from bcr
http://trib.com/news/state-and-regio...tml?mode=story
LANDER — Fremont County backcountry skiers have one spot in the winter they can always reach and ski in a day: Two Oceans Peak on Togwotee Pass.
Darran Wells makes the couple-hour drive several times a month to ski on his own. He also takes a Central Wyoming College outdoors education class to the area for lessons in backcountry skiing.
Situated near the road, it’s easy to ski to the base of the peak. And even when the snow isn’t very good elsewhere, it’s usually still good on Two Oceans Peak, Wells said.
The site is among the most popular for Fremont County skiers and, depending on the time of year, it brings skiers from Jackson and Teton County.
The area is also popular with snowmobilers. Wells and other skiers think the two forms of recreation don’t mix.
As U.S. Forest Service and Shoshone National Forest officials work to revise the forest’s management plan, some skiers are calling for a snowmobile ban near Two Oceans Peak.
“The two [sports] just generally speaking are not compatible for a place like that,” said Forrest McCarthy, public lands director for the Winter Wildlands Alliance.
The Forest Service is still in the early stages of its draft plan. It is currently soliciting comments.
Loren Poppert, recreation staff officer for the forest, said it’s too soon to say if any of the draft alternatives will include a snowmobile ban. He noted that public comment will be used to draft the plans.
Poppert said the Forest Service has been talking with people about the backcountry skiing-snowmobile issue for more than a year. It recently came up at one of the Forest Service’s public meetings.
Wells said he spoke with Forest Service officials about the snowmobile ban proposal and submitted a letter of request.
Wells serves as president of the Togwotee Pass Backcountry Alliance, a group of about 45 nonmotorized winter recreation enthusiasts.
The Two Oceans Peak area is just off the Continental Divide Trail, which is a huge draw for snowmobilers, Wells said. Skiers ski uphill in the trees but cross gullies to reach the top of the peak. Snowmobilers are sometimes above. Because the machines are so loud, snowmobilers often don’t realize skiers are below, Wells said. If they cut a slab of snow loose, causing an avalanche, it could bury skiers below.
Wells said the northwest face of Two Oceans Peak is high-probability avalanche terrain and slides on a regular basis, which he said he has seen firsthand, although, fortunately, no one was skiing in the area at the time. He noted that the issue isn’t having snowmobiles around the base of the peak, but up in the gullies.
It is an issue the Winter Wildlands Alliance has been trying to address for some time, according to McCarthy.
McCarthy said he was pleased with parts of the proposed forest management plan, which includes additional nonmotorized backcountry recreation areas — just none on Togwotee Pass.
Complicating the matter is the fact that the majority of the pass is on the Bridger Teton National Forest, but most of the Two Oceans Peak area is on the Shoshone.
“That is where some of the best skiing is [on the pass] and some of the best quality skiing for people from Fremont County,” McCarthy said.
Backcountry skiing in the area continues to grow in popularity, while snowmobiles continue to get more powerful. Snowmobile ruts can also be dangerous for skiers, he said.
McCarthy acknowledged skiers can access wilderness areas closed to snowmobiles. But those areas are so remote, it isn’t possible to ski them in a single day.
McCarthy said all he wants is about a square-mile closed to snowmobiles.
Snowmobilers aren’t receptive to banning any amount of terrain from their machines, said Michelle Buzalsky, president of the Riverton Sno-Goers.
“We want to keep everything open,” she said.
Buzalsky said she has ridden the Two Oceans Peak a few times and knows people who say it is their favorite location for snowmobiling.
She added that snowmobilers pay for trail grooming in the area but are happy to share.
“We feel their side is being very restrictive,” Buzalsky said. “They want to keep it to their little lonesome.”
Area clubs and local riders make it a point to educate others on etiquette and respecting other area users, Buzalsky said.
Most snowmobilers don’t ride the same lines skiers descend, Buzalsky said. Snowmobilers also are encouraged to take backcountry avalanche courses, which include reminders about being aware of other users who might be below or in the area.
Buzalsky said if there is a safety issue, it’s small enough that it could be resolved by both sides talking
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45 skiers are going to tell thousands of snowmobilers where they can and cant ride....
I DONT THINK SO TIM!
what a bunch of crap. if they make this a no sledding zone, it should also ban the use of sleds and copters to rescue the skiers and boarders when they get hurt, or lost.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. ski
ffice
