concrete steps on advocacy. It's a comparatively thankless job -- thank you.

I'm not certain that we need representatives to speak for us, but we absolutely need catalysts to get everyone to speak and advocate in a timely fashion as backcountry usage grows.

Looking around the CBA website, I don't see anything relating to the leadership, structure, bylaws, and financial statements. Transparency may be of critical importance when inspiring solitude-seeking skiers to coalesce as a group.

In particular, before donating to any such group, I absolutely need to know what that money might do, how decisions are made, and who is making those decisions. Such documentation needn't be complex, just clear and accurate.

Thank you again!

It would be great if the CBA would also include backcountry snowshoeing. They face the exact same issues with access and parking, so interests should be pretty well aligned. The typical dont-destroy-my-skin-track problem is often more front country problem with novices and hopefully those minor issues with each others mode of transportation can be overcome in the alliance. The good thing is that the 'mission' page of CBA is neutral on the mode of travel, but in the announcement here you wrote "Western Washington is finally getting its own backcountry ski and snowboard advocacy group", so I'm concerned it will mostly be for skiiers. Might be nice to also ask for feedback in places like NWHikers where many avid snowshoers hang out.

some of us would rather you walk on skin track rather than hambergering precious snow fields ...


It would be great if the CBA would also include backcountry snowshoeing. They face the exact same issues with access and parking, so interests should be pretty well aligned. The typical dont-destroy-my-skin-track problem is often more front country problem with novices and hopefully those minor issues with each others mode of transportation can be overcome in the alliance. The good thing is that the 'mission' page of CBA is neutral on the mode of travel, but in the announcement here you wrote "Western Washington is finally getting its own backcountry ski and snowboard advocacy group", so I'm concerned it will mostly be for skiiers. Might be nice to also ask for feedback in places like NWHikers where many avid snowshoers hang out.