Arapahoe Basin Operational Tour
The second-year students of our Leadville program had a great opportunity to visit Arapahoe Basin and learn about their innovative explosives tram system that they use for avalanche control in the Steep Gullies. The director of snow safety at Arapahoe Basin was kind enough to show us around and explain how they decided to install this system and why it is so effective for their terrain. He also shared with us his paper that he presented at the International Snow Science Workshop [ISSW] in 2018, where he detailed the implementation of their new explosives delivery system in the Steep Gullies. You can find the link to his paper below.
The main goal of our field trip and Ryan's presentation was to give us a firsthand insight into the appropriate use of different avalanche mitigation tools. The explosives tram system, also known as the Explosive Delivery System (EDS), is a network of cables and terminals that allows ski patrollers to lower timed charges into precise locations in the gullies, where they can create powerful air blasts that affect a large area of the snowpack. This system is very efficient and safe for workers, as it eliminates the need for hand-thrown or projectile explosives, which are not very effective in this narrow and steep terrain. For more information about how they installed this system, you can read Ryan's paper with the link below. Ryan also showed us other avalanche mitigation tools that Arapahoe Basin uses, such as the Avalauncher tower, their new magazine installation, the hand charge routes, and some unique features that require constant mitigation throughout the season to ensure guest safety at the ski resort.
We learned a lot from our tour of Arapahoe Basin and their avalanche mitigation tools. It was a valuable experience to see how avalanche safety is managed on a ski resort. The next day, we also had a tour with CDOT and saw their avalanche mitigation tools and techniques. We were able to compare and contrast different mitigation tools for different applications in the field.
