Victory for Quiet Backcountry in Yellowstone!

Big news for quiet backcountry advocates this week, as the US District Court in Washington DC struck down the 2007 changes to Yellowstone National Park’s Winter Use Plan that dramatically increased the allowed number of snowmobiles allowed each day in the park. Karhu partner Winter Wildlands Alliance was a key figure in bringing about the legal challenge, and we’re very proud today of our friends at WWA and their advocacy victory for human-powered backcountry use on US public lands. Thanks for all the hard work on behalf of backcountry skiers!

Here’s the news from WWA:

Federal Court Rules Clean Air, Wildlife, Quiet Must Come First in America’s Oldest National Park

Court ruling will ensure safe, enjoyable experiences for all visitors to Yellowstone

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 15, 2008 – A federal court ruled today that the Bush Administration’s decision authorizing snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park violates the fundamental legal responsibility of the National Park Service to protect the clean air, wildlife, and natural quiet of national parks, including Yellowstone, for the benefit of all visitors. The court found that the Administration authorized snowmobile use despite scientific conclusions by the National Park Service that its decision would result in significant increases in noise and unhealthy exhaust, which disrupt the experiences of visitors, and traffic that harms Yellowstone’s wildlife, including bison.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia today invalidated the Bush decision and directed that the National Park Service’s substitute plan ensures all visitors can safely experience the park, and uphold laws that require stronger protection of Yellowstone’s air quality, wildlife, and natural sounds. In a 63-page ruling, Judge Emmett Sullivan stated:

“The Organic Act clearly states…that the fundamental purpose of the national park system is to conserve park resources and values.” Page 18

“NPS fails to explain how increasing snowmobile usage over current conditions, where adaptive management thresholds are already being exceeded, complies with the conservation mandate of the Organic Act.” Page 61-62

“...the Court finds that NPS has failed to articulate why a plan that will admittedly worsen air quality complies with the conservation mandate.” Page 60

“...the Plan clearly elevates use over conservation of park resources and values and fails to articulate why the Plan’s ‘major adverse impacts’ are ‘necessary and appropriate to fulfill the purposes of the park.’” Page 61

“According to NPS’s own data, the WUP [Winter Use Plan] will increase air pollution, exceed the use levels recommended by NPS biologists to protect wildlife, and cause major adverse impacts to the natural soundscapes in Yellowstone.” Page 62

The full ruling is available at http://www.winterwildlands.org/news/archive/Federal-Court-Ruling-on-Yellowstone-Winter-Use-Plan.pdf.

“Protecting the natural sights and sounds of Yellowstone’s magical winter season has been a keystone issue for Winter Wildlands Alliance and our members since our inception nine years ago,” said WWA Executive Director Mark Menlove. “It’s extremely gratifying to see the Federal Court validate our ongoing work to protect this winter treasure and to set a standard for safe, quiet and tranquil winter recreation in all of our national parks.”

Added Tom Murphy of Livingston, Montana, a Yellowstone guide and photographer since 1979 and author of three books about the Park, “I’m thrilled that this ruling will restore Yellowstone’s profound winter quiet. Yellowstone’s values have been diminished by snowmobiles. There’s no excuse for it when visitors are increasingly choosing modern snowcoaches that are less expensive and much less disruptive of the park and other visitors’ enjoyment.”

“This is an important victory for Yellowstone and all of America’s national parks,” said Sean Helle, attorney with Earthjustice. “Yellowstone is an embodiment of one of America’s great ideas – that our cherished lands must be conserved and protected. The Court’s opinion reaffirms this principle.”

“Beyond Yellowstone, the court’s ruling reaffirms that a cornerstone purpose of our national parks is to provide opportunities to enjoy nature and these opportunities must not be compromised, particularly when protective alternatives are readily available,” said Bob Rosenbaum, attorney with Arnold & Porter.

Because it has already studied a range of options for providing broad public access to Yellowstone during winter, the National Park Service is in a position to develop a plan promptly that enables visitors to continue enjoying the park this winter in compliance with the court’s order. To ensure visitor experiences remain safe and enjoyable, and the local economy strong, the Park Service should ensure that the number of snowmobiles accessing the park remains this year at the daily average of the past five seasons— approximately 260 snowmobiles per day. Following that, the Park Service should work with local gateway communities and businesses to begin phasing down the number of snowmobiles in the winter of 2009-2010 while promoting expanded visitor access on modern snowcoaches.

The public is increasingly demanding the opportunity to enjoy Yellowstone via snowcoach. Snowcoach use has grown 89 percent since 2002 due to increasing visitor demand for comfortable and educational park tours. Businesses have responded with significant investments in modern coaches that feature guides knowledgeable about Yellowstone's geology, wildlife and history.

The court’s ruling is consistent with research conducted by the National Park Service that indicated the need for greater protection for the park’s wildlife, natural quiet, and clean air:

-Even with an average of 263 snowmobiles per day during the past five winters, snowmobile impacts have exceeded Yellowstone’s noise thresholds;
-Biologists studying traffic-related impacts to wildlife during these years recommended capping or further reducing vehicle numbers in order to protect bison, elk and other animals often weakened by Yellowstone’s harsh winters;
-The number of snowmobiles authorized by the Administration—540 per day—would represent a doubling of current snowmobile use that has already been problematic and result in: a tripling of the area in Yellowstone where visitors would hearmotorized noise for half or more of the visiting day (63 square miles instead of 21 square miles currently); degradation of Yellowstone’s air quality with increases in snowmobile exhaust (carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, particulates, benzene and formaldehyde) of between 18 and 100 percent; and more animals being pushed from preferred habitat, impacting their health and increasing mortality.

“This ruling reaffirms the idea at the heart of our National Park System—that the duty of
Yellowstone’s managers is to preserve the Park for the sake of all visitors, and to place the highest value on protection of Yellowstone’s unique natural treasures,” said Tim Stevens, senior Yellowstone Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association.

“This ruling will ensure that visitors are not disappointed by air and noise pollution when they make the one winter trip to Yellowstone of their lives,” said Amy McNamara, National Parks Program Director for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. “We take our hats off to the tour businesses that didn’t wait for this ruling. Their increasing investments in modern snowcoaches are already making it possible for winter visitors to access and enjoy Yellowstone while protecting it.”

During the past ten years, over half a million Americans sent comments to the National Park Service concerning Yellowstone’s winter management, making it the most publicly commented-on issue in the history of the national parks. A consistent 4-to-1 majority has favored accessing the park by snowcoach instead of snowmobile.

Winter Wildlands Alliance, The Greater Yellowstone Coalition, National Parks Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and The Wilderness Society collectively represent over two million members and challenged the Bush Administration’s failure to protect Yellowstone’s resources and values. The organizations were represented by Earthjustice, a public interest environmental law firm in Bozeman, Montana, and the firm of Arnold & Porter in Washington D.C.

More Film Stoke

We’re hard at work getting the new product up on KarhuSkiCo.com and a host of new content for WhereWillYouSki.com, but in the meantime, Stephane Riendeau of Tough Guy Productions sent over his new trailer, Harmless. If that doesn’t get you thinking about winter, I don’t know what will…

The Fine Line – Avy Film

Surfing around the other day, I came across an announcement of a new avalanche education film, The Fine Line. Produced by the Rocky Mountain Sherpas with the Canadian Avalanche Foundation, it mixes a feature film with four training films, all with outstanding cinematography, compelling stories, and solid instruction. Coming off of a killer early season that took far too many lives, it The Fine Line couldn’t come at a better time.



For more info, check out the interview with Rocky Mountain Sherpas’ Malcolm Sangster here.

Getting Ready for Uphill

“Nothing gets you ready for uphill like uphill,” says my friend Pete. He’s right. The crisp air of late summer and early fall is ideal for working off all the lazy summer bbqs and beer, but it starts the mental tune-up too.

In this moment, a steep pitch of pavement – the first of many to come – inches by under the wheel of my road bike, but in my head it becomes the skintrack. The sweat beads on my forehead, and my heart rises into an accelerated but still comfortable rhythm. If I close my eyes, the one-foot-after-the-other mechanics meld the long climb up Brandon Gap into memories of snowy climbs up the Long Trail.


(Graham Gephart turns the cranks over on Brandon Gap, Rt 73, Vermont. Photo by Lulu Bael)

Getting higher up the hill, my muscles and lungs start to protest a little more. It’s a good reminder that I need to hit the uphill a little more, and that the reward isn’t that far around the corner.

-Graham Gephart

Green Pastures

It’s probably the last update from Dave Watson and his K2 Tall Mountain teammates until they’re back stateside, but here’s one more as the trip winds down.

Excerpt from the K2 Tall Mountain post:
Picture them soaking their feet in a stream and surrounded by grass and flowers. They have hiked 20-25 miles, gone over a 18,368-foot pass to the next valley, and descended a thousand meters to Khuispan near the base of Laila peak. They are enjoying the view of a 55-60 degree snow slope on the peak and a horse grazing in the camp…

…They left Ali camp at about 3am to go over the pass and descended to Khuispan, which is at an altitude of 15,472 feet, the lowest they have been in months. The trail over the pass was in good shape and they had no difficulties…

For more dispatches and info, see all the K2 Tall Mountain posts here or visit the K2 Tall Mountain site.

The Final Attempt

Summer vacation brought a little radio silence on our end last week, but we’re back with last updates from Dave Watson and his K2 Tall Mountain teammates. They’ve committed a ton of time, energy and resources into the trip, but it’s coming to a close. The summits have been tantalizingly close and frequently unreachable, but few understand better than Dave that the experience comes from the entire journey and not just the attainability of the top.

Excerpt from the K2 Tall Mountain post:
Chuck and Dave left base camp today after a final reconnaissance of the Abruzzi Ridge from Advanced Base Camp and getting another weather forecast. The weather conditions have been severe, and they decided that the potential weather window of three days with another storm coming in on the fourth day would not be safe or sufficient for one last attempt at the summit. They would need a minimum of three clear days with a couple medium days on either side to consider climbing higher.

They headed out with a plan to hike over the Gondogoro La to Hushe, which translates to hiking over a high alpine pass to the next valley and the village of Hushe. This is a different hike out than the way they went in. Hushe is the village where most of their local support team and many of the porters live, and they have been invited to visit with them in their homes…

For more dispatches and info, see all the K2 Tall Mountain posts here or visit the K2 Tall Mountain site.

Summer Dreams

Word from Vermont is that it’s been a stormy summer, with a seemingly endless stream of thunderstorms saturating the ground and overflowing the riverbanks. Among the skiers, it’s hard not to think about the rainfall amounts and daydream about that kind of accumulation in winter. Photographer Brian Mohr dropped us a line yesterday about his recent dreams:

I don't know if it's because we haven't skied in nearly two months, or if it's because the leaves are just beginning to show the earliest signs of fall color, but for some reason, we've been dreaming. Dreaming of going back to East Greenland, climbing away from our seashore camp, skiing from summit to sea, and catching fresh fish for dinner...


(Sea to ski in Greenland. All photos courtesy of Emberphoto.com)




(Fresh catch for dinner)

Combining Resources

K2 seems to be a quiet place these days, as everyone winds down from the tragic accident a few weeks ago. Once again, Dave Watson and his K2 Tall Mountain teammates are waiting for a weather window to go higher up and assess the conditions and necessary repair work. They called into KSL’s Utah Outdoors radio show again over the weekend, and the podcast is up online here: http://pandora.bonnint.net/audio/utahoutdoors.rss

Excerpt from the K2 Tall Mountain post:
The team is waiting impatiently for a weather window, again. K2 Base Camp is deserted with only this team, Sunny Mountain Chogori Expedition (George Dijmarescu and his two sherpas) and Mike Farris, one of the leaders of the Altitude Experience team, remaining. There is a snowstorm underway today, but the team is hoping to get a couple of clear days to go up to Camp 2 or 3 before the weather forecasts predict more unsettle weather. They plan to bring down some of the trash that was left on the mountain. They are looking for a minimum of three days of good weather to make a summit attempt…

…The team will need to take about 500m of rope up the mountain to fix the ropes that were taken out by the ice fall. They are still planning to take their own oxygen up the mountain to ensure they have an adequate supply, although it is rumored that oxygen tanks were left on the mountain. There was a lot of equipment left on the mountain as many teams left in a hurry after the incident. There have also been high winds for the last few days, so it’s hard to guess at what may or may not be left on the mountain and what the condition and stability of the snowpack is higher up.

For more dispatches and info, see all the K2 Tall Mountain posts here or visit the K2 Tall Mountain site.

Continuing Rescue Operations on K2

Dave Watson and his K2 Tall Mountain teammates have made their way over to the K2 base camp and spent much of the week assisting with ongoing rescue operations for climbers stranded in the accident over the weekend. We’re awaiting word on how this and conditions on the mountain will affect continued climbing, but the loss of so many climbers was certainly weighing heavily on their minds:

Excerpt from the K2 Tall Mountain post:
The Tall Mountain team is at K2 base camp helping out however they can. Chuck led the effort to prepare the landing zone for the two helicopters that have taken climbers to Islamabad hospitals. A third helicopter was planned for the injured Italian climber on the mountain, but it was cancelled due to bad weather in the helicopter departure zone…

The recent accidents on K2 echo the tragic 1986 season when 27 climbers summitted the peak, but 13 mountaineers lost their lives on the mountain. It appears that weather, objective hazards, snow conditions and human judgments all played a part, and the incident will no doubt be super-analyzed in the months and years to come. Meanwhile, everyone is doing what they can to help those in distress.

Chuck reports that he is feeling good again and seems to be over the virus he had. It slowed him down, but he still managed to help shovel gravel to prepare the helicopter landing zone and help out around base camp. He just didn’t feel well enough to go to a higher altitude. Andy and Dave have been helping out where needed at base camp and talking to lots of different people and getting multiple angles on what has happened on the mountain. They also managed to set up a shower tent and get their first shower in over a week. Chuck said that by the time he got to shower, the sun was going down, it was getting cold, the water was lukewarm and he was standing on a block of ice – but it still felt great! It’s all relative…

Overall, K2 base camp is not a cheery place right now. Many teams are trying to get porters arranged so the expeditions can leave and head for home. The weather forecast is for changing weather, so the future plans are back in Mother Nature’s hands. The team is planning to get some rest while the weather is unsettled and then move on to the mountain when the opportunity presents itself.

For more dispatches and info, see all the K2 Tall Mountain posts here or visit the K2 Tall Mountain site.

Ok and Onward to K2

Just a quick update this afternoon to let everyone know that Dave Watson and his K2 Tall Mountain teammates are okay after the accident on K2 this weekend. The first reports were unsubstantiated, and it appears that it will take a few days to sort out the toll of a serac fall that took out fixed ropes high on the mountain, stranding climbers (>info here). Our condolences go out to the teammates, friends, and families of the climbers lost on K2 over the weekend, and we’re wishing safe passage for those still on and around the mountain.

During the accident, the K2 Tall Mountain Team was still in the Broad Peak area, getting ready to move over to K2. They didn’t get the summit, but the K2 Tall Mountain Team has deemed their time on Broad Peak a success. As they sort through the situation on K2, they will assess further plans. Here’s what they had to say on the blog yesterday:

Excerpt from K2 Tall Mountain:
The team is finished with the Broad Peak ‘warm up’ climb. Overall, the team is having a good experience all around. Andy reached a new personal high altitude record, and Dave had some good skiing from an altitude of 7500 meters. The team is a bit disappointed that they didn’t get the summit, but they are comfortable that they made the right decisions to turn around when they did. They have worked out the details of what they need to do as a team of three and are a cohesive team ready for the challenge of K2…

There is more snow on K2 and there are routes on the mountain with fixed ropes. The team will assess the route options more closely once they are in base camp and can get information from other expeditions. Dave would like to climb the route that he is planning to ski so he can get a preview of the terrain and conditions. We will provide more information about the tragedy that occurred on K2 this weekend when the facts can be substantiated.

For more dispatches and info, see all the K2 Tall Mountain posts here or visit the K2 Tall Mountain site.