The Snow Play Hotline at the Flagstaff Visitor Center received 1,627 calls between December 1, 2022 and March 5, 2022. Considering the 95-day period puts him in the middle of the second snowiest winter, there have been a surprising number of calls. Area record so far.
Sherry Mason was one of the agents on the Snowplay Hotline. She moved to Flagstaff about 3 years ago after spending about 30 years in the Valley.
She describes snow as magical and enchanting. Discover Her Flagstaff Visitors Her Services As her specialist, she is now able to not only walk through Arizona’s winter wonderland every drizzle, but act as a shepherd for the visitors.
In the summer, Mason is drawn to Northern Arizona for its proximity to the Grand Canyon and the diversity of its natural landscape, mingling with people from all over the world.
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In winter, the visitor demographic changes slightly. With 61% of his Snowplay hotline callers coming from the Phoenix metropolitan area, more people are coming from the Valley.
According to Mason, the number one question these visitors tend to ask is, “What about the roads?”
Discover Flagstaff performs several tasks when discussing road conditions with visitors. They communicate any closures they know of and wait for travelers to gather updates on line 511 of the Arizona Department of Transportation.
“I worked when I was out of the office due to a snowstorm,” Mason said. That was the big thing. At that time, people were walking on the road. “We’re coming to Flagstaff. What do the roads look like? Can we get into Flagstaff?” There were times when I had to guide people. “You will not be able to use this road. You must take this road just to keep everyone safe.”
Getting to Flagstaff safely has caused some problems for people this winter.
“A lot of the issues we dealt with were people using apps like Waze, Google Maps, Apple Maps, etc., trying to find alternative routes. Down the road in the Forest Service, it can be deadly if someone walks into an area without cell phone service or without a car,” said Aaron Coconino County Search and Rescue spokesman. Mr Dick said. “They need to stay up to date on weather forecasts instead of blindly following map applications. Really think about what the signs say and what’s going on.”
By mid-February, search and rescue teams had nearly tripled the average number of missions they had served in the past year. Dick said a good number of them were related to people getting stuck in their cars.
According to Mason, this problem can be amplified by visitors underestimating the amount of snow they’ve encountered this season.
“They had to come here and obviously plan their trip in advance. I know it’s raining, but I don’t understand how much it’s going to rain,” Mason said.
Snow players tend to leave the side of the highway as soon as they see powder, creating a dangerous situation. .
Ismael Velázquez sledding down the popular hills of South Lone Tree Road and East Jw Powell Boulevard in the fresh February snow. The Velázquez family drove from Phoenix to play in the snow.
Rachel Gibbons, Arizona Daily Sun
Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesperson Burt Graves said:
He added that even in exactly the same conditions that are perfect for sledding, drivers are prone to slipping, colliding with parked vehicles or, worse, creating icy roads.
There are still safety warnings that Discover Flagstaff is tasked with disseminating when visitors arrive.
“We urged everyone to stay on the tracks,” Mason said. “It’s a difficult thing to do because they’re interested in it. People want to go out there and be close to it. They want to play it safe by avoiding tracks and not near tracks or roads.” I’m just trying to tell everyone in. We’re just trying to emphasize that accidents are easy.People don’t want to wait for the train to pass, so they try to hurry. We take our time and try to tell them not to get too close and to stay away from the tracks.”
Meg Roederer, Communications Specialist at Discover Flagstaff, explained that some of these safety messages will be shared with people before they leave the Phoenix area.
This winter, she worked closely with the Phoenix press to provide safety information to potential snow players before they ventured out. Did.
In person, Mason regularly works to help people understand where it’s safe to play.
“We try to take them to designated snow play areas. He tailors his recommendations to each visitor based on what they say they want to do.
Skiers, sleds and snowman builders may be given different instructions. According to data collected by Discover Flagstaff, the top three destinations for snow players are Flagstaff Snow Park at Fort Tuthill, other city and county parks, and Arizona Snowball.
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Snowbowl does not publish attendance numbers. But saying that this season has been the season of books.
“The amount of snowfall has almost doubled [compared to last year]Snowbowl marketing manager Kyle Sawatzke said: The snow is pure white. It’s been a really great year. The condition is the best I have seen in many years. “
The resort is expected to open 24/7 for the first time in April, Sawatzke said. With the snow softening, the April sunshine should provide perfect conditions for beginners to love skiing.
“The big thing is that we see a lot of beginners coming to enjoy the snow.
County search and rescue services told the Arizona Daily Sun that they are concerned about skiers and snowboarders who may not necessarily be accustomed to the sport of going outside of their designated ski areas this winter.
According to Dick, some people have had to be rescued this season after trying to follow backcountry routes without the proper gear and sinking in the snow.
“There are a lot of people skiing and snowboarding outside the border and getting into trouble,” Dick said.
Dick also said the avalanche danger is real and under-told in northern Arizona.
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“There are a lot of people in this state who come from Tucson and Phoenix and don’t know there is a real avalanche risk on the San Francisco Peaks,” said Dick.
Dick adds: Training and equipment killed in an avalanche. “
According to Sawatzke, Snowbowl has done considerable mitigation work to keep designated ski areas safe.
“Our patrols clean the upper bowl every day and check the snow cover every day. We have a great team connected with Kachina Peaks, one of the best in the industry. They are releasing everything as quickly as possible,” he said.
The majority of visitors who have stayed and played in Flagstaff during the past few storms have returned home safely without the need for search and rescue.
Severe storms may have delayed pedestrians downtown and kept businesses a little busier while highways were closed, according to Discover Flagstaff. When these closures were lifted and it was safe to drive to Flagstaff and recreate it here, people did.
City of Flagstaff data showed that Flagstaff hotels had an average occupancy rate of 58.6% in January, up 3.6% from last year. Earnings per available room, timed by Discover Flagstaff, increased by 6% year-on-year in the same month.
Data for February and early March are still being compiled, so it’s too early to give an overall outlook for the season. Still, frontline workers answering questions and talking to visitors hope a memorable winter season will be good for the city’s hotels, restaurants and other local businesses. .
Sierra Ferguson can be reached at sierra.ferguson@lee.net.
