Snowmobile enthusiasts are worried that a pending Forest Service permit on Soldier Mountain will squeeze them out.
Snow Inc., operator of Soldier Mountain Ski Area, has applied for a permit for Snowcat skiing on a 1,500-acre area on the northeast side of Peak Ones and Two, west of the top of the ski lift.In Snowcat skiing, skiers ride an industrial-size snowmobile uphill, then ski down with a guide. Other snow machines could be excluded from the trail.
"It's steep and rugged terrain. It's really a beautiful area, a place where a lot of people like to go," said snowmobiler and Fairfield native Doug Marol. "They're going to take something away from someone else to cater to a select clientele who can afford to ski it."
Joseph Miczulski, Forest Service recreation manager, said the Fairfield Ranger District contains 408,000 acres - 351,000 that are open to snowmobiles.
Most of the closed area is for elk feeding, he said. The 1,500 acres would be a loss of 0.43 percent to snowmobilers, but could be a significant gain for the Fairfield economy that relies heavily on tourism, he said.
A petition against the proposed permit attracted 273 signers.
The petition incorrectly stated that the ski area wishes to close Peaks One and Two "to the public" during the winter months. Miczulski said the 1,500-acre area would exclude only snowmobiles for aesthetic and safety reasons.
Miczulski said the permit decision would be reached after weighing the public's concerns, but it is not a matter of counting signatures. The chances of closing more than 1,500 acres to snowmobile use are slim because there is no more terrain suited for skiing, he said.
"You never see any `no skiing' signs, but there are always plenty of signs that say `no snowmobiling,' " said Fay "Benny" Benjamin, a charter member of the North Side Snow Riders of Gooding.
Don Schiermeier, president of Snow Inc., said he is not trying to exclude snowmobilers. The type of downhill skiing he wants to provide is presently unavailable in the Sawtooth National Forest, he said.