Skiers and snowboarders at Whitewater Ski Resort will have access to an extra 60 acres of inbound terrain this ski season, as the resort announces its first expansion into the iconic Ymir Bowl.
Goats terrain adds 60 new acres of inbound, expert-level terrain and is the resort’s first south-facing alpine inbound terrain, introducing new trees, slopes, and powder to explore.
The expansion allows Whitewater to better ensure guest safety.
Last year, the resort introduced its new quad chair, The Raven, which David Michael, Whitewater’s Outdoor Operations Manager, says provided guests with easier access to Goats terrain, but it’s located in a size three-and-a-half avalanche path.
He says there were several guests venturing into Goat’s last year even when the avalanche risk level was high, but the resort didn’t have the ability to restrict access and enforce it as it’s outside the ski area boundary which Whitewater doesn’t control or patrol.
“Essentially, Whitewater had no control over people going out there. By bringing Goats in bounds this year, we can manage that risk. When the avalanche hazard gets high, our snow safety team will close that terrain down to keep people safe. Our snow safety team can then mitigate that hazard, and when they deem the terrain safe, we’ll open it back up.”
He says access to Goats terrain will be similar to the system in place for Upper Powder Keg and Catch Basin on the Summit side of the resort, which are also located in avalanche terrain.
This means that when the resort’s snow safety team determines the avalanche risk is too high and unsafe to access, the resort will close access until the risk lessens or crews can conduct mitigation work.
“Goats is going to be an avalanche area that will be opened and closed. When it’s closed, you can’t go in there, and if you do, we have strict penalties, including revoking passes. Whitewater will be managing that risk for the public to keep people safe, and when that risk becomes too elevated, we’ll be closing that terrain down, keeping people out, bombing it, ensuring it’s safe for our public, and then opening it back up.”
To help manage the area, Whitewater has increased its Snow Patrol team and will operate with three certified avalanche forecasters this year, instead of two.
Upper Goats will feature double black diamond runs, while Lower Goats and the Goats trees will be black diamond only.
Whitewater’s 2024/25 ski season kicks off on December 6.
Be the first to know! Don’t miss out on breaking news and daily updates in your area. Sign up to MyNelsonNow News Alerts.
