NEWS | GET AVY SAVVY, DIGITALLY

GET AVY SAVVY, DIGITALLY

Last February, Ian Forgays, a highly experienced backcountry skier from Lincoln, Vt. set off to ski Mt. Washington by himself. Two days later, his body was discovered under avalanche debris. With more and more people exploring the backcountry, avalanche safety courses have been selling out. That’s where Mountain Sense (mtnsense.com) comes in. Mark Smiley, an IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide out of Jackson Hole has developed a series of online courses to teach everything from Smartphone Navigation ($19) to The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Skiing & Ski Mountaineering ($245). The online courses should not be a substitute for the in-person learning that American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education Level I and Level II certification offer—and don’t let them give you a false sense of security. But they can help you prepare to travel in the backcountry. One of the most useful elements of Smiley’s program is his “ninja” skill level chart (below)—an objective measure of experience designed to help you choose backcountry partners accordingly.

That’s what it will cost you to park on weekends this season in the preferred lots at Mount Snow Resort. When the resort announced last spring that it was instituting a parking fee ($15 on weekdays/$30 weekends) at its premium Lot A and a $15 fee at half of the rest of its lots, it caused a minor uproar.

For Vail Resorts, paid parking may be the norm. In Vail Village you can park for free if either a) you only plan to stay for 2 hours or b) you arrive between 3 pm and 3 am. You may also buy a season parking pass which starts at $350 and goes up to $3,300 for guaranteed parking at one of the two slopeside parking garages. The other option is a shuttle bus from one of the free lots on the outskirts of town.

When Vail Resorts opted to institute paid parking at California’s Northstar-at-Tahoe resort in 2019, skiers sued the company claiming they had already bought passes and that the paid parking constituted an undisclosed fee.

In 2018, when Colorado’s Eldora Mountain announced it would charge $20 for parking, the backlash was so fierce the ski area rescinded the fee. But this year, Eldora must meet Boulder County regulations which require all single-occupancy vehicles to pay $10 to park on holidays and weekends.

Paid parking is something ski areas around the country are struggling with and Vermont is no exception. Employee parking has been gradually moved farther and farther away from the slopes. Carpooling and public transportation are encouraged as a solution to both the parking and traffic problem and as a way to reduce carbon footprints.

Still, most mountains are not on board. Magic Mountain responded to Mount Snow’s announcement with this: “Announcing New Premiere Parking in Lot A. It will be a parking experience of a lifetime for our valued guests. The price is a bit steep: it will cost you sleep. Get your ass out of bed early to grab one of these premium spots, baby. That’s all.”

We Are Melting

“The year 2050 could be the last year the ski industry will be viable in Vermont,” says the sobering Vermont Climate Assessment report released by the University of Vermont in Nov. 2021. “The Vermont ski season will be shortened by one month (under a high emissions scenario) or by two weeks (under a low emissions scenario) by 2080,” the report states. The study, the first of its kind since 2014, notes thatVermont’s average annual temperature has already risen 2 degrees Fahrneheit since 1900, with a 21% rise in precipitation— which has often driven severe flooding.While Vermont’s electric grid has the lowest carbon intensity in the country, transportation and heating remain the state’s two highest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.