S k i
a n d
B a c k c o u n t r y
O p e r a t i o n s
Expanding
intoAvalanche
Terrain:
ACase
Study
-
Brozovich,E.Guerra,J.Kanetsky,B.MacDougald,J.Rueppel
Breckenridge Ski Resort Snow Safety Team, Breckenridge, Colorado 80424
Tel: (970) 453-5000, Fax: (970) 453-3213, e-mail: kevin@ski-ralston.com
The Breckenridge Ski Resort Snow Safety Team has expe-
rienced the current trend in ski area expansion into more
extreme terrain andreviews this expansionin a case study.
The presentation will include an overall lookat Summit
County,Colorado where Breckonridge is located. Wewill
examineitsweatherpatter ns,geogr aphyandthe
Breckenridge Ski Area as it has grown from a small inter-
mediatearea ofsixhundred acrestotwothousandand
twenty three acreswith more than sixty percent of its ava-
lancheterrain. This growth hasledto expansionintoknown
avalanche terrain without the benefit of lift service.
Wewill look at how expansion has affected overall ski
operations.External factors,such asforestserviceenvi-
ronmentalgroups and thelocaltownspeople were dealt
with through the Environmental Assessment process.
Many of our fellow patrollers were concerned with the
extra work load and leaving familiarterrain forareas that
just a few years before had proven to be deadly (five deaths
in the expansion terrain). Our patrol structure and operat-
ingprocedureshavechangedtoaccommodategrowth.
Programs were designed and implemented to accomplish
training andskill development requiredto safely open this
terrain.
The snow safety team has had to develop a familiarity
withournew terrain,utilizingminimalweatherorava-
lanche records to develop route procedures and opening/
closing protocol.Patrollers need to hike 800 vertical feet
toanelevation of13,000feettoaccess thisnew terrain.
Theteamadjust torapidlychanging weatherandsnow
conditions.Management of ournew terrain must be bal-
anced along with ourresponsibilities of first aid and trail
maintenance.
This multimedia presentation was given by a member
ofoursnowsafetyteam emphasisingproblemswehave
encountered expandingon a large scale into non-lift serv-
ices avalancheterrain in a short period of time.
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