Revelstoke Grizzlies drop opening two games; Abbi Vigue named assistant coach – 21, 27
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The long way up
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Weds., September 18, 2013 www.revelstoketimesreview.com Vol. 116, No. 38
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TIMESReview
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On logging roads
The maintenance of logging roads is a mixture of responsibility between the province and the industrial user, depending on their designation. Alex Cooper/Revelstoke Times Review file photo
The Times Review looks into how forest roads are maintained, and what changes are coming up Alex Cooper
reporter@revelstoketimesreview.com
Nash Masson makes his way up the Sale Mountain logging road during the Martha Creek Meltdown on Saturday. The Scotsman finished second on the climb, just behind Peter Knight, but then posted the fourth fastest downhill time to win the enduro race in an amazing 1:57:17 – 12 minutes faster than Knight. Nick Quinn won the men’s downhill race in 24:25, only four seconds back of Marty Schaffer’s course record. Elinor Brown, the sister of Casey Brown, won the women’s DH race in 32:39, while Meghan Tabor won the women’s enduro in 3:20:46. 36 people took part in the race, which was fundraiser for the Revelstoke Cycling Association and the Live It! Love It! Foundation. Alex Cooper photography
The road up to Frisby Ridge has a new name – the Sledhalla Forest Service Road. It’s a name that was given to it by the government, who assumed control of the road this year, and with it, responsibility for maintaining it. With the popularity of the Frisby Ridge cross-country trail, and the expanding network of snowmobiling trails, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, converted the road into a Forest Service Road, meaning the government pays for the upkeep. This year, according ministry spokesperson Brennan Clarke in an e-mail response, it has meant $25,000 spent on road improvements, including brushing, ditch improvements, culvert upgrades and grading. More work is planned for next summer. The move is good news for the Revelstoke Cycling Association. It means the road to the much publicized and heavily-used alpine biking trail will be maintained even when no one is logging up there. It’s a cost the association can’t afford on its own.
“That’s outside of our financial capabilities,” said Keith McNab, the president of the RCA. Backcountry roads are the lifeblood of B.C. They snake into remote reaches of the province, accessing areas that would otherwise be untouched. There are more kilometres of backcountry roads than paved highways. They are usually built by industry, looking to access remote forests and mine sites. Then, they get used by the public, who use them for access to the backcountry. There are several categorizations for backcountry roads. Forest Service Roads are the main ones – the major trunk roads that are maintained by industry or the government, depending on how it’s being used. Offshoots are built by industry and used until they’re no longer needed, then they are deactivated. A logging road will build a road to facilitate harvesting activities, and when they’re done, they’ll put water bars across or remove a bridge the road to prevent erosion and block access. The future of resource roads has been the subject of debate in recent years, ever since the B.C. govern-
see page 24
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