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A new law designed to keep explosives
out of the hands of terrorists is tying the hands of some ski resorts
that use seasonal workers from other countries to blast jutting
snow and ice to prevent avalanches.
"It's frustrating from our standpoint because
we know these people. These people have been doing this for years,"
said Jeff Walters, vice president of mountain operations at Kirkwood
Ski Resort in California, where one-fifth of the avalanche control
workers are from abroad. "In my mind they're no threat to anybody's
security. They're a help to any skier that comes to the resort."
Season workers questioned
Under changes that took effect
Friday, nonresident aliens are no longer allowed to handle explosives
on the job. Other provisions kick in May 24 requiring background
checks and permits for any employee using explosives.
When the provision passed Congress last year,
it was meant to keep explosives out of the hands of terrorists.
But Western ski resorts that frequently bring in ski patrol and
blasting experts through exchange programs with France and from
recruiting in Australia and New Zealand are now having to do without
some of their most experienced avalanche crew members.
No exemptions for experience
For example, Todd Rudhall, a Kirkwood ski patrol foreman from New
Zealand, has worked 19 winters over the past decade, 16 with explosives.
He spends a winter in New Zealand, then chases the snow north to
resorts in the United States. He is licensed by the New Zealand
government and California, but thought he might lose his job when
he first heard about the changes. "The way it stands at the moment,
we're not permitted to handle the explosives," he said. "We're working
on getting special permission to actually continue with our work."
The law permits the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco
and Firearms to issue exemptions, but Rudhall said it has been difficult
finding a New Zealand agency that can offer the needed assurances
of his expertise. He is now working with the New Zealand Embassy
on the problem. Avalanches are a serious threat in the steep, rugged
mountains in the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas.
Avalanche patrols save lives
Nine people have died in avalanches in the United States this winter
and 35 died last year, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information
Center. On average, 27 people have been killed in each of the last
10 winters, nearly all of them in the West, including Alaska. As
a precaution, resorts dispatch ski patrollers, generally in pairs,
who toss sticks of dynamite or other charges to dislodge snow and
ice in slide-prone areas. Safety officials at several resorts said
skier safety will not be compromised. "By limiting these people
from being able to carry explosives or be able to lead routes it
puts more of a burden on the rest of us," said Walters. Foreign
workers can still be part of the team, even if they can't handle
explosives.
Paperwork problems
Generally, the legislation is supported by the ski industry, said
Larry Heywood, chairman of the National Ski Areas Association's
explosives committee, but he questions if ATF is braced for the
changes.
"My biggest concern with the new regulation
isn't anything to do with getting our people passed. If we hire
the wrong people we shouldn't be doing that," said Heywood, who
is also mountain operations manager at Alpine Meadows in California.
"It's more the red tape and if they're prepared for the onslaught
of paper this new regulation is going to create."
[Source: Cnn.com]
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