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Safety measures needed
I was sad to hear the tragic news of another avalanche death on Dutch Draw recently. It is long overdue for Park City Mountain Resort to require avalanche safety gear (beacon, prove, shovel) for every rider who enters sidecountry terrain through a gate and plans to return to the resort. After decades of evidence, why can’t we admit that the scary sign at the top of 9990 does not work?
Riders with no snow science education see many tracks on runs, see many others crossing the gate, see terrain that does not look all that treacherous, and have a subconscious sense that the close proximity to the resort somehow decreases the danger. This cocktail of psychological cues coupled with a lust for powder turns leads thousands each year to make the wrong decision. While a bit of education would fix this problem, the majority of resort riders have none.