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« Previous Story | The Industry Report Home Page | Next Story » Rescues In The Backcountry: A Fine Line On Who Gets The BillBy Roger Leo 
That "adventurous lure" is a big reason why people ski. But, the flip side has become a growing concern for resort and rescue officials. Skiers and snowboarders love the freedom of skiing on steep or gladed backcountry terrain, but rescue operations to get them out of trouble can be time-consuming and expensive. Resorts and agencies are responding to the tug between adventure and costs in various ways and several key players spoke openly with The Industry Report for our exclusive investigation. Whistler Blackcomb, BC, has started to pull the passes of people who ski on closed terrain. Jay Peak, Vt., charges people who have recklessly set rescues in motion. The State of New Hampshire bills people for costs of rescues when the state finds negligence in the actions of those rescued. All are urging backcountry users to be careful, to become educated, and to enjoy themselves - safely. "There's a proper balance between inspiring your skiers and giving them the proper freedom that rewards their human spirit and that's at the core of our sport," Bill Stenger, president and General Manager of Jay Peak told us. "I don't ever want to deny our skiers that reward. "Within our boundaries we have a tremendous amount of tree and glade skiing. We give people freedom and flexibility to ski anywhere within the boundary of the mountain. I think we're the only ski area in the country that embraces that form of skiing. Because it's such a liberal policy, people who might go backcountry say they don't have to go backcountry. They can stay on campus and don't have to sweat hiking," Stenger said. "Even so, there's still an awful lot of hikeable terrain in West Bowl and Big Jay. On any given weekend there's probably 100 backcountry skiers," he said. "Knock on wood we have had few rescue situations, none this year, and very few last year. One of the things we do is give our skiers a tremendous amount of freedom. We don't discourage them from skiing off-piste, but we do insist they do it responsibly and within the realm of what we know are the right protocols," he said. Stenger said skiers must have the ability to ski the backcountry safely, and must go in groups of no less than three people, with proper equipment and communication equipment, and not set out after noon or 1 p.m. "We have a lot of people who ski the backcountry, and a growing number who do it in the way we ask. When there is an issue of getting disoriented, they have radios, cell phones. They generally communicate with one another and generally get out with no trouble. We haven't had a rescue in some time, but we're skilled at it, and know generally where they wind up going," he said. "When you have to go back at night and get somebody, or try to find them, our costs run at least $1,000 an hour, manpower and machine time. We generally have to put two or three groomers out to transport and mobilize rescue efforts. It involves 15 to 20 staff. We have to mobilize food service, and provide accommodations. "If it gets to the point where we think the person is clearly off the property, we have to bring state police in, and then the money gets really up there. That involves mobilization of an entire division of state police and they have SUVs, big motor homes as command centers, sometimes they will mobilize their heat-seeking helicopters, and that can get into tens of thousands of dollars in no time," Stenger said. Stenger said Jay Peak sometimes bills skiers for the cost of rescue operations. "If we feel a skier has been careless and really been negligent, we'll be aggressive. Some of our lost skiers just make a wrong turn in perhaps zero visibility and get disoriented and get lost. If we surmise that is the case, we're gentle," he said. Jay has mounted six rescues over the past three years, he said, and in three cases felt people had been irresponsible and billed the parties involved. Jay Peak, while challenging, does not have the same danger of avalanches as western resorts such as Whistler Blackcomb. Brian Leighton, safety manager at Whistler Blackcomb, explained, "This is a big area. There's a lot of alpine terrain, so a lot of avalanche terrain. Most winters, avalanche hazard conditions don't linger. We have weather that encourages snow pack to bond well and, after several days, it's relatively safe even on steep slopes. This winter is different. There's deep instability that's not going away in a hurry, so every time we get a new load of snow, we're likely to see avalanches. "We're having a hard time getting that message to guests who are expecting that terrain to be relatively safe, and it's not this year. We have to operate differently this year, open bits and pieces of that terrain," Leighton said. "We're using a lot of avalanche closures where people aren't used to seeing them, having to guard them, tell people that if they go through we will remove their passes for the season, and we have done so," he said. "In general, those who go beyond the boundary are encouraged to use their heads, have the right equipment, go with a person who's a responsible leader, and have a good time. Very few people who go out there prepared need to be rescued," he said. "It's people who don't have a clue, don't heed the warnings we have at the boundaries and don't have the right equipment, who go out on a whim and find themselves in serious backcountry in a very short time. If only we could get people to think about what they're doing. Common sense would help," Leighton told the IR. When people do get into trouble in the Whistler backcountry, it often falls to Brad Sills, manager of Whistler Search and Rescue, and the 30 members of the search and rescue team, to go find them. "We encourage people to go to the backcountry and enjoy it, realizing that in order to do so safely they have to acquire a skill set and some equipment," Sills said. "The skill set for the area that we're talking about - the Whistler backcountry - you need to take at least a recreational avalanche course, need to carry with you at all times an avalanche transceiver, a beacon, a probe, a shovel, and then the typical backcountry equipment you need summer and winter with more clothing winter, a flashlight, space blanket, extra food, water, whistle, map, and compass," he said. Whistler SAR does between 30 and 40 calls a winter, Sills said, including out-of-bound skiers lost or overdue, avalanche calls, snowmobile lost or snowmobile injuries, and mountaineering incidents. When Whistler SAR gets a call for help from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, they launch a team that can be anywhere from five rescuers to the full complement of 30 volunteers. Costs for a winter rescue range from $4,500 to $10,000, with some of that going to helicopter time at $2,200 an hour. "Nobody wants to advocate the backcountry should be closed, but it really is incumbent on people to know what they're doing to enjoy it safely because the risks are considerable and can't be underestimated. One bad thing can lead to another and something as simple as a broken ski binding can lead to freezing to death," Sills said. "You really have to pay attention. The backcountry in winter can be an unforgiving place. On the other hand, overcoming the adversity of that broken ski binding can become a great adventure if you're properly equipped and knowledgeable," he said. Karl Stone of Ski New Hampshire said that very few skiers at the state's alpine resorts have been involved in backcountry mishaps, as most have involved hikers and other backcountry users on hiking trails on public lands around the state. Lt. Robert Bryant, administrative lieutenant at N.H. Fish and Game, said the agency has primary responsibility for search and rescue in New Hampshire. "Anything in the woods and waters is our responsibility," Bryant said. He said New Hampshire law allows the state to bill for rescues caused by reckless or negligent actions on the part of those who wind up in trouble, and if people don't pay, they can lose their fishing and hunting license and driver's license. The law states: "Any person determined by the department to have acted negligently in requiring a search and rescue response by the department shall be liable to the department for the reasonable cost of the department's expenses for such search and rescue response." N.H. Fish and Game reports about 140 rescues a year, with about one-third of them involving some form of reckless behavior. The agency says that in the past decade more than $1 million has been spent on rescue operations. Bryant said, "We have the White Mountains which generate a lot of hikers and climbers in any season of the year, so on any given weekend there's usually something going on up there, and often there are multiple search and rescue scenarios. Some of them are simple fractures, where we pick them up and bring them out. Then you get scenarios where people wander off trails, are ill-equipped, and need rescue. We've gotten any number of calls from people who say, 'We're freezing to death come and rescue us.' "Our hope is for people to enjoy the outdoors, but to do it safely. We have a HikeSafe program that's a joint education program with the U.S. Forest Service. Basically enjoy the outdoors but do it safely, follow the rules, and be prepared," he said. What It Means: Backcountry rescues require plenty of resources, manpower, and equipment. It appears the number of resorts and agencies waiting with bills due will continue to rise. Responsibility is a choice made by both sides of the equation, but unless skiers and snowboarders take preparation and common sense far more seriously, access to this exciting terrain could potentially be denied. « Previous Story | The Industry Report Home Page | Next Story » Comments
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Posted by: K. Wheels | January 26, 2009 07:22 PM
