Vibes to Sun Valley! Wildfire pre-evacuation notices given.

[ill-advised strategy]

Found this old thread in a search.
Remembering a few Sun Valley days in the Castle Rock fire…
That’s my Expedition by the portatank, we were using the snowmaking infrastructure to make a dipsite for type 1 helicopters ripping hotlaps.
That’s me standing left of the yellow-padded snow gun…near the smoke but not right in it, looking for spots.


I had just got my first phone that would take and send a 15 sec video…



Sent this down to the guys on the helibase as we were holding a run out of the Seattle Ridge lodge. Literally ran around by myself catching spots all afternoon and evening right at the ski area boundary.

[Bunion 2020]

Coming to SW CO & NM.

Critical-to-extreme wildfire conditions are about to take hold of the southwestern United States and parts of Colorado, leading into what could be a lengthy, multiday and memorable outbreak of wildfires and/or wildfire conditions. Warm to locally scorching temperatures, bone-dry air and strong mountain gusts are set to overlap for several days, part of a summerlike weather pattern that comes without the chance of any meaningful rainfall.

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque is calling it a “dangerous, long duration and potentially historic critical fire weather event.” Tinderbox conditions conducive to the rapid spread of blazes are expected to persist well into next week. Sunday may present the most extreme combination of high winds and hot, dry air.

“New Mexico is facing 100 straight hours of the worst possible set of fire conditions, with high temperatures & extreme winds,” tweeted Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) on Friday. “It is critically important to abide by evacuation orders. Your life & safety is top priority.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weath...st-calfcanyon/

Damn but the search function still sucks. I know there was a 2022 wildfire thread in PR but WTF?

[ill-advised strategy]

When we held that big run out of the ski area and saved their lodge, some operations manager at the ski area was all over-the-moon thankful and told me he’d comp me a few ski days that upcoming winter.
That winter I called him to see about coming up from Salt Lake and he acted like he’d never heard of me or ever said such a thing.
Kind of a metaphor for my whole fire career, really.
All the investment bankers cheering when you save their vacation mansions, then a few weeks later it’s back to “take your $12/hr with no health insurance and go fuck yourself, peasant”

[Bunion 2020]

Lesson # 1. Never take anyone in Ski Operations "word" that they will hook you up. Always ask for a voucher.

[byates1]

Damn that fire warning sounds.bad...