Greetings Loyal Readers!
This is guest blog writer Stefan, checking in. Mike asked me to
write up a little story for the blog to inform everyone about
the snow safety and avalanche control work that happens at
Pebble Creek during the winter. Also, we thought we’d inform you
about what goes on in the summer time for me and my avalanche
rescue dog, Reggie.
First, let’s talk about avalanche control. When a winter storm is
forecasted for our area, my paid patrollers and I make a plan to
come in to work early (6:00am) to mitigate any potential
avalanche hazard inside the ski area boundary. The day starts
out by getting an up to date weather forecast, checking in with
the groomers who worked the night before, and assembling our
explosive charges. Two of the biggest factors in avalanche
control work are how much snow fell and from which direction the
wind blew. Pebble Creek has several areas that historically load
up with new wind blown snow, creating a layer on top of the old
snow that could fracture and cause an avalanche. These are
primarily The Rock and the cliff bands above the Over Run
Traverse and Upper Stacy’s.
The explosives we use at the ski area are two pound pentolite
charges, along with a blasting cap and safety fuse. On a big
snow year (2005/2006), over 300 lbs. of explosive charges might
be used in a season in snow safety work. Last season
(2006/2007), a light snow year comparatively, we only used about
half that amount.
Once the charges are assembled, the snow safety team of two to
three patrollers loads the Skyline and then ascends the hiking
trail above the Skyline patrol shack. Along the hiking trail,
there are access points to the cliff bands where we either throw
our charges or use our bomb trams to hang the charge above the
snow, while we stay safely out of harms way. After the charges
go off, we assess what snow has slid and determine the
dimensions of the avalanche area (depth, width, length). The
snow safety team also gets to ski check the areas that didn’t
slide, which I suppose is one of the perks to our job. Our goal
is to be down and clear of the blasting zone by 830am, so we can
then meet the volunteer patrollers so the regular morning sweep
can happen and the mountain can open on time.
Along with avalanche transceiver practice, digging pits in the snow
to assess different layers of instability in the snow pack, and
area familiarization, we also train with Reggie, my nine year
old black lab, who is our avalanche rescue dog. There are many
different drills to keep Reggie’s search skills honed, from the
very basic runaway drill (someone runs out of sight and hides),
to burying scented articles of clothing in the snow (simulates a
buried person), to actually burying one or more people in a snow
cave and sending in Reggie to locate and dig them out. However,
as most patrollers will tell you, Reggie really enjoys “charging
his batteries” and sharing the couch at the top shack with
whoever is on top duty.
So, that is a quick snapshot on how we take care of potential
avalanche hazard inside the ski area boundary.
But, as most of you may know, Pebble Creek has incredible
backcountry terrain that is easily accessible from the ski area.
Once you cross the boundary ropes, it is a different world and
all backcountry travelers should be prepared for a possible
backcountry avalanche. So, everyone should have a transceiver,
shovel and probe and should know how to use them. Also,
backcountry users should take an avalanche course to familiarize
themselves with snowpack, potential hazards and rescue
techniques. There are many such courses available. A good
resource to get started with is www.avalanche.org . If a
backcountry avalanche happens, an organized search and rescue
team could be more than an hour away. So, it’s up to each
individual backcountry user to know how to use their equipment
and perform the rescue of a buried partner quickly.
Finally, I wanted to share with you some pictures of Reggie. Most
of you know what Reggie does in the winter, but here are some
shots of how Reggie spends his summer up here at Pebble Creek,
while the rest of us are performing maintenance on the lifts and
on the ski area. I hope you enjoy them and we look forward to
seeing you on the slopes again next winter. Have a safe summer! |
So Just What
does an Avalanche Dog do in the Off Season?
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Reggie, the avalanche dog, waiting for a ride.
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Sometimes you hear about safety around blasting caps.
Well, these are blasting caps - enough there to shred your hand.
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The 2 pound high explosive boosters Stefan talks about above.
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That sad looks always gets 'em - I got my ride!
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Resting in Mike's Office
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Resting in the ATV
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Resting under the
pickup, in the shade.
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Resting in the pickup.
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A little afternoon snack.
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Reggie, that's a rough life you've
got. |
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