Contributed by Debra McGhan
Access to prime riding in Hatcher Pass could soon be a thing of the past. But not if Rob Uphus and the volunteers and members of Hatcher Pass Snow Riders (HPSR) have anything to do about it.
“I can’t stress enough how important these access trails from Hatcher Pass are if you want to get out and ride,” said Uphus. “The state has limited funding from the SnowTrack grant and State Parks informed us they will not facilitate or apply for any funding after this season. Grooming this year will be minimal as they only have about $7,000 from Snowtrack for this season. With all this snow we’re getting, if we don’t start shaping and packing the trails now we’re going to lose access.”
Club volunteers from both Hatcher Pass Snow Riders and the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center (HPAC) have stepped in to make sure that doesn’t happen. They have been putting in countless hours of volunteer time to organize, plan and execute the operations of grooming and avalanche safety and research.
Today my friend and I had the chance to check out the pass and were thrilled by the condition of the trails; both motorized and non-motorized. If you appreciate these trails like we do, we all owe them a big thanks.
It always fills my heart with joy to see happy, healthy people out playing in the snow. We saw smiling sledders, back country skiers, Nordic skiers, riders, boarders and snowshoers, all glowing with vitality from the youngest still in diapers to the oldest. This is the sign of a truly healthy community. If we want to preserve this opportunity and keep it safe for everyone, it will take an army of community support and volunteers.
“We are meeting with the Alaska State Parks Superintendent, Stuart Leidner, next week and hoping the Snow Riders club will be able to step in and get all the required permits and support necessary to take over the grooming of Hatcher Pass Trails,” said Uphus.
A lofty task indeed. The good news, community support has already started flowing in. Wes Coyne, former director of BAART (Backcountry Avalanche Awareness Response Team) donated $5,000 to the Snow Riders to help in the effort.
BAART came to be in 1999 after Keith Coyne of Wasilla was caught in a fatal avalanche in Hatcher Pass on December 26th. The pain and frustration this family experienced, along with the family of Aaron Arthur who was killed in early 1999 in Turnagain Pass, provided the fuel to do something about the deficit of avalanche safety information in Alaska. BAART ceased operations a few years ago when the effort finally proved too much and the Alaska Avalanche School and Alaska Avalanche Information Center began to fill the public avalanche education needs providing more than 75 classes each year across Alaska with support from the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
A portion of the funds BAART still held after their 501c 3 non-profit ceased operations, have now been donated to HPSR specifically for snowmachine education.
“Those funds were designed to educate riders in Hatcher Pass,” explained Uphus, “and that’s what we’re going to do.”
The HPSR will be joined by the HPAC, State Parks and numerous other supporters on January 11th in Hatcher Pass for the annual ‘Avalanche Awareness Workshop.’ This event typically attracts more than a 100 riders, skiers, boarders and sledders who want to sharpen their skills and knowledge about avalanches.
“We also have our annual Easter Egg Hunt fundraiser in the spring planned,” said Uphus. “These two events help raise awareness and bring in much needed dollars to keep this effort going.”
If you and your family recreate in Hatcher Pass, Uphus encourages you to get involved and support your local avalanche center.
“It’s going to take all of us to keep access open so everyone can get out and ride safely.”
Photos: 1. HPSRVOLUNTEER.JPG – Photo by Adam Greening (from left Kellin Turner, Lin Turner, Adam Greening and Ranger Dan Amyot) 2. AmyotTurner.JPG. (Ranger Dan Amyot and Lin Turner) 3. RIDINGUP.UPUS.JPG – Rob Uphus takes in the View from the top of Royal Penny Glacier. Photo by Sean Rudd.
