The two things—snow and mountains—which are needed for a ski area are the two things that cause avalanches, large mass of snow and ice crushing down the side of a mountain—often called White Death. It was the threat of the avalanche and its record as a killer of man in the western mountains that created the snow ranger. He first started on avalanche control work in the winter of 1937—1938 at Aha, Utah, in Wasatch National Forest. This mountain valley was becoming well known to skiers. It was dangerous. In fact, more than 120 persons had lost their lives in 1936 and another 200 died in 1937 as a result of avalanches before it became a major ski area. Thus, development of Aha and other major ski resorts in the west was dependent upon controlling the avalanche. The Forest Service set out to do it, and did, with its corps of snow rangers. It takes many things to make a snow ranger. The snow ranger must be in ex A. the Forest Service B. the Resource Bureau C. the Tourist Board D. the Sports Bureau
