BACKCOUNTRY SAFETY INFORMATION
Arizona typically has a pretty stable snowpack, but avalanches
do occur on the San Francisco Peaks, especially after windy days
with new snow. Please be aware of the conditions and travel in
groups, all wearing the proper safety equipment. When avalanches
occur,
they happen very quickly and can kill! If you are unsure of the
snow pack, please stop in to Ski Patrol and ask them. Be safe
and
enjoy the great Arizona snow!
BACKCOUNTRY WARNING The Arizona
Snowbowl assumes no responsibility for skiers or riders going beyond
the ski area
boundary. Areas beyond the ski area boundary are not patrolled
or maintained. Avalanches, unmarked obstacles and other natural
hazards
exist. Rescue in the backcountry, if available, will be costly
and may take time
ARIZONA SNOWBOWL / KACHINA PEAKS WILDERNESS BACKCOUNTRY
POLICY
If you leave the ski area boundary into the backcountry or re-enter
the ski area from the backcountry, you must have all of the following
or you will lose your ski area privileges:
- Kachina Peaks Wilderness Access permit (see below)
- A shovel, probe, and avalanche transceiver, and the ability
to use these tools
- A travel group of at least three people
- Knowledge of avalanches, the terrain, and your ability
- Knowledge of local avalanche conditions, this winter’s
snowpack layers, and the recent snowfall and type of
snow
- Knowledge of today’s weather forecast (snowfall,
temperature, and visibility)
For more information on avalanche safety, visit avalanche.org,
the American
Avalanche Association, and the National
Snow and Ice Data Center.
SKIING/SNOWBOARDING OUT OF BOUNDS
- Warning! The Arizona Snowbowl recommends that anyone exiting
the ski are have a very strong knowledge of backcountry travel
in avalanche terrain.
- Permits issued by the U.S. Forest Service are required to enter
the backcountry from within the ski area.
- Areas beyond the ski area boundary are unpatrolled and unmaintained.
- Pursuant to the Arizona Ski Safety Act, the ski area assumes
no responsibility for the safety and welfare of skiers and
snowboarders going beyond the ski area boundary. You are solely
responsible
for your own safety
KACHINA PEAKS AVLANCHE CENTER
The mission of the Kachina Peaks Avalanche Center, Inc. is to
provide support for and to engage in avalanche education, safety
training and information exchange to the San Francisco Peaks in
northern Arizona.
For more information on KPAC, please visit their website, www.kachinapeaks.org.
PERMIT INFORMATION
Kachina Peaks Wilderness Access permits, commonly known as backcountry
permits, are now available at the Peaks and Mormon Lake Ranger Districts
weekdays from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM and on Saturday and Sunday at Agassiz
Lodge at the Arizona Snowbowl from 9 to 11 AM. This free permit
is designed to help inform backcountry snow recreationalists about
travel hazards, and to assist the Forest Service and the Coconino
County Sheriff’s Office with search and rescue should that
become necessary. Permits are only required for accessing the backcountry
from Arizona Snowbowl and the Snowbowl Road.
Backcountry permits are valid for the entire winter and are designed
for snowshoers, cross-country skiers, alpine skiers, and snowboarders
using the Kachina Peaks Wilderness. Permits are required to be displayed
in the front windshield of the permit holder’s vehicle if
the vehicle is parked at the Lamar Haines trailhead, the entrance
of the Freidlein Prairie Road (Forest Road 522) or the Arizona Snowbowl
Ski Area.
In addition to having a permit, backcountry campers, skiers and
snowboarders who launch their trip from the Ski Area or the Snowbowl
Road also need to enter information in one of three trip registers.
The Coconino National Forest added a new trip register location
at the Lamar Haines trailhead on Snowbowl Road last year. The others
are at the ticket window at the Hart Prairie Lodge and near the
top of the Agassiz chairlift.
Backcountry permits, which again are free of charge, are available
at the Peaks or the Mormon Lake Ranger Stations during the week.
When the Arizona Snowbowl is open, permits may also be obtained
in the Agassiz Lodge on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 10:00
AM until noon. For more information, call the Peaks Ranger Station
at (928) 526-0866 or the Mormon Lake Ranger Station at (928) 774-1147.
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