Winch Cat Warning

11/29/2011

We have an important safety warning for our area backcountry and telemark skiers. Brundage Mountain has many skiers and boarders who enjoy hiking our mountain before we are able to groom the slopes and open them to the public.

Please be aware that we have a winch cat operating on the slopes at this time. We are working to track-pack any slopes we can access with the current level of snowfall. We still need more snow to be able to groom the slopes and prep for opening. The operation of the winch cat to pre-pack those slopes means that at any given time, up to 1000 meters of cable is stretched over our slopes. This cable can move quite suddenly and dynamically with a large, working machine attached to it, especially right now when we don’t have much snow pack. This cable can be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to see. We suggest that hikers stay off of any slope where they see the WHITE snowcat, because potentially 3,000+ feet of tensioned cable could be whipping around and seriously injure anyone in its path. We want to make sure these skiers and riders are aware of this added hazard, and we hope anyone who reads this will pass along the warning to their friends and acquaintances.