AVI UPDATE – Local blog pulls story, photos, comments

Monday, December 29, 2008

By PJH Staff

Jackson Hole, Wyo. – After two avalanches in as many days – one claiming the life of an area resident (Avalanche death at resort) – JHMR is already receiving "I told you so's" in the blogosphere from the greater Jackson Hole community.

However, local blog TetonAT – home to descriptive photos of Monday's Headwall avalanche and disparaging reader comments on Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's reaction – already pulled its story along with reader comments and photos by 6 p.m. the same day.

Here's an explanation from JH Underground:

"Teton AT had photos of the damage inside therestaurant, but pulled them under pressure from the resort and Sheriff BobZimmer. Blogger Steve Romeo is a member of the Teton County Search andRescue team and was on the scene to assist with the search.

"Whether our sheriff should be censoring a public servant with photos of an important historical event is a topic for another blog post, one I hope to take up promptly. In short, I consulted with a legal scholar whosaid while the matter may be a gray area, the photographer likely is protected under the First Amendment. Zimmer ought to be standing up for his SAR volunteer’s rights, and the public’s, rather than bowing to pressure from the resort."

The photos removed from TetonAT showed windows and doorways destroyed by snow pouring into restaurant eating areas, including the upscale Couloir Restaurant where a New Year's Eve party was scheduled. The photos also showed walkways covered in avalanche debris and snow reaching to the top of windows and doorways still intact. Some of these photos were rescued by readers.

Critics on local blogs say that JHMR ignored warnings that the restaurant's location made it susceptible to avalanches, citing a 1986 avalanche originating in the Headwall that nearly toppled homes at the resort's base. Others argue that despite an obviously unstable snowpack, resort management gave in to pressure to open the upper mountain through the holidays.

JHMR closed its out-of-bounds (OB) gates, "until further notice," resort officials said, after receiving a request, Monday, from Bridger-Teton National Forest, from whom JHMR leases the land. In a statement, the officials cited heavy snowfall (62 inches in seven days) as the reason.

After initial fears Monday morning that an avalanche on Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's Headwall had buried up to 10 people, reports from and police scanners and sources that spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that the slide had partially collapsed walls and shattered windows in a building housing three restaurants atop the Bridger Gondola summit. The building suffered no structural damage, JHMR representatives said. At least three resort employees were partially buried and rescued, before all employee had been accounted for, according to various reports.

The anonymous sources said that at 9:50 a.m, up to 10 people were suspected buried in the avalanche, on the Headwall, an open out-of-bounds area accessed by hiking, just above the Bridger Gondola. As JHMR Ski Patrol searched the debris, the resort closed the upper mountain, leaving two lower mountain lifts running. The gondola summit, however, had not yet been accessed by the public, JHMR spokespeople said.

At 10:40 a.m., the sources reported that the avalanche damaged and possibly entered the restaurant atop the summit, also feared to be the location of the buried skiers. At 10:49 a.m., A partial collapse of walls at the Bridger and Couloir restaurants was reported, without injury. At 11:01 a.m., a caller from Teton Village who did not give her name said that no one was buried or injured. However, TetonAT and JH Underground both reported that a couple of ski patrolers were partially buried, and successfully dug out. A resort employee may also have been temporarily trapped in a room, TetonAT said. PJH

PERMALINK:
AVI UPDATE – Local blog pulls story, photos, comments | Planet JH News Article: General News

Reader Comments
Thanks. Good work keeping us posted. Cook
Actually, bad work. Looks like you just posted hearsay for a while, and now with the press release you guys just look stupid. Glad everyone is ok. Chris
Thanks for keeping it up date. You don't look stupid either. Keep up the great work. Trey
Happy to receive whatever information you hear. I far prefer to get the stories as they come in. Good job !!! Greg
Avy experts and long-time locals warned JHMR against building the Bridger Rest. beneath the Headwall... they did it anyway. Could be another $10 million down the tubes for the Kemmerer family. Thank goodness nobody was hurt. Charlie
Have a look at the report just out from the Daily. Then, be thankful we have reports at all. Appears JHMR would rather we didn't know anything. WOW ! Greg
I was dismayed last year to realize the restuarant lights were very visible from all over the Valley. Apart from the groomers(absent in summer), it's the only light eminating from the entire Teton Range. Maybe the brightside is they might close it. Sorry to the owners and sorry about being petty but look at other developments, they start with one. Nip it in the bud. Nathan
The post on this at Teton AT, with the pictures, has disappeared. Anyone know why? ?
There are a number of us who copied them. I'm going to wait to see why they were pulled before I repost them. First, they aren't mine, and second, if some legal action has been offered, I want to make sure that I offer these pics up to as many new organiztaions as possible. Yeah, no love for JHMR Chris
For the momment go to skilifts.org/general disscussions. Earl
Follow some of this on jhunderground.com I just posted links to the pictures. Hopefully, the media will pick up the story regarding these photos. Greg
greg what's the link? interested
You might think about removing the byline and dateline from this story, as it creates the illusion that this is journalism. It's a lot more like a series of rumors on a website, most or all of which are untrue. I'd like to point out that not one source is cited in this story. I can find fault with every sentence in it, save one about closed bounds. Even that quote isn't attributed. It's just irresponsible. Please, if you aren't equipped for reporting, please stay out of the business. This is just embarrassing for you. Stick to the weekly. what ???
I think it would be good to maintain each edit of this story rather than keep updating the original and overwriting the old... a
www.jhunderground.com . Thanks Planet for carrying the underlying story going on this week. Greg
What??? you're arrogant. This is blogging, it's real time, done all the time and not the New York Times. This is very representational of blog style stories, it's updated and you can see the transformation of the story. If you want the blah version, read the News and Guide. interested
There is no byline. Take that What???. jhu
"Equipped for reporting" Huh? Obviously, you're NOT be in the business. Thanks for the crazy story PJH. a
A couple of comments regarding the above posts. Fortunately no one was hurt. Ava. are unpredictabe, anyone who says other wise either doesn't know what they are talking about or are just ignorant. The comments about the lights etc. are understandable, I believe in dark skies so you can see the milky way, but let's understand that the ski area has to do business and make money. Now much did the new gondola cost? Who pays for it? The customers. JHR is run by some of the top professionals in the industry. They are ethical, smart people. Did they make a mistabke with the lodge location? I'm sure they studied it and felt comfortable that it was safe. Nobody has perfect knowledge. Let's just remember that it's easy to be cynical it's much harder to build lifts, open runs, and actually make a profit to keep the wheels turning. Now if you never ride lifts, please ignore all of the above, it doesn't matter to you. If you don't work for a living I guess the ski area doesn't affect you either. The rest of us who make their living in the industry want it to be profitable. May all your days have blue skis and deep powder. RC
Re: bylines. Unlike the anonymity surrounding blog comments, "staff reports" and all other bylines are backed by someone who has to answer for them, namely the paper's editor. And I'm not afraid of criticisms from which I can learn; however, I am bored by petty and misinformed jabs that distract discussion from the issues at hand. MJI, editor
Editor: What are the misinformed jabs that you are referring to and what are the issues at hand? RC
RC - Sorry if you believe that I was referring to you. I wasn't. If, after reviewing some of the other comments, you'd like to discuss further, then e-mail me at editor@planetjh.com. MJI

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AVI UPDATE – Local blog pulls story, photos, comments

Monday, December 29, 2008

Reader Comments