Squaw-Alpine Base to Base

[nickwm21]

A little birdie told me tahoe national forest accepted some sort of preliminary environmental proposal yesterday.

[Shred Baron]

A bit more info coming out about the project following an application to Placer county.
http://www.placer.ca.gov/departments...e-squawgondola

[LightRanger]

Interesting. Can't remember, but that may be the first time I've seen anything related to installing Gazex towers. FS likes stuff that reduces the need for artillery. In fact, I want to say that it's official policy (in the manual) to encourage ski areas to move away from artillery.

[Shred Baron]

Interesting. Can't remember, but that may be the first time I've seen anything related to installing Gazex towers. FS likes stuff that reduces the need for artillery. In fact, I want to say that it's official policy (in the manual) to encourage ski areas to move away from artillery.

Maybe it's a part of the plan to help persuade the forest service for approval.

[davieboot]

Ugh. I know I've said it before, but the idea of a gondola station at the top of the Buttress really bums me out. I get why they want to do it, and I know lots of skiers who don't hike will like it, but there is no going back.

[davieboot]

Maybe it's a part of the plan to help persuade the forest service for approval.

I was thinking the same thing. It's actually a win-win to protect the parking lot, and get that terrain opened up more quickly

[karma]

Bye, bye cushing pond/crossing. R.I.P.

[LightRanger]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking on the Gazex rationale. Certainly doesn't hurt at least. Though, it's likely true what they say in the permit application that artillery poses a danger to the gondola infrastructure and hand charges may also not be feasible for operations reasons.

[Shred Baron]

Does Alpine still use artillery. I was under the impression that they did all hand placed explosives. I know on the bigger days they will send patrollers to squaw to head up KT really early in the morning to do work above the road.

[TeleTahoe]

Yes,alpine still uses the howitzer they have one mounted in a building on the Mtn. Then have one they can tow behind a truck. I am not sure of they have used them in the past couple of years.

[old goat]

Yes,alpine still uses the howitzer they have one mounted in a building on the Mtn. Then have one they can tow behind a truck. I am not sure of they have used them in the past couple of years.

I thought the military took all the guns back when we invaded someone or other, guess I was wrong. I know a FS guy was killed some years back when the gun blew up while being test fired.
I am told chute 75 is named after a 75mm artillery piece that used to be there.
I was also told by someone on patrol that after Andy Ettin was killed they bought a mortar to bomb Headwall Face but it couldn't reach. Could be BS story.

[nickwm21]

Ugh. I know I've said it before, but the idea of a gondola station at the top of the Buttress really bums me out. I get why they want to do it, and I know lots of skiers who don't hike will like it, but there is no going back.

Yup......

Does Alpine still use artillery. I was under the impression that they did all hand placed explosives. I know on the bigger days they will send patrollers to squaw to head up KT really early in the morning to do work above the road.

When I bumped chairs at alpine during the winter of 2009, they were still using the gun. I was told by patrol that they could clear the entire ridgeline from wolverine to the nose in minutes with 9 shots compared to hours and dozens of hand charges.

[snapt]

I thought the military took all the guns back when we invaded someone or other, guess I was wrong. I know a FS guy was killed some years back when the gun blew up while being test fired.
I am told chute 75 is named after a 75mm artillery piece that used to be there.
I was also told by someone on patrol that after Andy Ettin was killed they bought a mortar to bomb Headwall Face but it couldn't reach. Could be BS story.

One of the head patrollers told me the story a few years ago, some of the details might be off but if I remember right it went something like when we invaded Iraq they came and took the Howitzers back and they got a recoiless rifle in it's stead which is what malfunctioned and killed the patroller some years back.The RR's were notoriously finicky and the howitzers much preferred. As soon as they could get their hands on a howitzer again they switched back to that. Like Nick says they can take care of the ridge line very efficiently.

I believe gunner knob is where the RR used to be. I was told when KSL took over Squaw they asked Alpine if they could shoot over the hill and do control work to which they politely asked are you out of your minds?!

Apparently there's a range out by Susanville where they train up the Patrol teams before letting them take their gun home.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ski-reso...aded-for-iraq/

[LightRanger]

^^^ That's the story I heard years ago from a reliable source. Then they got a new one somewhere along the line. I bet one of the 105s mentioned in the article.

Nothing is as cool as the M-60s WDOT uses at Stevens Pass though...

[LightRanger]

Sidenote: Not sure if they're still using it, but as of 10-15 years ago, Sugar Bowl was still using sticks of dynamite for hand charges. Patrol friend told me that they were the only hill in the country still using it.

[snapt]

Sidenote: Not sure if they're still using it, but as of 10-15 years ago, Sugar Bowl was still using sticks of dynamite for hand charges. Patrol friend told me that they were the only hill in the country still using it.

Jskierpx on here patrols at SB and can confirm or deny that. I feel like he texted me a pic of dynamite with a happy face drawn on it a few seasons back though.

[jahoney]

Bye, bye cushing pond/crossing. R.I.P.

oh that's lame.. lower trail mountain run to dave's deli area is directly cut off

[old goat]

Looks like they have a new Gazex on Headwall face. Scary place to drop hand charges apparently, because it's a rollover. RIP Mr. Entin.

[headwall]

I had a dream awhile back that I was stuck on this new gondola/expensive marketing ploy and could not get off of it as it went around and around all day. Dream literally felt like it lasted forever. Not sure if that's a bad omen or just my brain finding a fun new way to mess with me.

Looks like they have a new Gazex on Headwall face. Scary place to drop hand charges apparently, because it's a rollover. RIP Mr. Ettin.

*Entin. His nickname was "Eski". True story - I was in the patrol shack a few days after he died when all the weekend patrollers were there. Eski had a buzzcut and liked to drink Crown Royal, so all the patrollers, men AND women, all gave themselves buzzcuts like Eski right there in the shack and drank a shit load of Crown Royal to celebrate him. It was awesome.

[old goat]

[QUOTE=headwall;4619842



*Entin. .[/QUOTE]

Thanks. I changed it. I didn't know him personally but my son was on patrol at the time and did.

[Shred Baron]

So this is making its debut as of right now.

[Harry]

if I remember right it went something like when we invaded Iraq they came and took the Howitzers back and they got a recoiless rifle in it's stead which is what malfunctioned and killed the patroller some years back.The RR's were notoriously finicky and the howitzers much preferred. As soon as they could get their hands on a howitzer again they switched

Not sure why they considered a recoilless rifle more dangerous than a howitzer. I have experience with both in the military. Follow the safety protocols and you should be fine. I would be interested to know more about how a patroller was killed by a recoilless rifle, they are fairly foolproof.

[old goat]

Not sure why they considered a recoilless rifle more dangerous than a howitzer. I have experience with both in the military. Follow the safety protocols and you should be fine. I would be interested to know more about how a patroller was killed by a recoilless rifle, they are fairly foolproof.

wasn't a patroller but a forest service employee, not that it makes any difference.

On less morbid note--the new Siberia chair has two tone seat cushions and knotty pine ceilings. One can only hope the gondola will be as classy. And while I'm at it--I hate getting stuck in a funi cabin with advertising on the windows--I prefer to check out what KT and points west are looking like. Hope they don't put ads on the gondola windows but I will likely be disappointed.

[Shred Baron]

On less morbid note--the new Siberia chair has two tone seat cushions and knotty pine ceilings. One can only hope the gondola will be as classy. And while I'm at it--I hate getting stuck in a funi cabin with advertising on the windows--I prefer to check out what KT and points west are looking like. Hope they don't put ads on the gondola windows but I will likely be disappointed.

The wood underskin on the terminals is standard on Poma lifts these days, even big blue has it. You can even get wood sided terminals. The seats in the gondola cabin (although it might be just a demo not exactly what we might see in the future) had pretty plane seats, not even cushy padding.

I was working for the Funi when they started doing advertised cabins, and from my understanding the companies pay big bucks to squaw for that. From what I've heard from the guys at the funi now, it sounds like they aren't done yet. Although maybe the forest service will deem it too much of a visual impact to the granite chief wilderness.

[clausen]

Not sure why they considered a recoilless rifle more dangerous than a howitzer. I have experience with both in the military. Follow the safety protocols and you should be fine. I would be interested to know more about how a patroller was killed by a recoilless rifle, they are fairly foolproof.

I know that at least one recoiless canon blew up at Mammoth. I have seen a picture of it torn to shreds. Luckily safety measures were followed and no one was hurt. If the round goes off in the barrel, your gonna have a bad time.