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)

 

Kachina Peaks Avalanche 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.

 

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

 

Permit Information

Kachina Peaks Wilderness Access permits, commonly known as backcountry permits, are available at the Peaks 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 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.