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Lets make Rainier more climber friendly.


kakeandjelly

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Michael, you're a softy. Forgive the million-dollar fine if you want, but at least stick'im with the latrine duty.

 

But you didn't answer "Forrest_M's comment about the gate not always being closed if it doesn't snow?" I can certainly understand the crew's need for time to clear roads and the parking lot if it snows. (and BTW, they do a great job.) But if it didn't, why not open the gate earlier?

 

Also, did I hear correctly that you've been promoted? Hope so; you deserve it.

 

Dan L.

To be clear, we are discussing two completely different issues, climber registration and road opening policies. I do not oversee the road patrol or road crew operations, I am merely trying to help, but I want to be clear, that's not my job, authority, or responsibility.

 

Usually, the road DOES open earlier when there is no snow. Patrol rangers come to duty and opening the road is generally their priority (some days 7 AM, sometimes 9 AM depending on days of the week and shifts). The road crew starts plowing quite early, but they wont open the road until a patrol ranger is on. Again, this is for a variety of safety related reasons, and I believe they are needed.

 

There aren't enough rangers to consistently "double shift." What I mean is the bulk of the traffic actually comes in later and stays later. Rangers need to cover the closing of the road and the ending of a shift; and of course there is more to work than just opening and closing the gate...LOTS MORE!

 

It's a tough answer, but there just aren't enough resources to open things up as much as we'd all like. Please consider that these issues are more complicated than they first appear. I've found that for every good idea, there is a good chance someone has an argument to do things differently. Jockeying for funds is always competitive, and there are a LOT of very important projects the NPS is engaged in.

 

I always recommend that you tack an extra day (or 2) to your winter trips.

 

As for a promotion Dan, nope... I was on a work detail. thumbs_up.gif

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How about better editing of the "Current Climbing Conditions" page on the MORA website? I don't mean updating it more often... just removing the stuff that doesn't apply anymore. -kurt

 

Point taken! Thanks, I'll look into this. cool.gif

 

Thanks Mike! The update and removal of old stuff didn't go unnoticed.

 

-kurt

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How about better editing of the "Current Climbing Conditions" page on the MORA website? I don't mean updating it more often... just removing the stuff that doesn't apply anymore. -kurt

 

Point taken! Thanks, I'll look into this. cool.gif

 

Thanks Mike! The update and removal of old stuff didn't go unnoticed.

 

-kurt

 

I'll second that!!!

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I'll add material to the condition report when more information comes in. The weather looks "reasonable" this weekend!! I suspect that a handful of climbers will be on the hill. Hopefully folks will post reports, or I'll connect with people in person.

 

A reminder, check and monitor the avalanche conditions. This winter has been a cycle of storms and clear periods. Additionally, there has been quite a bit of new snow over the past week.

 

That said, the skiing/boarding around Paradise has been absolutely excellent. I've also been wondering about the ice climbing; I'll check on the typical locations this weekend. I have a feeling that they're in... grin.gif

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The problem is simple. The plow drivers can't get out of bed early enough to plow the roads. I know one of the plow drivers. He would rather drink beer all night and forget about what time the gate opens. Those guys could care less. They don't ski or climb. Hell, they can barely get out of bed in the morning. Until you get a motivated plow driver, who wants to please the public , forget any early openings.

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Usually, the road DOES open earlier when there is no snow. Patrol rangers come to duty and opening the road is generally their priority (some days 7 AM, sometimes 9 AM depending on days of the week and shifts). The road crew starts plowing quite early, but they wont open the road until a patrol ranger is on. Again, this is for a variety of safety related reasons, and I believe they are needed.

 

Hey Mike

I know you're not responsible for all the evils in the world, but, since you're more or less backing up the NPS here...please ponder the following:

When:

The sky is completely clear, and

It hasn't snowed in days, and

It hasn't blown enough to drift the road in at night, and

The Paradise road is in fact BARE below Nisqually bridge, and the Longmire gate doesn't open until after 10 AM, and one of the concession people at Longmire tells me (during my 2 hour wait) that that's an obnoxious, frequent state of affairs....I read your repeated defense of current policies and practices in this thread and I have to call bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

 

Nothing personal, you understand....

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Hey Mike

When:

The sky is completely clear, and

It hasn't snowed in days, and

It hasn't blown enough to drift the road in at night, and

The Paradise road is in fact BARE below Nisqually bridge, and the Longmire gate doesn't open until after 10 AM, and one of the concession people at Longmire tells me (during my 2 hour wait) that that's an obnoxious, frequent state of affairs....

Nothing personal, you understand....

 

I did some research regarding road openings this past weekend when the weather was exactly as you describe; this is what I found.

 

On Friday Feb 18th, the road opened at 6:51 AM

On Saturday Feb 19th, the road opened at 7:15 AM

On Sunday Feb 20th, the road opened at 6:37 AM

There was no entry for Monday the 21st, however the person I spoke with said that the road opened at roughly the same time.

The road opened at 6:50 AM today.

 

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