The Wasatch Powderbird Guides supposedly keep records of many things (wildlife, explosive duds, etc.) but one of the only documents they are required to actually submit to the Forest Service each year is their Usage Statistics. This probably has more to do with the Forest Service wanting to make sure they aren’t getting cheated on their permit fees than anything.
Courtesy of the Freedom of Information Act, here are the 2008-09 stats:
2009-09 WPG Usage Statistics
Some lowlights…
- Number of Explosives Dropped in Tri Canyons Area – 44
- Number of Explosives Dropped in Periphery Areas – 28
- Total flights – 1,619
- Number of skier tourers/snowshoers seen in the year – 408
- Number of snowmobiles seen in the year – 54
- Total number of guests – 907
- Total number of skier days – 730.6
- Total number of Alpine Touring excursions – 0
Brought to you via a formal request under the “Freedom of Information Act.”
This is the document that the Wasatch Powderbird Guides gives to the Forest Service every year to outline how they will (or more likely, won’t) be behaving. In turn, the Forest Service often defaults to this whenever there is a complaint. For example, if you were out skiing and the WPG landed close by or dropped bombs right in front of you on a dawn patrol, the WPG Operating Plan says they will try, whenever possible to avoid doing that, but leaves the option open to do so at any time. Sorry Charlie.
Wasatch Powderbird Guides Operating Plan 2009 – 2014
The Operating Plan also contains details like Rusty, Kevin and Olie’s cell phone numbers, as well as the WPG radio frequencies and the names of the helicopter companies (and pilots) they work with.
I thought they had to update this every year, but it appears they are now allowed to do it in five-year chunks. Awesome.