I've enjoyed skiing Rendezvous Mountain while JHMR is closed for the last decade. In that time I have never seen a sign, met a person, or read any document that told me backcountry skiers weren't welcome during the spring offseason. I wrote this post about offseason skiing because a nasty rumor spread throughout the valley last winter that Rendezvous Mountain is off limits during the spring offseason. This rumor originated somewhere at JHMR, and locals were justifiably concerned. If JHMR management is attempting to change a precedent and limit offseason access to one of the funnest *public* mountains on Planet Earth, it's happening right now. Imagine if Snow King decided to limit uphill access during the offseason. How well would that fly? And why? Why? WHY?! The only reasonable justifications for limiting access are safety concerns, but skiing always has been and always will be an inherently dangerous activity. If JHMR's upper brass is concerned about the safety of a few offseason skiers, why do they operate a ski resort and subject hundreds of thousands of customers to similar risks throughout the season? Lawsuits generally don't stick if skiers get hurt while resorts are operating, and lawsuits certainly don't stick when resorts are closed. If some idiot plasters himself against a snowcat or drops into Ragin' Cajun it wouldn't be JHMR's fault. Plus, we backcountry skiers are not exceptionally swayed by safety arguments. If we were focused on personal safety we wouldn't be backcountry skiers. We prefer safety meetings to safety lectures...
JH, WhY? America's #1 Resort Skis Best Closed
JH, WhY? America's #1 Resort Skis Best Closed
JH, WhY? America's #1 Resort Skis Best Closed
I've enjoyed skiing Rendezvous Mountain while JHMR is closed for the last decade. In that time I have never seen a sign, met a person, or read any document that told me backcountry skiers weren't welcome during the spring offseason. I wrote this post about offseason skiing because a nasty rumor spread throughout the valley last winter that Rendezvous Mountain is off limits during the spring offseason. This rumor originated somewhere at JHMR, and locals were justifiably concerned. If JHMR management is attempting to change a precedent and limit offseason access to one of the funnest *public* mountains on Planet Earth, it's happening right now. Imagine if Snow King decided to limit uphill access during the offseason. How well would that fly? And why? Why? WHY?! The only reasonable justifications for limiting access are safety concerns, but skiing always has been and always will be an inherently dangerous activity. If JHMR's upper brass is concerned about the safety of a few offseason skiers, why do they operate a ski resort and subject hundreds of thousands of customers to similar risks throughout the season? Lawsuits generally don't stick if skiers get hurt while resorts are operating, and lawsuits certainly don't stick when resorts are closed. If some idiot plasters himself against a snowcat or drops into Ragin' Cajun it wouldn't be JHMR's fault. Plus, we backcountry skiers are not exceptionally swayed by safety arguments. If we were focused on personal safety we wouldn't be backcountry skiers. We prefer safety meetings to safety lectures...