Army wants howitzers back from ski resorts

Associated Press ^ | April 27, 2004

[Dog Gone]

Associated Press

An Alpine Meadows ski resort vehicle transports a 119-A howitzer through the resort's ski runs above Tahoe City, Calif., near Lake Tahoe last week.

RENO, Nev. -- The U.S. military is demanding the return of five howitzers that two Sierra Nevada ski resorts use to prevent avalanches, saying it needs the guns for the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Alpine Meadows and Mammoth Mountain received the artillery pieces on loan from the Army and began using them last year to fire rounds into mountainsides and knock snow loose.

But the ski resorts received word earlier this month that the Army's Tank Automotive and Armaments Command at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois needs the howitzers back immediately.

"I need to have them back in the troops' hands within 60 to 90 days," said Don Bowen, the Army command's team leader in charge of the howitzers. "It's a very short timeframe to get them serviceable and back into the theater in southwest Asia. Afghanistan-Iraq is the immediate concern."

The ski resorts said they will comply.

"Given it's a war effort, their needs are greater than ours," said Larry Heywood, Alpine Meadows director of mountain operations.

Howitzers are short-barreled cannons that can be pulled by a vehicle. They fire three to 10 rounds per minute at a range of 9,600 to 12,330 yards. Replacing one would cost around $1 million, Bowen said today.

The military lent two to Alpine Meadows and three to Mammoth Mountain.

Alpine Meadows and Mammoth Mountain are the only ski resorts in the nation using the 119-A howitzer, the most modern model available, said Bob Moore, a U.S. Forest Service specialist in Truckee, Calif. Other resorts have older 105 mm howitzers.

Pam Murphy, senior vice president at Mammoth Mountain just east of Yosemite National Park, said the military has provided the ski resort with recoilless rifles and other guns for avalanche control for 30 years. The howitzers are the most effective, Murphy said.

"It was designed to kill people, but it's a very valuable safety tool for us," said Rachael Woods, a spokeswoman at Lake Tahoe's Alpine Meadows, where seven people were killed in an avalanche in 1982.

Resort officials said they spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to transport the guns, reimburse the Army for training and build firing platforms.

But Murphy said she understood the Army's decision: "We're certainly at a different place in the world than when we first got the guns."

The Forest Service said it is working to secure older howitzers for the ski resorts, and the Army's Bowen said he is optimistic that will happen.

[shezza]

The ski resorts said they will comply.

"Given it's a war effort, their needs are greater than ours," said Larry Heywood, Alpine Meadows director of mountain operations.

Good on 'em. (I'm sure if they had been used to keep avalanches away from the Heinz/Kerry mansion in Idaho, the army's request would have been turned down.)

[Mears]

Our government lets "for profit" businesses use equipment that taxpayer money purchased?

This really pisses me off.

[Riley]

I hope they got a few obnoxious snowboarders with them.

[glorgau]

Are we really this short of artillery?

[BurbankKarl]

hope they have to go through a 30 day waiting period for any new howitzers.

[sharktrager]

What's taking the government so long to process my request to borrow an F-18 for safety purposes. And what about that M-1 Abrams I need?

Why should ski resorts get special treatment?

[Dog Gone]

Excellent question.

[Riley]

Are we really this short of artillery?

That's an excellent point.

[Junior]

Why? It's being used to protect the public, which is a legitimate role of the government.

[discostu]

They use that equipment to prevent avalanches, avalanches don't just kill skiers if they're big enough they kill whole towns. Military equipment exists to protect the citizens, avalanches are just as valid a thing to protect citizens against as terrorists. Also it makes sure the guns are well maintained and in working order.

[Bob]

Are we really this short of artillery?

That's an excellent point.

I find it really difficult to believe that the entire U.S. Army could possibly be so short that this move would be necessary.

[Dog Gone]

I believe both of these ski resorts are on government property which is rented by the operators. Seeing as they can't acquire a howitzer at a local gunshop, and since it is a safety issue, I can see how the government would loan them. They're certainly not going to sell them to the ski resorts and lose control of them.

[68skylark]

Good post.

My Guard unit has M-102's. It's funny that the Army gives more modern gear to ski resorts than they give to reserve military units.

That reminds me of a time we were at Ft. Cambell for summer camp. On a day off we went to the post museum. They had an M-114A1 howitzer with a placard saying something like "obsolete howitzer." This was news to us since our unit at the time was firing at least one that was an M-114, not the modernized M-114A1 version. So basically the museum at Ft. Campbell got more modern equipment than our Guard unit. That told us how important we were to the powers that be.

[mylife]

Pingaling

[Larry Lucido]

Damn, I bet they'll want the 155's back I use to scare away crows from the backyard.

[Melas]

Why does it piss you off? Avalanches aren't minor inconvienances to commerce, they're deadly disasters that bring a toll of human lives. Protecting the lives of its citizens is a legitimate government concern.

[Mears]

Protecting skiers from avalanches on private property is the concern of the owners of that property.

They could always go into another business if they are so afraid of bad avalanches.

This is not where I want my tax dollars going.

[Mears]

It is being used to protect the public that is skiing at a resort,not the public that is trying to go down a public road.

If the roads have to be protected,loan the equipment to the state or county,not ski resorts.

[Ol' Sox]

Wow...a million bucks for a howitzer? Huh. I had no idea.