There was an article in the
Sierra Wave about the storm, and what some felt was the "selective" enforcement of the chain requirement by the CHP, even for those individuals with 4x4 and snow tires. Seems why over the top, but this is California, after all. I was at Walker Pass (178) Sunday AM doing a short hike north on the PCT.
Ha! Over here on the west side, the CHP has been enforcing that "carry chains even if you have 4WD with M+S tires" rule for years. I have a set of tire cables that I throw in the back of the 4WD every trip -- just in case they're stopping and checking people. I guess the idea is that sometimes 4WD fails, so the chains are a backup.
It does get bad, though. A few years back, I helped a guy with a van get it started using my jumper cables in the ski area parking lot. Then 20 miles later, came upon him again at a particularly icy section. An icy little storm had arrived, one pickup had nosed completely over the edge, all we could see was the tail end.
The van driver couldn't even move past the accident scene. He was trying to turn sharp toward the center of the road, and every time he moved, his front end was sliding sideways toward the ditch. I had him turn toward the ditch and back up. That allowed the tires to roll back up-slope toward the center. Then he turned straight ahead and inched away.
So I can understand when the CHP closes down a road due to cars "stacked like firewood."
