Resort Cornice Danger
GRAND TARGHEE RESORT CORNICE DANGER
Grand Targhee Resort is trying to educate and warn our guests about the hazard directly beyond our resort boundary. We have extremely dangerous terrain just outside the east side around to the north side of Fred's Mountain rope line. These rope lines are hard closures with penalties for those who do not abide by the warnings and signage. While the views from Grand Targhee are incredible, the repercussions of leaving the resort into a closed area can result in a cornice breaking, the release of an avalanche, and possible death.
We are concerned for your safety and the safety of potential rescuers. In the past two years, we have had two fatalities on the resort's backside due to cornice failure.
WHAT IS A CORNICE?
A cornice is an overhanging edge of snow on a ridge or mountain's crest. Cornices form by wind blowing snow over sharp terrain where it attaches and builds out horizontally. Cornices are extremely dangerous and can break unexpectedly. This can happen on or off of your skis/snowboard.
The image below shows Fred's Mountain's North-East face. This is the terrain you would be standing directly over should you not follow our mountain safety guidelines. These are 500-foot cliffs with over 1000 feet of vertical drop. The probability of surviving a fall is unlikely.
