Alta’s Upgraded Avalanche Firepower
By Rocky Thompson on December 22nd, 2010
Alta’s packing a bit more heat. Since the U.S. Army no longer makes rounds for the old 105mm Recoilless Rifle that Alta used for avalanche control, they’ve upgraded to a 105mm Howitzer. The gun was installed in September and only cost UDOT $375k. Hopefully they don’t drop any rounds on people’s homes this year.
I realize that they’re maintaining the safety of roads rather than skiiable terrain, but I’d say even one errant shelling of an unintended structure (LET ALONE A F*ING HOME WITH CHILDREN INSIDE), is reason enough to reconsider the Howitzer idea. I have to admit, it was cool as sh*t when I was 12, but there are so many new ways to tackle this (like an electronic sign updating you with road conditions!!! – wow!!!) that this hardly seems like the best solution to me.
Remember a few years ago when a shell went over a ridge and landed in an adjacent basin? Woooops!
Why is it worse if the house has CHILDREN in it? Aren’t all people equally important?
Write a comment…Why is there someone always whining about the children. Do you think the people firing this gun would not be trained on how to do it? A sign is not going to make the road safe to travel.
Wow, howitzers cost more than I thought they did. I’m going to have to reconsider my invasion of France.
everyone makes mistakes… this was in the best interest of everyone. The bigger the fire power the better chance of knocking out a potential slide that could kill more than juist a family. Especially if it hits the road… but hey we all do the same thing, we ski.