First Tracks – Fresh Tracks!

G’day

Thanks for the note, digging in many very good past memories.

One of the many stories I can recall from patrolling was;

Probably late 60’s or so, the mountain had a deep snow base & we got about 16″ of fresh Utah category powder.  As we’d been told on a regular basis – ski cut the runs & then let the customers take 1st tracks. 

Don’t believe it was 3-1 Carlson but probably John Garner who must have been a good mood & tired of the instructors getting all the ‘fresh’ when we had worked on avalanche control from 1st light & cutting to get the runs open.  He gave about 40 of us the go ahead to ‘really’ cut the face of #3. 

  We got on the chair ahead of the instructors staff & they followed us closely.  When the lift had let the 40 of us off, the top #3 liftie seemed to have some kinda problem with the controls or electrical & had to shut the #3 chair to ’86’ (down).  The 40 of us spread across the top of the run, all started down at one time with hoops & yells while receiving MANY cat calls from the instructors on the line.

What a glorious run & feeling!  The chair’s 86 problem was solved quickly  but many well laid tracks greeted the next group.

                                                                                            Rich Jonsson 1964 – 1998 {volley}