Mammoth revises avalanche/rope closure policy
Posted: Feb 16th, '24, 14:30
This is a huge problem for Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, where multiple skiers have intentionally crossed over into dangerously unstable out-of-bounds areas. After dealing with ongoing blatant disregard from resort guests, Mammoth Mountain officials are ready to throw the book at 'em, announcing strict new penalties with a dramatic video on February 15.
Dan Flynn, a member of Mammoth Mountain's Ski Patrol, is fed up by the number of times he and his team have been put in extreme danger by guests who duck rope closures into out-of-bounds areas. Now, if you break the rules at Mammoth Mountain, you're going to face some serious consequences.
"If you get caught breaking a closure, you will lose your season pass for a minimum of 30 days. That's up from 10," warns Dan Flynn. "For a second infraction, you will lose your pass for the rest of the season and will face criminal charges."
Criminal charges may sound severe, but this is a matter of life or death for the ski patrol, the skiers themselves, and anyone else in the area.
"Imagine, just for a moment, that you are a ski patroller on a mitigation route with explosives, and while you're waiting for your shot to detonate, someone ducks a closure and enters the runout zone of the avalanche path that you're attempting to release," Flynn illustrates.
"That is absolutely terrifying for that patroller... We could never forgive ourselves for killing or injuring someone who is in a closed area with no knowledge of the hazard that's above them. Please respect our closures so that we can keep you safe and continue to open as much terrain as we can."
Dan Flynn, a member of Mammoth Mountain's Ski Patrol, is fed up by the number of times he and his team have been put in extreme danger by guests who duck rope closures into out-of-bounds areas. Now, if you break the rules at Mammoth Mountain, you're going to face some serious consequences.
"If you get caught breaking a closure, you will lose your season pass for a minimum of 30 days. That's up from 10," warns Dan Flynn. "For a second infraction, you will lose your pass for the rest of the season and will face criminal charges."
Criminal charges may sound severe, but this is a matter of life or death for the ski patrol, the skiers themselves, and anyone else in the area.
"Imagine, just for a moment, that you are a ski patroller on a mitigation route with explosives, and while you're waiting for your shot to detonate, someone ducks a closure and enters the runout zone of the avalanche path that you're attempting to release," Flynn illustrates.
"That is absolutely terrifying for that patroller... We could never forgive ourselves for killing or injuring someone who is in a closed area with no knowledge of the hazard that's above them. Please respect our closures so that we can keep you safe and continue to open as much terrain as we can."