Shred Thread (OT Snow Sliding)

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.