Boot Heli skiing out of the Spearhead

[bfk]

just a friendly reminder to get your PLEASE BOOT WHISTLER HELI SKIING OUT OF GARIBLADI PARK request into BC Parks before the cut off deadline of Jan 10 on Thursday.

 

 

At the same time you can also say PLEASE ALLOW SOME LIMITED NEW MOUNTAIN BIKING TRAILS

 

 

 

Currently, heliskiing will be allowed to continue and no new biking trails will be allowed UNLESS ENOUGH PEOPLE RAISE A STINK.

 

 

 

 

comment form here:

 

 

 

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/planning/mgmtplns/garibaldi/garibaldi_mp_amend_comments.html

 

 

For our american and other friends, here is the skinny:

 

 

As quoted from the draft park plan: "Based on the public comments submitted via the questionnaire, 68% of respondents are not in favour of heli-skiing continuing in the park."

 

 

Yet for some inexplicable reason the plan proposes to continue allowing it to occur, offering only the vague rationale that to not do so would mean local heli skiing opportunities would suffer to the point of viability. Aside from the fact that this observation can be disproven by simply looking around at all the non park operators, No one from whistler Heliski, Whistler Blackcomb or BC Parks has presented a remotely compelling case to back up this assertion. Surely BC Parks dosn't simply take their word for it over a coffee and hand shake? Of course not so no doubt they are willing to share the details yet with such a deafening silence I suppose the "public" are expected to be content with wondering how the "stakeholders" conversation went behind closed doors. Funny choice of words that BC Parks used there ..... isn't the public the biggest stake holder of them all when it comes to such a public asset?

 

What is abundantly true and observable is the fact that backcountry ski touring is increasing in popularity while at the same time decreasing in available land base, mostly due to the proliferation of mechanized sledding in crown land areas. All BC park land is to some degree valued because of its wilderness attributes where fossil fueled recreation is incompatible. I'm not sure why BC Parks allows heli skiing yet no heli hiking but most likely due to wildlife concerns. For some reason they don't register quite the same concern with the sizable herd of human wildlife that migrate there every day in the winter! A fossil fueled activity available only to those who pony up a thousand bucks a day seems a rather odd fit in a piece of park where the average wage earner likes to find a little peace and a well earned break from the work week.

 

The park land adjacent to the ski hills is an increasingly rare commodity and is uniquely suited as ski touring terrain that requires only a day. Nowhere else in the whole of southwest BC can one easily gain so much elevation to first class wilderness mountain terrain for a single day of effort. I repeat - NO WHERE ELSE - Most everything else is either an overnight expedition or is poorer quality. Constant helicopter traffic has always been anathema to wilderness and is incompatible with the BC Parks experience. Whistler Heli skiing holds a huge amount of crown land tenure where it can conduct its business.

 

The management plan comes under review every 10 -20 years or so. Whistler heliski has operated IN THE PARK for thirty years despite a similar public opposition, under suspicion of a backroom deal between corporate and government insiders.

 

So please give us a nice big Cascadeclimbers UP YER ASS to the man and fill out the form. We will reward you with a nice little guided tour of all our best powder stashes next time you're up.

 

thanks!

 

[Pete_H]

You neglected to mention why heli-skiing is so bad.

[bfk]

I'm sorry I thought it was clear in my post. I would say the single most incompatible factor is noise generated by the steady helicopter traffic. I assumed that most back country skiers were familiar with the conflict issues with heli skiing or other heli activities that persist in duration.

 

For those still a little puzzled imagine ski lifts giving you access to Boston Basin or somewhere similar. Now imagine it with heli skiing and without.

 

I'm not opposed to heli skiing at all. Many of my friends are heli ski guides or pilots and I recognize the economic value of the industry. In this particular piece of land it is inappropriate and in direct conflict with a relatively rare value and they have many other options outside the park. The incompatibility is obvious but to date the decisions have been driven by backroom deals that serve a single corporate interest - and this is in a wilderness park. This will continue unless there is enough public opposition.

 

I imagine quite a few of your usual forum users know what I talking about.

At any rate, if concerned please submit your comments to influence the decisions at BC Parks.

[AlpineK]

I've seen most of the heli landing spots around the Spearhead. The slopes that drain back towards Whistler-Blackcomb seem like border land. Landings seem, "Not perfect, but OK."

 

Are they trying to move into the McBride Range? I recall some talk about a new lodge in the valley between Wedge and Blackcomb-Spearhead Range.

 

Helicopters- skiers, and mobilers use the mountain region north of Whistler and have done so for a long time.

[jon]

In the article I read about the Spearhead hut the problem seemed to be that it was not going to be viable without trails being built for summer use at a cost of a million dollars, and somehow WhistlerBlackcomb, who owns the heli skiing operation, was not going to provide the money for that unless their tenure was approved. Am I understanding this correctly?