Heli-skiing Lawsuits

[transquebecniece]

With a good number of you involved in the heli-skiing industry, I was just curious to know if you had any thoughts or opinions about two recent lawsuit stories that appear on Verticalmag’s News page.

 

Heli-skiing vs. Wildlife

The first lawsuit, in Wyoming, pits a coalition of conservation and environmental groups and two individuals against a heli-skiing company in a bid to stop forest officials from allowing helicopter skiing tours in a wilderness study area. The groups are concerned for wildlife in the area, which would be disturbed from helicopter noise and that heli-skiing disturbs others looking for solace in the area. The heli-ski company was awarded 1,200 skier days…up from a previous permit allowing 468. The difference comes from temporary use permits awarded that bumped the number up as requested by the company with public input. The lawsuit calls for a limit of helicopter skiing in the area to 1984 levels, when about 100 helicopter skiers used the area in a year.

 

Full story here:

http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/article...0f3000334f9.txt

 

Heli-skiing and Explosives

In the second lawsuit, a Utah backcountry-ski activist group is criticizing a helicopter ski outfit for deliberately triggering a massive avalanche in an area frequented by backcountry skiers. Despite the fact no one was caught in the avalanche and the heli-ski operator insists it took all safety precautions first before dropping the explosives, the activist group is trying to overturn its approval of a five-year operating permit for the heli-ski company on the premise that lighter explosives should be used to prevent an accident waiting to happen. Though the operator has performed this work for 34 years without incident, the activist group claims few things are more dangerous than helicopters dropping explosives and wants their use re-examined.

 

Full story here:

http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_incl...?storyID=122921

 

 

Discuss.

[Ryan]

Though the operator has performed this work for 34 years without incident, the activist group claims few things are more dangerous than helicopters dropping explosives and wants their use re-examined.

 

Couldn't agree more, there are a few things more dangerous than helicopters dropping explosives.... hippie activist groups with their heads up their butts are one of them.

[Kryptonife]

Couldn't agree more, there are a few things more dangerous than helicopters dropping explosives.... hippie activist groups with their heads up their butts are one of them.

 

 

Yup!

 

Almost every major ski resort uses explosives to stop uncontroled avalanches from happening. Most of them don't get a nice safe helicopter to drop the explosives from.

[Skidz]

Just curious: Do any of the ski resorts in BC still use the old cannons to shell the cornices ?

[Ryan]

Yup, far cheaper than getting a helicopter to lend a hand. Remember a few years back riding a chair lift and watching the shells go ripping past us and exploding in the distance. No avalance was triggered, but still a hoot to watch. :up:

[Guest bag swinnger]

I worked for Blackomb mountain in the early nineties when both Blackomb and Whistler used rocket launchers for avalanche control and if I recall corectly one blew up in the launcher and killed a patroller and they might of quit using them after that.

If the weather was good enough they would heli bomb with a jet ranger then retreat, wait, then film the avalanches that they started for ski patrol education.