Just open the damn Cirque already!

[TheQuietStorm]

In wednesday's Winter Park Manifest: I believe this was written by Jesse Howe.

Just open the damn Cirque already!


Close to 5 feet of new snow has fallen in the past weeks. We have finally reached a point in the ‘06-’07 ski season where rocks virtually cease to exist in our skiing exploits. For some, there unfortunately still lies a place on the trail map that remains impenetrable.


In 1998, Warren Miller again proved he is no slouch in sniffing out the goods of the modern ski world, featuring the recently opened Vasquez Cirque at Winter Park Resort in his feature film, “Freeriders.” While watching this cinematic ski-porn masterpiece, I could not help but be intrigued by this brave new world which required cornice drops to access double-diamond terrain. The auditorium in which I sat at San Diego State University remains a world away from the extreme terrain of the Northern Colorado Rockies, yet some might argue the fabled Cirque is no more open during the winter of ‘06-’07 than one full decade prior.


Winter Park Resort originally came to be as one of many recreational parks owned by the city of Denver. The cautious present-day approach undertaken by ski patrol can possibly be traced back to a mind-set whereupon new equipment on the jungle gym must be pre-approved by city councilmen so that no child could possibly get hurt while playing. Since the acquisition of the ski area by Intrawest, many changes have occurred within the area boundaries — improved terrain parks, new lifts, and some might say, a new attitude. Of all the departments, ski patrol has been the least affected. As one WP employee who wished to remain nameless stated, “They are the one untouchable department, if they say something is unsafe, how do you refute that?”


Each morning at 7 a.m., the Winter Park Ski Patrol Cirque Control Team hop on snowmobiles and ascend to more than 12,000 feet, braving a high-alpine environment with tempestuous and sudden climate changes. Several methods of avalanche control are used, one of which is explosive charges. The most common, according to Director of Snow Safety and Head Cirque Team member Mike Schneider, are 2-pound charges that simulate the weight of two skiers.


The logic herein suggests that if an avalanche happens after this charge is detonated, instability existed that would have been triggered by skier traffic. Schneider emphasized the need for balance at WPR, and plainly declared, “When we open that gate, it’s my responsibility that everyone is safe. Whether it be the mom and pop from Kansas, or the expert skier from France. They don’t have to have any avalanche knowledge nor skills to play in that terrain.”


Locals might agree that we are stuck in a ski version of “Groundhog Day.” Instead of reliving the same day, we are all doomed to watch early snowfall in the Cirque go unskied by the public (but not by ski patrol), and subsequently bombed to the ground each January by the Cirque team. It’s a well-known fact that the best avalanche deterrent is skier compaction, not bombs, so why not employ a system similar to the one used by Ski Patrol at Highlands Bowl at Aspen Highlands Ski Area? This system employs the use of locals to step avalanche-prone terrain early in the season, thereby compacting the snow layers, and minimizing avalanche danger.


With any controversial issue, there lies two sides. Another WP employee who wished to remain anonymous, believes that “Schneider has them all brainwashed that they are going to die back there if they don’t throw bombs.


They’ll go back and say, ‘We didn’t get it to slide, tomorrow we’re going to go back with 15 pounds of ANFO (ammonium nitrate/fuel oil, the most widely used explosive in North America) and go for the deep instability.’ Meanwhile, everyone else is saying, ‘you’re bombing a mogul field!’”


In an area that did not open until Feb. 14 of this year and will close April 1 (at the latest), one wonders if the time and resources dedicated to this area merits its worth if it’s only to be open six weeks of the five month season. When asked his professional opinion of Vasquez Cirque, the employee stated matter-of-factly, “I pride myself on how little I ski back there, it’s garbage.”


This conservative approach extends past the Cirque, to another area rarely opened. Belle Fourche is a ski trail on the backside of Parsenn Bowl. Sitting at approximately 25 degrees, this perfectly gladed terrain is closed more often than not. Belle Fourche does not represent avalanche-prone terrain, so why is it not open more often?


Schneider is of the opinion that “we have to protect them (clientele) from themselves.” Sitting at the base of a large rock band, a possible rescue scenario in Belle Fourche would be a logistical nightmare. The unfortunate reality of the situation is that we live in a litigation-happy society, and to protect the corporation from lawsuits one must divert every skier from any possible scenario that represents danger.


This also includes the chute to skier’s right of Hole in The Wall, known for obvious reasons as “Better Not,” and the cliff band between Cannonball and Runaway. Both of these areas have permanent closures, and to ski this area one risks loss of pass, $1,000 fine, and possible jail time. Anyone who has skied in locales such as Jackson Hole or Squaw Valley, knows the only signs present read, “DANGER — CLIFF.” Why is it that the signs at WPR read, “CLOSED — CLIFF?”


Another anomaly on the trail map is the trail located farthest skier’s left in Vasquez Cirque, Jelly Roll. In the 10 years since the Cirque has been open, this run has never been legally skied by the public. As Mary Jane lift supervisor Batch McGehee stated, “Anyone who looks at our claimed acreage that actually skis here, knows that it’s an outright lie.”


Why would WPR continue to put a trail on the map that hasn’t been skied in a decade? It simply doesn’t make sense.


This is an obviously controversial issue with as many viewpoints as there are lines down the backside, yet I must agree with the aforementioned anonymous employee when asked to declare his opinion, “Just get the damn thing open!”

[TyeStick]

Sounds like they are so backwards, and mixed up they cant tell their heads, from their ass. I guess I am just used to the bro attitude of patrollers at Stevens and Baker, never had to deal with any of this B.S.

[dang]

It's too bad there isn't any backcountry skiing in all of Colorado. Instead of spending all the time to write that, he could have just gone and skied something else.
Oh well.

[Cruiser]

I've only skied the cirque a couple of times, and I really wasn't that impressed. It's got some steep shots, probably as steep as anything else inbounds in this state. The runs are fairly short though, and the runout into the Vasquez complex takes 3/4 of forever. Just not my cup of tea I guess.