The report from Brighton, detailing the unfortunate incident with the two… individuals, arrives with a certain inevitability. Sixty feet of avalanche debris, a northwest-facing slope at ten thousand five hundred feet, and a blatant disregard for established boundaries. It's a familiar tableau, painted annually with the carelessness of others. One observes, from the relative safety of the groomed runs, a persistent failure to appreciate the delineation between managed terrain and the capricious wilderness.
The cerulean sky above Deer Valley is, thankfully, unblemished by such recklessness. Here, on the Sultan Express, the faded yellow lift towers stand sentinel against the mercury-colored clouds. The grooming, executed with precision, has the texture of a freshly pressed linen suit. This morning, Carpenter lift offered a particularly pleasing corduroy, undisturbed by the increasingly pervasive influence of the Ikon Pass crowd and their… sideways inclinations. One notes the diminished silence of late; a constant, low thrum of amplified music drifting from unseen pockets of the mountain.
The snow safety teams are, of course, doing their work, attempting to mitigate the risks created by such behavior. But vigilance can only extend so far. The mountain offers no forgiveness for foolish choices. One can only trust that a heightened awareness, and perhaps a greater emphasis on self-preservation, will prevail. Should you choose to venture forth, bypass the throng at Ontario and begin on Bald Mountain. Its gradient will discourage the less capable, and you may find a moment of pristine silence.