jdzaharia wrote:Does a person currently have to ask permission each time they want to cross the private property in order to hike, climb, or ski in the location of the proposed coaster?
I don't think anyone did, or even knew where to ask. Most of these private inholdings in the National Forest watershed land are old mining claims. A couple of nutty landowners in Cardiff Fork did try (and fail) limiting non-motorized access but they are on thin ice themselves as they are habitually violating watershed restriction themselves by driving and snowmobiling where the watersed plan forbids it. So it tends to go in a spirit of peaceful coexistence, rather than "everybody complaining".
There is a private property sign at a gate on the old mining road turnoff at the base of the proposed coaster area, but nobody goes through this gate to access the South Ridge anyway. You are leaving the road and turning sharply uphill before the posted gate, and to every reasonable hiker or skier it would seem that one isn't ever crossing private property. But the coaster plan makes it clear the land between the road and the lower cliffs belongs to the resort too.
There may be little one can do to stop the stupid rollercoaster as the land is private and the watershed rules don't seem to apply to rollercoasters. But preserving the climbers' access is a separate story...