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Snowmobiler falls into sink hole

girlpowder

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Wow!!!

That's terrible. I don't think I ever wanna ride around Iron Mine. It just sounds frightning!!!!

I can't even imagine the fear the man must have felt. I hope he's okay.
 
C

Colorado4fun

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I skimmed over one up on Monte earlier this season and that was enough for me. Every little dip in the snow the next time out had me seeing that hole. We did post pics of it.

I hope that he is going to be OK.

T
 

Chief

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The sink hole we were all on about last year isn't on Iron Mine Mountain, it's across the creek towards cold springs. Not far from where Rock, Kyle, Spence and the rest of the crew dropped over the cliff into Iron Mine Creek.

If it's the same one I think we need to talk to the Forest Service about marking it before the snow falls next year.. Maybe take a dozen 20 foot sections of black PVC pipe and stand them on end into the ground like a fence warning the sleds off..

I think we've already been told we can't put a grate or cover over it.
 

Dunatic

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Anyone have access to some dynamite or something similar.... Maybe some C4. I've built some pretty mean pipe bombs in my time. Let's fill her in!
 
S

snengineer

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Let's cover it up with some logs. Somebody is gonna get killed


If it is the same one Chief is talking about then we tried that already....
1002091524.jpg


I looked at it last month and it was pretty well snowed over, you would of had to really try to fall in it this year.
 

Chief

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I'm afraid with the weight of the snow and then a snowmobile that it broke away and that's how he fell in..

I don't think we can get approval to put up a grate or fence. What we can do is erect a set of warning posts with orange paint on them to mark the location for sleders and hikers.
 
J
Feb 19, 2008
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I'm afraid with the weight of the snow and then a snowmobile that it broke away and that's how he fell in..

I don't think we can get approval to put up a grate or fence. What we can do is erect a set of warning posts with orange paint on them to mark the location for sleders and hikers.


I think that might be your best bet! I know they have done this on a few sink holes in Peter Sinks in Logan Canyon and seems pretty effective.

On a side note......that hole doesn't look really big. Of all the miles and mountain terrain that are covered on a sled, what are the odds of finding that ONE hole. Talk about a bad day!
 

PJ-Hunter

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The sink hole we were all on about last year isn't on Iron Mine Mountain, it's across the creek towards cold springs. Not far from where Rock, Kyle, Spence and the rest of the crew dropped over the cliff into Iron Mine Creek.

If it's the same one I think we need to talk to the Forest Service about marking it before the snow falls next year.. Maybe take a dozen 20 foot sections of black PVC pipe and stand them on end into the ground like a fence warning the sleds off..

I think we've already been told we can't put a grate or cover over it.

Do it anyways. Just don't say you did. Would you rather have someone die? Then they will close it, just like that cave around Xmas time.

Let's cover it up with some logs. Somebody is gonna get killed

Use bigger ones. at least 6" in diameter.

If it is the same one Chief is talking about then we tried that already....
1002091524.jpg


I looked at it last month and it was pretty well snowed over, you would of had to really try to fall in it this year.

That the one you showed me?
 
B
Jan 13, 2008
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One of my Buddies on S&R said it was a different one than the one the guy went into last year. Said that the sled luckily was stuck upside down horizontially across the hole and it didnt fall in on the Guy. Also said he may have used up one of his 9 lives on that one. Thats a good thing!!!!!
 
S

SledsWest

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I'd like to know the GPS coords of this other one.
like xrated said, how many of these "holes" are out there?

WARNING: Geology Nerd Moment........

These holes have the potential to be all over the place. A large majority of the mountains we ride on in Utah are comprised of large amounts of limestone and that is the prime type of rock for these sink holes and caves (The Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3, is highly reactive/eroded with water and acids). I bet there are many more that are unknown or that the FS and spelunkers know about but they don't make public in order to avoid the tragedy we had out at Nutty Putty cave last year.
 

Chief

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Vast majority are natural.

If you're looking for old mine shafts you have to have a old topo map.. The government has removed many of the mine symbols from the new ones.

When we asked about covering the sink hole at the Kamas office of the forest service last year we were told that we could not because it would block habitat access for animals... Over the counter question and over the counter answer... Perhaps we should investigate deeper.

I still believe that a marker would be enough to keep the Sledders safe.
 

PJ-Hunter

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If the markers are bright colored and tall. On a good year for snow I imagine that the generic carsonite markers that they use are snowed over by January. I say cover it, leave a hole for the bats to fly in and out of if that is their reasoning for leaving it open.
 
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