I tend to snowboard when there is a lot of powder. However on the day I visited Alpine Meadows the conditions were ideal for skiing. Blue skies meant for near perfect visibility and although it had not snowed for a while, the snow was soft enough to have an enjoyable day.
This picture shows the view out over Our Father, a narrow couloir expanding into a steep and icy mogul field. The access to the run is from just beneath the top tree line on the left hand side of this image. There is not a lot of room for error with a risk of sliding all the way to the bottom. There are plenty of signs warning of the dangers of skiing this particular run but in a bid to fulfill my ambitions, I chose to ignore them.
Again, The Wall in Kirkwood had so many warning posts. The chairlift was marked with a skull and crossbones and "Expert Skiers Only" as well as risks of an "uncontrolallable slide" and "Risk of Death". They even sold T-Shirts in the ski shops with "I Survived the Wall" slogans. Needless to say, given my experiences with Our Father, by the time I had made the 20 minute ascent, I was absolutely petrified.
The Wall however turned out to be a very different experience. Once you had "jumped in" from the four foot ledge, it turned out to be a relatively passive slope, continually shallowing and expanding in width. I could perhaps have skiied it better, if my legs weren't shaking from fear installed in me by the warning signs.
The lawsuit culture in America makes ski resorts compliated places. All visitors must sign an official waiver declaring that they will not take any action against the ski resort in the case of negligence.
There is a popular myth that all american ski resorts removed the restraining bars from their chairlifts after a parent successfully sued a ski resort after their child seriously injured themselves falling from a lift. Their case revolved around the fact that by installing security bars, the ski resort was offering security measures that were ineffective.
Still on the list to ski are Courbet's Couloir in Jackson Hole and Delirium Dive in Sunshine Village.
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