Hall said her main concern is that the event does not damage the resource. There will not be a Forest Service staff person on hand to stop the event if it appears damage is occurring. If they go forward with the event, we would require them to reseed and our vegetation specialist would work with them during that. Canceling the hill climb would have disappointing consequences, Sullivan said. Many hotels and restaurants rely on the hill climb to provide an economic boost to the end of the winter season, he said.
Organizers donate significant sums to charity.
Moreover, businesses are suffering because of a poor winter season, Brown said. The most fragile area on the mountain is below the first cat track, where the course can be changed, and there is little growth on the upper mountain, he said. I know how important the hill climb is to the town, but there is no way they can say it won't damage the resource. If anything is going to do serious damage to the forest, then they should shut it down. Sullivan believes the hill climb will have less severe consequences than hikers do in the summer.