New steep and deep at Keystone

pNew steep and deep at Keystone

Forest Service gives go-ahead for snowcat expansion

By BOB BERWYN

summit daily newsAugust 3, 2006

Powder seekers will get a chance to sample some fresh goods this coming winter, as Keystone last week won final approval for an expanded snowcat skiing operation, pending a 45-day appeal period.White River National Forest Supervisor Maribeth Gustafson issued a July 28 Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Keystone's proposal to add both guided and unguided bowl skiing in 278 acres of terrain in the upper Jones Gulch area, off Independence and Bear mountains. The terrain, which is already part of Keystone's permit area, is north and east of the existing 'cat-served terrain in Bergman and Erickson bowls. Access to the new area would be via snowcat or hiking. Nearly all the skiing would be in open bowls above 11,400 feet, with some of the pitches approaching a 50 percent grade, just a bit steeper than much of the terrain in nearby North Bowl. Total snowcat skiing at Keystone would reach 858 acres with addition of the new stashes.'Cat skiing is planned for about three to five days per week, with the option to run more frequently when conditions are prime. At the lower boundary of the terrain, hiking skiers would need to climb back about 800 vertical feet along a distance of 3,100 feet to back to the Upper Independence snowcat route. Hiking skiers may also be able to ride uphill in the snowcats on a space-available basis for a nominal fee. According to Forest Service documents, hiking skiers would be discouraged from skiing out through the Jones Gulch drainage and Cadillac Road by a number of means, including information provided by the snowcat services/guide personnel, the convenience of a compacted hike-back track, as well as signs, ropes and boundaries.Keystone originally proposed the new service nearly one year ago, in November, 2005 with the intent of approving the operation under a streamlined review process. But based on public comments, the Forest Service decided to complete a more in-depth study to evaluate and disclose potential impacts.Under the Environmental Assessment (EA), Gustafson determined that the expanded snowcat service would not result in any significant impacts to the environment. "The proposed action meets the purpose and need of diversifying recreational opportunities at Keystone by providing a greater variety of terrain and potentially increasing the number of operational days for guided snowcat and hike-to skiing available … " Gustafson said.Some of the concerns raised earlier in the process included potential impacts to lynx habitat. Jones Gulch has been identified as a potentially important movement corridor for the rare cats. The new terrain accessed under the plan is in the highest reaches of the drainage, generally removed from the densely timbered areas in the heart of the gulch considered important for lynx.
The new snowcat-served terrain in the head of Jones Gulch is generally planned to straddle the centerline of the visible bowl, extending from the ridge down into the upper fringes of the forest.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the proposal could have a slight effect on lynx, but that it's not likely to adversely impact the species. According to the FONSI, new boundary management measures in the vicinity of the new snowcat terrain and around Jones Gulch should "dramatically reduce skiers leaving the ski area boundary from undesignated locations."The Forest Service also concluded that additional snow fencing required for the operation might have some localized impacts to vegetation, but won't result in any significant landscape-level impacts. The project design criteria "restricts access into the mid- to lower-areas of Jones Gulch, this protecting the forest landscape linkage," Gustafson wrote in her approval for the plan.Keystone chief Chuck Tolton said previously that high demand for the resort's existing snowcat service prompted the expansion plan. The new terrain includes more north- and west-facing terrain, promising better conditions and coverage than the more south-facing terrain in the existing bowls.Pickup points for skiers and 'boarders are designated at the Summit House on Dercum Mountain or at the Outpost on North Peak, and the snowcats would use the existing track along the ridgeline above Bergman Bowl to access the new area. The Finding of No Significant Impact is available in writing at the Dillon District Forest Service visitor center on Blue River Parkway (Highway 9) in Silverthorne. It includes detailed responses to public comments made during the review process. Appeals are due by mid-September and must be filed with the Appeal Deciding Officer at the regional Forest Service headquarters.