what's up Ski Canada??
First off, love the mag! Now on the to reason for my writings...
No doubt growing up in Ontario is a tease for skiers. We read the magazines and watch the video's only to dream of big mountain lines and jumps into fluff. Eventually I decided to take advantage of youth and move to Whistler, but moved back years ago to finish school. Returning to the cold Ontario winter after experiencing real mountains out west is tough, but I brought back with me a spirit of exploration. My posse and I grew up skiing the same hills in Collingwood for years. Aside from learning new steez in the park skiing became boring, and i was missing powder big time. The spirit of exploration brought us to parts of our 'mountain' that we'd never been before, and recharged our skiing batteries. One day, we stumbled upon a place our dreams were made of with open glades, cliffs, and best of all powder. We named it 'the backcountry' and tried to keep it a secret for as long as we could. Eventually I realized that sharing a secret like this is more fun. There is something satisfying about putting a smile on someones face, and exposing them to a place in Ontario that no one thought existed. So, I'd like to pass on a message to all those who ski on the small hills of the east: EXPLORE! You never know what you'll find.
Here are some pics that finally prove theres powder in Ontario, you just have to know where to find it! There are more where these came from too.
Greg Sturch
by email March 22, 2008
GLOBAL STORMING
»In his recent column (“Is it all doom
and gloom?”, December 2006), George Koch
lists a number of skeptics to counter the UN
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
report by over 2,000 climate scientists. Koch’s
skeptics include: Frederick Seitz, who was born
in 1911; William Gray, who doesn’t believe man
is involved in global warming; Hans Von Storch,
who thinks climate change is a good thing; and
Martin Durkin, who compares environmentalists
to Nazis. At the end of his article Mr. Koch refers
to his website Dr. J & Mr. K. Dr. J is a petroleum
geologist who used to work for Husky Oil.
Over the past 60 years, Canada’s average
temperature has increased 1.98 degrees, with
six of the warmest years occurring in the last
decade. Last year, Ontario’s largest ski resort, Blue
Mountain, laid off 1,300 workers after closing
down its ski operations in the middle of the winter
season for the fi rst time in the resort’s 65-year
history. Thomas Grandi and Sarah Renner have
witnessed the impact of global warming with
the cancellation of several World Cup ski races.
They aren’t focused on doom and gloom; they are
trying to do something about it by being part
of “Play It Cool.” I think Ski Canada should take
more seriously the threat of climate change to the
skiing industry since your magazine won’t sell very
well when skiing becomes an extinct sport.
NANCY BIGGS, Ottawa
»I found George Koch’s article to be a thoughtful,
well-presented compilation of personal observations
and excerpts from various sources that illustrate that
there is nothing new about change, and that bad
science is more common than generally suspected.
Want to see confi rmation that the world is changing?
Go to the Interpretative Centre at the Columbia
Icefi elds in Jasper National Park. Historical photos
show the Athabasca Glacier retreating quickly long
before man-made effects would have had a large
infl uence.
As to what these changes mean to our small part
of the world. In the 10 years I have been involved in
the B.C. ski industry, I have seen:
• Record amounts of snow (1998-99)
• Record thin snowpack due to a persistent (cold)
Arctic high-pressure system (2000-01)
• Less than normal snowpack with little snow below
1,400 metres (2003-04)
• Great snow year if you didn’t mind the Pineapple
Express in January (2004-05)
• Great snow year with the most snow at 1,000
metres elevation since 1998-99 (2006-07)
Yes, I think we should work hard to minimize our
impact on the world and the atmosphere. No, I don’t
think exporting cash in carbon credits trading is the
way to go.
And if you can stand one more story, this time
from The Globe and Mail: the focus of the article
was on how the Inuit of Canada’s far north are
affected by climate change. The writer related how
the rising temperature was melting the permafrost
and releasing long-frozen logs, which the Inuit were
burning for fi rewood. He never did get around to
theorizing how warm it must have been to grow
those trees that far north.
TOM MORGAN, Monashee Powder Snowcats,
Vernon, B.C.
» George Koch is certainly entitled to his
opinions on climate change, but what possessed
you to publish them in Ski Canada? If I want to
read this kind of misinformation, it’s all too easy
to fi nd elsewhere. Please stick to what you do best
and leave climate change denial to the “experts.”
JOHN WELLS, Victoria
» Well, George Koch is a global-warming skeptic.
I can’t say I’m surprised. It’s consistent with
his right-wing, conservative thought processes.
And he’s right, he’s an “untrained oaf.” He really
should have spent more time reading the scientifi c
reports and thinking things through a bit better.
He’s embarrassingly silly. I’m surprised and
disappointed that you published this article. I
have never liked George Koch’s writing and would
be quite happy if it disappeared from Ski Canada.
DON HEPPNER, Nanoose Bay, B.C.
» Well done, George Koch! There should be more
articles like yours in Canadian magazines. Instead,
we are getting a lot of “globull” stories! Keep up
the good work.
ANDRE BOGDAN, Calgary
» George Koch starts off by saying his article
is “not about whether global warming is
happening,” but then goes on to drag out every
hoary argument against climate change in
circulation—from I had an awesome ski day in
April so it can’t be true to quotes from weather
forecasters pointing out that Al Gore isn’t a
scientist. It’s important to think for yourself,
George, but rehashing old debates about
temperature graphs, obsessing over debunked
documentaries and tracking down dissenting
voices doesn’t refl ect free thinking, it refl ects
intellectual stubbornness.
For readers who want more information, I
suggest these sites: go to realclimate.org for
a plain language summary of the scientifi c
arguments that climate change is happening,
human caused and not good for the planet’s
future; for a quick response to arguments
against climate change, go to gristmill.grist.org
and see “How to Talk to a Climate Skeptic” or
newscientist.com for “Climate Change: A Guide
for the Perplexed”; and for a detailed review of
the fl aws in Great Global Warming Swindle, go
to medialens.org and look in the archive for the
March 13, 2007, alert.
KEVIN WASHBROOK, Vancouver
» I read George Koch’s latest article in Ski Canada.
Is he nuts? He’s gonna get killed by some greenie—
gonna get shot with some hybrid gun. Loved every
line of the article.
FRED PULLER, Sparwood, B.C.
» Koch’s prose fumes like a glossy 300-pound
mass of ordure, oscillating between the sublimely
illuminating and the ridiculously offensive. I yearn
for it. It’s a fl agrant announcement of the writer’s
metamorphosis into a total being, pointing rigidly
at the failure of intuition. The glare it casts on a
prohibition of angst is nothing short of blinding. It
breathes mortality. As the reader, we are compelled
to strip away our own layers of awareness, leaving
nothing attached to the singularity but fear and
commitment. I found the primitive, writhing
sinews of this piece to be simultaneously
delightful and disquieting. This is not merely
art—it is an event. Koch is indeed a fearless
and meticulous visionary who knows that his
audience must not be only moved, but also
removed—relocated and recontextualized
in the presence of his work. This is the key!
This story must be understood for what its
intentions are not—a brutal challenge to
the reader, almost a threat in the face of
anachronistic corruption.
JEFF TAYLOR, Toronto
Huh? Yes, well, um, on that note, more discussion
on the world according to Koch next issue, and I
promise, lots of other subjects. —Ed.
NOW IN THE MAJORS
After reading the fi rst half of the article
“Community Centres,” (Raymond Schmidt, Winter
2007) I’d like to add I, too, am a Kitchener
native. I also learned how to snowplow, carve,
spread-eagle and bomb icy “hills” there my fi rst
season. I’m proud to say I’ve made the move to
the West Coast. I’ve lived here for almost a year
in a four-bedroom with six other people. Why,
you ask? Because Whistler, Baker, Cypress and
Seymour are beyond any experience imagined
at Chicopee or anywhere else in Ontario for that
matter. Do yourself a favour and visit Whistler
and maybe you’ll just want to move here, too.
BRENT HILLIER, obsessed skier,
born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario,
forever now a resident of B.C.
FEELING LEFT OUT
Well done on the Buyer’s Guide 2007 issue.
There was just one thing that bugged me:
Collingwood’s Best with Hank Shannon in Short
Turns. Hank is a great guy and he’s always helpful
in the store where he works. But he failed to
mention the club with the best variety of runs
as well as, in fact, what might be the best run
in Collingwood. Crescendo is located on the new
section of Alpine’s steeps. The runs discussed are
very good, but none can compare to Crescendo.
The run starts off steep and rolls right to left as
you almost free fall to the bottom. This run is not
for the faint of heart. Experts only!
BARTON LANE, Coach, Alpine Ski Club, Ontario
GOSH, GUSH, BLUSH
Thank you Ski Canada! There sure are a lot of
lousy magazines and websites fl oating around but
you’re the only one my family and I read—and
“read” being the operative word. My 12-year-old
son came home from the ski show with a
ski magazine apparently written by illiterate
snowboarders disguised as skiers but even my son
said “there’s not much in this” and went back to
reading the family bible. (That’s you guys.) You’ve
always been a magazine for all skiers, so please
don’t go changing just because it’s not sexy these
days marketing to adults. We’re still the ones doing
the buying! I wish I could read all the tested skis
in one issue, otherwise keep up the great work!
JASON O’BRIEN, Guelph, Ontario
'P' is for powder, not party
Your Spring 2007 issue has an item by Pat
Lynch about the Whistler annual piss-up and
hoping-to-get-laid festival (“Spring is in the
Air”). What this description of the relentless
search for self-indulgence has to do with skiing
is beyond me. I would expect to fi nd this sort of
sophomore writing in Ski Press, not in Ski Canada.
This issue also had Iain MacMillan’s First
Tracks column about skiing at my home hill, Red
Mountain. We (and I’m speaking only for myself
and friends, not the management/owners) are
happy that you enjoyed your experience and
would be more than pleased to have you visit
again to show you around so that you can enjoy
what we believe is a true ski experience—far
from the madding crowds and motorized morons.
STEVEN HORVATH, Rossland, B.C.
Skiing down memory lane<
Thumbs up to Martin Olson for “The Good, the
Bad—and the Ridiculous” in your Winter 2007
issue. Having grown up with or lived through most
of these innovations, some of which I tried, some
I used and some I laughed at, the article brought
back many memories.
When I was 10 (in 1950), Santa brought me a
set of cable bindings, which made the fi xed heel
possible. I can’t remember what I got last Christmas
but those cables stay with me forever. Too bad they
weren’t included in your “Lost Out to Technology.”
In 1960, as a 19-year-old, I was in the start gate
for the “non-stop” training run at the Lauberhorn in
Wengen. The Marker rep stopped me with a “Was ist
das?” in referring to the long thongs and bear traps
that had me firmly connected to my skis. I met
him at the hotel that evening, where he mounted
Marker toepieces on all my skis and thus I was
introduced to my first “safety bindings.”
Finally, I’d like to comment on those early rope
tows that ruined gloves daily, blackened the back
of your jacket and, if you were not careful, wound
your loose clothes around the rope so that only a
primitive safety gate at the top saved you from a
date with the bullwheel. Nevertheless, no modern
lift can compete with an old-fashioned rope tow
for moving skiers up a short slalom training hill.
DENIS SMITH, Silver Star, B.C.
My suggestions for “Bad ideas that seemed
like a good idea at the time”: skin-tight ski
pants without any insulation circa 1970, and
early-issue Lange plastic boots with no padding
in the tongue.
RICHARD WRIGHT, Bradford, Ontario
Are you ready for heli-skiing?
I want to clear up some misconceptions
about heli-skiing: Am I good enough? Am I
too old and out of shape? Well, I’m 21 years
old, I bike 20 miles a day, have no bad habits
and I’m filthy rich. Reality check! I’m 55,
six foot two and 240 pounds—mostly in the
middle. I’ve been skiing for 11 seasons and
can fly down anything that’s been groomed.
If it’s ungroomed, it’s not so pretty. I exercise
regularly by getting off the couch to go to the
fridge for…ah…diet pop. I have all the bad
habits, and that may have had something to
do with the heart attack I had two years ago.
Like I said, reality check.
Last January, I was with a group of 20
friends at Panorama near Invermere, B.C. We
arrived on a Saturday and one of the couples
suggested we look into going heli-skiing.
After skiing all day Sunday on the groomers,
six of us decided to give it a try. After all,
what’s the worse that could happen? Die?
Been there, done that.
We checked the weather for the week and
decided to go on Tuesday. It was calling for
sunny skies and a “little snow” on Sunday and
Monday nights. What could be better than a
little fresh snow on a sunny day? On Monday
morning we awoke to a “little snow,” about
30 cm worth. We were “heli-skiing” off the
top of the lifts. The snow gods knew I would
need some practice before my big day, so we
got to do that in knee-deep powder. We skied
the whole day and were still finding fresh
powder in the late afternoon.
The next morning there was another 20
cm of powder. We were picked up by the
RK Heliski shuttle van, which took us for
breakfast. The last meal of a condemned
man came to mind. After breakfast, we all
were fitted with powder skis, poles and a
transceiver (I think to help find what will be
left of my body). We were taught how to use
the transceivers and also instructed in the
safety dos and don’ts of the helicopter — like
taking that big arms-up stretch when you first
get out. Not a good idea!
For me, a first-timer, RK made me feel
relaxed and gave me confi dence in what I
was about to do. There were 12 people in our
group of fi rst-timers, from the U.K., Australia,
U.S. and some locals. One was a doctor, which
was a comforting thought.
We lifted off and flew over Panorama as if
to take one last look at civilization. The ride
itself was smooth, and the sound of the prop
changed with the air currents. The pilot was a
veteran of some 30 years and could land that
thing on a dime.
When we arrived at our first-descent
staging area, we all climbed out, keeping very
low, and huddled together in a circle as if
looking for someone’s contact lens. With a big
gust of wind, our ride was gone—then total
silence. I looked around at the mountains
and couldn’t help feel disconnected from the
outside world, totally on our own.
We clicked into our skis, grabbed our
poles and, after a few simple rules from our
guide, we pushed down a gentle open slope.
It didn’t take long to get used to skiing in
waist-deep powder—the kind you see in the
movies, more than 50 cm of fresh, champagne
powder, untracked. It felt as if you were
floating, but with a bouncy feeling as though
there were a “sponge” buried deep beneath
the snow.
The lines we took were easy, sweeping
turns, the kind you take at the end of a day.
Then came the hard part, stopping. When
you’re hip-deep in powder, you’re not really
sure where your skis are. I guess I put too
much weight on my downhill ski and let my
uphill ski relax too much, sending the tip into
a steep dive. I knew what was coming next,
so I just rolled, headfirst, like a beach ball—
and came up laughing.
With a big grin on my face, we started
down the next leg of our run. It was a little
steeper and because of avalanche possibility,
we were skiing in the trees all day. We had
fun making first tracks, and helping each
other when needed. In the photo of my wife
buried, all you can see is her left arm, which
was raised for help—or was she pointing at
something with her finger?
We were told it would get a “little” steeper
as we went along. I said to our guide, “We are
only intermediate skiers, not experts.” He said
we could do it—it’s only a short way back to
our ride. And he was right; after a while we
really got a handle on this steep-and-deep
thing. He told us later that the degree of
pitch on that part of the run was 45 degrees.
Talk about a confidence-builder.
We skied two runs before lunch and two
more after. The trees got thicker, the snow
deeper and the smiles wider. At one point, my
snowboarder friend Rick watched me having
fun in some really deep drifts and said all he
could see was a cloud of snow and my hands
working the poles.
Back at the heli-pad, we had a few cold
ones and looked at each other’s pictures. Our
faces actually hurt from smiling so much. My
wife looked at me and said, “I can’t believe
we just did that.” She kept saying it all night
long. I know, because I couldn’t sleep either.
Just thinking about it. The next day, we were
back at Panorama, skiing the runs we thought
we couldn’t do.
Are you too old to heli-ski? If I could do
it, anybody can. Get out there and do it.
Life’s too short, enjoy it now. It’s worth every
cent. No matter what life throws at me, I
will always have that memory. And that, my
friend, is priceless.
ALEX ANDERSON, Brampton, Ontario
from Winter 2007 issue
You printed an article by Raymond
Schmidt praising the endless
virtues of Canada’s super-mountain
Nakiska (“Made in Canada,” November
2005). Yes, the hidden gem that is
Nakiska has finally been unearthed,
thank God, right? Well, first of all
you should know that you aren’t the
only ones with a 1988 Olympic Bid
Book so don’t lie about its contents.
To sum up, you wrote that Nakiska
was constructed because Mount Sparrowhawk
receives no snow and is too
rugged. Just because it doesn’t snow
all summer doesn’t mean a mountain
receives no snow.
As well, the original
site of the 1988 Olympics was to be
built across two mountains, Mount
Sparrowhawk and Mount Shark, and
was to be known as Spray Lakes Alpine
Centre. Both of the mountains
receive between 700-800 cm of the
fluffy stuff a year. That may not seem
like much when compared with Nakiska’s
250 cm, but it’s still about four
times taller than me.
But give credit
where credit is due—Nakiska did
host the Olympics after nearly cancelling
the downhills due to wind. Who
would’ve missed the appropriately
dubbed “Mickey Mouse Downhills” of
the ’88 Games; the organizing committee
nearly had to build onto the
mountain to have enough vertical
to meet FIS standards.
Of course,
Nakiska’s grooming is top-notch—for
two runs. As for Nakiska’s “end-ofseason”
powder dumps due to Spray
Lakes’ ridiculously close proximity to
Nakiska, Spray Lakes’ end-of-season
dumps are not only the same but way
bigger. I have only one thing to say:
Ski Canada, you lied to us. You lied
about how truly bad Nakiska is (and
I’ve only scratched the surface) and
more importantly, you lied about the
great potential that the Spray Lakes
Alpine Centre has. You hurt skiing the
day you published this article.
CHRISTOPHER MILLER, Calgary
Who would have thought an
article on Nakiska would invoke
so much passion. Bravo! —Ed.
