Even the new tram isn't safe
Tram ‘molested’
by Brandon Zimmerman, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
April 3, 2009
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is banning snowballs after one damaged a car on the new $31 million tram.
The new policy, which states the resort will close the lift if snowballs are thrown at it, is the result of damage done during an April Fools’ celebration that also prompted a call for additional law enforcement officers to respond to the scene Wednesday afternoon in Teton Village.
Resort officials said a snowball thrown from a large crowd of partiers struck a tram car about 4 p.m. and caused an 8-inch, spider-web crack in the window. Resort officials shut down the party and released a statement saying it will close the tram if any more snowballs are thrown.
“We’re asking for people to be respectful,” Jackson Hole Mountain Resort President Jerry Blann said. “They weren’t on [April] first. We’re hoping putting in new policies will make people more accountable for their actions.”
The tram car was operational Thursday, but the window will have to be sent back to its Swiss manufacturer for repair. Cost of the damage was unknown.
“We’re not real happy about having a $31 million tram molested in the way it was,” Blann said.
A crowd of several hundred revelers, most clad in costumes, gathered near the tram dock to celebrate Gaper Fools’ Day, an April 1 tradition at the resort. The celebration included a live band on the deck of Nick Wilson’s Cowboy Cafe.
Revelers on the ground pelted the last few tram cars of the day with snowballs. Some even hurled snowballs onto the tram dock and into the open doors of the tram as skiers and snowboarders boarded.
One snowball, Blann said, struck a 7-year-old boy between the eyes while he was standing on the dock. The boy was not injured but visibly shaken, Blann said.
Moments later, the window on the tram was struck and damaged.
Two deputies assigned to the event called for help in handling the crowd, and six additional deputies, including Teton County Sheriff Jim Whalen, came to the scene.
“It became so much of an affray they called for backup,” Whalen said. “It got too big, too out of control. It was an unruly crowd, in my opinion.”
After the car was damaged, the resort shut down the band. When additional police arrived on the scene, the crowd dispersed. No arrests were made.
“Sometimes situations like that can get out of hand,” Whalen said. “This did not get really out of hand. By the time the back-up got there and we made our presence felt, the crowd started thinning out.”
The resort issued a statement Wednesday night that read: “Unfortunately, an incident occurred on April 1st during apres-ski celebrating which caused damage to the tram. This incident has required a change in Jackson Hole Mountain Resort operating policy. Snowballs have been tolerated in the past, but they have caused property damage as well as personal injury. We encourage our guests to enjoy themselves responsibly at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, however, these types of activities will not be tolerated. If snowballs are thrown in the future, the tram will be closed.”
Announcements made on the tram Thursday warned skiers and snowboarders not to throw snowballs at the cars.
Pelting the tram cars with snowballs has long been a tradition at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. But never before has one damaged a car. The resort spent $31 million on the two-year construction of the new tram, which swung into operation in December. Blann said the new tram cars have a different type of glass.
“The old tram had old Plexiglas, which probably flexed more,” he said. “This is windshield-type glass, which obviously doesn’t give as much.”
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