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tuesday, january 15, 2019 // ISSUE 137
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Marquee festival celebrating 30th anniversary The 30th Jasper in January festival is bigger and bolder than ever. Upward of 125 events comprise this year’s annual roster of winter revelry. Myriam Bolduc, Marketing Manager for Tourism Jasper, says that from bigger headlining acts to brighter fireworks, the festival will ring louder and prouder than ever before. “Thirty years is a big milestone for Jasper,” Bolduc said.
SLUSH FUN // JAKE ALLEYNE RINGS IN THE NEW YEAR WITH A POLAR PLUNGE IN B.C.’S BERG LAKE. // DAVID HARRAP
To celebrate that milestone, a new series of free concerts and live events is being rolled out. The After Dark series started with Sloan, the East Coast rockers who played at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge January 11, and will end with Small Town Revival at the Whistle Stop Pub. In between, more than 20 shows will leave their mark on the festival, which runs until January 27. The Odds,
whose bassist Doug Elliott grew up in Jasper, play the Jasper Legion on January 19, while local singer/songwriter Pete Cherniawsky will entertain Marmot Basin guests throughout the festival. Thirty years ago, it was a Marmot Basin milestone which provided the seed initiative for JinJ. In 1988, Jasper National Park’s only commercial ski area was celebrating 25 years of operation. To mark the occasion, local promoters came together with special events and deals on lift tickets and hotel rooms. Today, that tradition continues, to an exponentially larger degree. Find details of the festival at www. jasper.travel and help ring in 30 years of celebrating Jasper in January.
bob covey //
bob@thejasperlocal.com
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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 137 // tuesday, january 15, 2019
editorial //
Local Vocal Confession time: I’ve poached. And I’m not talking about eggs. Neither am I talking about harvesting a bull trout. I’m talking about rope ducking at a commercial ski area. At 16-years-old, after having learned to snowboard in the coulees outside of the prairie town where I grew up, my friends and I looked forward to every chance we got to head to the mountains. Despite having grown up in Alberta with the Rockies visible from our back decks, avalanches weren’t something we associated with our sport of choice. Snowboarding was building jumps and riding chairlifts. Avalanches were something out of a cartoon—a powder cloud that came down from the top of a peak if Rocky and Bullwinkle yodelled loud enough. Then at Mt. Norquay, in Banff, four of us found ourselves at the top of the resort, staring down a serious pitch. The slope was covered in hip high moguls. To avoid it, we bypassed a rope and ignored the affixed closed-for-avalanche-danger signs. When we scooted back in-bounds, there waiting for us, with a stare that could have stopped a clock, was a member of ski patrol. He promptly skied us down to his office where our boards were confiscated and we were given a serious dressing down about the dangers of our actions. Our parents were called. Police involvement was threatened. While there was no confusion that we were contravening the rules, we were ignorant as to why these areas were closed. We certainly didn’t consider that the ropes were there for our protection. We headed home, lift tickets clipped, humbled by the experience. Not long after that, the lesson was crystallized further when tragedy struck the Alberta ski community. Four Calgary teenagers were killed in an avalanche near Fortress Mountain Ski Resort. I’ll never forget getting a call from my parents who, upon hearing me answer the phone at my friend’s house, were nearly crying with relief that we weren’t the victims. Plenty of Jasperites have had close calls in the mountains. Too many of us have had loved ones taken from us because the risks of travelling in avalanche terrain weren’t fully understood. It does no good to hide our mistakes. If we’re willing to make ourselves vulnerable and talk about our poor choices, others can find a safer path without learning the hard way. These days, if I’m poaching, it’s with a hollandaise sauce on standby. To those thinking about ducking the rope: think again. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
Gratitude for our caring community Dear editor: Our family ties to Jasper date back to 1924. It has been a wonderful place to live, in the mountains, among very special people. The past two months have demonstrated how remarkably caring the people of Jasper really are. Since early November, our nephew Les Olsen had been with us as he fought a courageous, losing battle with cancer. Les passed away at 4:30 a.m., January 1, at the Seton Hospital. On January 20, he would have been 67 years old.
so very pleasant. Thank you. The love, compassion and professional care was so uplifting to Les and the family also. Special thanks to Dr. Unsworth, the home care workers, and the hospital nursing staff. Our heartfelt thanks to Dave Yachyshen and our many other friends who took the time for daily visits. By the way, besides his love for the outdoors and his excellent horsemanship, he was a cracking good locomotive engineer. Have a safe trip, Les. I’m sure that we will all be together again someday.
Les’ best medicine has occurred with the visits by and in the company of so In deep gratitude, many of you, who made his final days - Harry Home, Jasper
The Jasper Local //
Jasper’s independent alternative newspaper 780.852.9474 • thejasperlocal.com • po box 2046, jasper ab, t0e 1e0
Published on the 1st and 15th of each month Editor / Publisher
Bob Covey.................................................................................... bob@thejasperlocal.com Art Director
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// community
tuesday, january 15, 2019 // issue 137 // the jasper local// page A3
THE JASPER IMMIGRATION COALITION HAS PARTNERED WITH THE JASPER LOCAL TO PRODUCE A SERIES OF PROFILES OF NEW CANADIANS IN THE COMMUNITY. THE JASPER IMMIGRATION COALITION IS A GOVERNMENT OF CANADA-FUNDED PROJECT THAT AIMS TO HELP IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITY’S CAPACITY TO WELCOME NEW CANADIANS WHO MAKE THEIR HOME HERE. MEET YOUR NEIGHBOUR, AND NEXT TIME YOU SEE THEM, SAY HELLO!
What’s your name? Dillon Lee How long have you lived in Jasper? Two-and-a-half years Were did live before coming to Jasper? Arnes Manitoba (population appx 100) Where are you from? Jeonju, South Korea (pop. appx 650,000)
WELCOME TO J-TOWN, DILLON!// S KOEBEL
people and learn, getting advice from others. What is one new thing you would like to try in the next year?
Ice climbing. I want to be able to climb outside all the time, but it’s hard to rock climb in the winter, so I want to try ice When I first came here, I couldn’t get over climbing. Ever since my friends told me the view of Pyramid Mountain. Every time about ice climbing I’ve watched a lot of I saw it, it overwhelmed me. It was nature videos, but all the videos I see are of people shock. I don’t know how else to describe it! falling and of ice breaking, with huge chunks of ice falling down. Every time I watch Was there anything that surprised you about Jasper? Anything you didn’t expect? those videos I get really nervous about ice climbing. It’s so scary! Community. I worked in Banff for a few months before I came here and I didn’t feel But you still want to do it? Sure! myself fitting in at all. That’s why I left and Is it fair to say you’re obsessed with went to Manitoba. When I came back, I didn’t climbing? expect this kind of kind of small community. Yes! (laughter) People keep asking me to go People are very nice to each other. They try try some new things, but I always end up to talk and help each other. climbing! Since coming to Jasper, have you become When you meet someone new, what is the involved in any new activities? first thing you want to know about them? Climbing! Growing up in Korea I didn’t have any favourite sports. Actually, I hated all the Do they climb? Hahaha sports! But, one day, my coworker told me she wanted to practice teaching climbing, so I For more information about went with her to the Morrow Slabs. Climbing the Jasper Immigration became my favourite sport right away, even Coalition, contact Doug though I was having a hard time learning! Olthof at dolthof@ I loved it. I’m an introverted person and it jaspercommunityteam.ca made me socialize more, to connect with What is your first memory of being in Jasper?
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page B1 // the jasper local // issue 137 // tuesday, january 15, 2019
Local public safety //
Rash of poachers spurs ski patrol to speak up
RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROPE // THESE SNOWBOARDERS WERE STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE BY STICKING TO OPEN TERRAIN, BUT NOT ALL GUESTS AT MARMOT BASIN HAVE KEPT IN KERRY MACDONALD’S GOOD BOOKS. THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY HAS BOOKED A PILE OF POACHERS SO FAR THIS SEASON.// BOB COVEY
Guests who duck the rope at Marmot Basin are potentially setting themselves up for a date in criminal court—and considering the risks involved, getting charged with public mischief would be a poacher’s best case scenario. Getting hurt or even killed in an avalanche is a much more terrifying prospect. Those who venture beyond the fence line are gambling with Mother Nature, according to ski patrol staff.
Already this season, more than 50 lift tickets have been revoked for rope-ducking. In cases where the incidents put people in real danger, ski patrol have involved the police.
snowpack,” MacDonald says.
Marmot Basin has been in operation for more than 50 years. Over that period, staff have become familiar with historical avalanche paths and run-out zones. Rope lines aren’t put up willynilly; they precisely delineate the danger areas.
“We’re seeing large avalanches triggered, and we’re seeing it repeatedly,” he said.
This year’s snowpack is dicey—although not totally out of the ordinary for this part of the Canadian Rockies. An early first storm in “We want to educate our guests on the October has since turned into large, unstable importance of our fence lines and the importance crystals underneath more than a metre of of being on the right side of them,” MacDonald densifying December pow. The stiffer that top said. “We take the breaching of that trust very layer gets, the more potential for a large-scale seriously.” avalanche, according to MacDonald.
For that reason, when two snowboarders were discovered in then-closed terrain in the Eagles “We’re seeing large avalanches being triggered East area earlier this season, ski patrol responded right to ground this year,” Marmot Basin’s swiftly. They stopped all of their control work director of public safety, Kerry MacDonald said. “There’s a real danger, that’s why we’ve drawn that line in the sand,” MacDonald said. on the upper part of the mountain to ensure “There’s a real danger of triggering something In his office at mid-mountain, the poachers stayed where they were while they very destructive when people are secured the surrounding area. In fact, the two MacDonald has an entire entering closed terrain.” “There’s a real danger of riders had already remotely triggered a slide season’s worth of avalanche In December, three different triggering something very work mapped out on dozens of from 40 metres away. It took four ski patrollers trespassing incidents, destructive when people are avalanche control sheets, each several hours to mitigate the avalanche risk involving a total of nine people, entering closed terrain.” to the point where they could egress safely, at of them affixed to clipboards resulted in local RCMP laying which stage the offenders were given a harsh which hang on the wall for charges against Marmot lesson in poaching before their rendezvous with quick reference. Each board Basin guests. Rob Ellen, Marmot’s director of the RCMP. denotes a different terrain feature, with detailed mountain operations, said in each case, ski hill notes on the control work performed for each “We’re fairly frank with them,” MacDonald says. management had the option of laying a more avalanche cycle. Expert skiers’ favourite zones— “We usually talk to them about making good life serious public mischief charge but instead Caribou Knoll, Tres Hombrés and Rock Gardens, choices.” stayed the indictments at petty trespassing, an for example, each have their own data sets for For others who might be lured by the prospect approximately $300 fine. recent explosive work, ski cutting and naturally- of fresh powder or don’t see the harm in “They didn’t understand the hazard the occurring avalanches. Below the clipboards, a copycatting the lines left by other rope duckers, mountains can pose,” Ellen said. “They were shelf lined with thick binders contains similar MacDonald and his team have a message: When legitimately ignorant of the risks.” data dating back to 1986. It’s all to help inform you poach, you’re putting yourself at risk—of Ski patrol wants to change this. Yet while the future forecasting and decision making when it injury or death, of a criminal record, and at the mountain’s off-limits areas are clearly marked, comes to making the hill safe for guests. very least, not being able to make any more turns riders still take the risk of triggering an “We have 40 years of history working with this at Marmot Basin, legal or otherwise. avalanche by going into closed zones. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com SKI MO UP THAN DOWN // SKI MOUNTAINEERING IS COMING BACK TO MARMOT BASIN MARCH 16 AND 17 WITH THE SECOND ANNUAL MARMOT’S REVENGE SKIMO RACE. THE EVENT WILL FEATURE AN ELITE COMPETITOR RACE ON SATURDAY AND A RECREATIONAL RACE ON SUNDAY. SKI MOUNTAINEERING IS ALPINE TOURING WITH A STOPWATCH. COMPETITORS USE SKINS ON THEIR SKIS TO CLIMB, THEN RIP THEM OFF TO DESCEND, THEN DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN UNTIL THEY REACH THE FINISH. A SKIS-ON-THE-BACK “BOOTPACK” IS ALSO PART OF THE RACE COURSE. CURRENTLY, EVENT ORGANIZERS ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS. TASKS INCLUDE RACE COURSE SET UP, TIMING AND OTHER LIGHT DUTIES. JASPER’S CHRIS GARNHAM IS COORDINATING VOLUNTEERS. EMAIL HIM AT CHRIS@GARNHAM.CA TO LET HIM KNOW YOU CAN HELP OUT. LAST YEAR WAS A HOOT. // BOB COVEY
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Local parties //
FILLER UP // THE JASPER CRAFT BEER AND BARLEY SUMMIT RETURNS TO THE FAIRMOUNT JASPER PARK LODGE FEBRUARY1 - 3. THIS YEAR JASPER LOCALS ARE ABLE TO PURCHASE PASSES WHICH WILL INCLUDE FOOD, DRINKS AND TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE FAIRMONT JPL FOR THE 6 P.M.-10 P.M. EVENTS ON FEB 1 AND 2. THEY’LL ALSO HAVE THE OPTION OF ADDING ON A SUPERBOWL PARTY FOR FEB 3. // BOB COVEY
tuesday, january 15, 2019 // issue 137 // the jasper local// page B2
JASPER’S JANET BARKER CELEBRATED HER 90TH CIRCLE AROUND THE SUN WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY JANUARY 12, TWO DAYS AFTER HER ACTUAL BIRTHDAY. BARKER IS WELL KNOWN FOR HER COMMITMENT TO JASPER’S SENIORS AND FOR HER FUNDRAISING EFFORTS FOR THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY. SHE AND HER LATE HUSBAND ERNIE CAME TO JASPER FROM CADOMIN, AB, WHERE JANET GREW UP. // BOB COVEY
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page b3+B4 // the jasper local // issue 137 // tuesday, january 15, 2019
FEATURE // STORY BY DAVID HARRAP // PHOTOS BY LIAM AND DAVID
PLUNGING
BERG LAKE It’s those lads again. The two who walked to Mexico; the ones who started the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot. Liam and Jake. Another tradition they started: Berg Lake for New Year’s.
They’ve only missed two years. One year there were 20 people; this year 11. Three times an old man has joined them, on equipment older than most of the revelers. He’s spent the night on his
end of a mighty day. Y the atmosphere.
It’s taken 14 hours for That’s a long time to b
It was 2009. Minus 30C. Just the two of them. Jake got blisters and frostbite and swollen feet so bad he could hardly get his ski boots back on. But they did it again and again, and other crazies from around the world would join them—even taking the polar plunge in a hole chopped through Berg Lake ice.
“It’s taken 14 hours for some to ski in. That’s a long time to be on your feet, struggling. This is a trip for suckers who like suffering. “
own at Whitehorn, arriving at dusk next day to a toasty warm shelter. The old man has come for the 190 proof Everclear, the Tanqueray Rangpur Gin, the litres of boxed Chardonnay and Merlot, for the board and card games. For the potluck dinner New Year’s Eve featuring Liam’s famous meatballs, bacon-wrapped pork roast, pizzas, homemade marzipan stollen, fresh baked sourdough bread, paté and French cheeses, vegetarian curry, the conga-line massage at the
and you won’t feel a thrill of it all.
It’s 20 kilometers to shelter. Some years the ice of Kinney L out for those ominous the lightless eyes of r down to oblivion.
Then the Kinney Lak that some years are s the Robson River ove Your skins and skis g you have to scrape th climbing the hill and Whitehorn and crossi suspension bridge. Yo on the cables by the p
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D HARRAP
INTO 2019:
E OR BUST
Yep, he comes for
r some to ski in. be on your feet, struggling. This is a trip for suckers who like suffering. But suffering is temporary, and one day this will be 20 years ago
a thing except the
o the Hargreaves s you can cross Lake, but watch s back holes like ravens: open water
ke outwash flats steaming from errunning the ice. get soaked and hem off before dropping down to ing the river on the ou sense the stress ponderous swing of
the snow-loaded bridge. Some revelers break the journey here and camp the night in one of the coldest sumps you’ll find in the mountains. You struggle up Emperor Hill thinking how the hell will I ski down this? Trail breaking can be waist deep, giving a chance for snow sculpting, for those waiting behind the snowplough. Then the awful slog at the end across Berg Lake. You’re knackered, shoulders rubbed raw from a heavy pack, big toes suffering from subungual hematoma because you’ve got the wrong boots, the wind’s in your face and it’s snowing hard and you can’t see the blasted shelter because it’s almost midnight. Little wonder that Ashley, struggling
small hole, for 50 cm of ice takes some chopping. The hole already has a thin skin of ice when the first reveler takes the plunge. One after the other they undress and gingerly lower themselves into the hole as if they were entering a hot tub. There’s a rumble from Berg Glacier rearranging itself. If they went in cautiously they pop back out like frantic corks suddenly released. Like Mike the headless chicken the naked lads immediately rush helterskelter back to the warm shelter. One reveler, who must have Scandinavian DNA, rolls in the snow to warm up. The ladies, however, calmly pop out from the hole and towel themselves off before dressing. (Ladies have more insulation so they tell me.) There are no fireworks at Berg—a few sparklers perhaps—no car horns announcing another year has past. Board games into the night, another belt of Tanqueray, a slice of brie, then the shelter settles down into silence— except for the thunderous sound of a Lamborghini (that’s the Lamborghini tractor); snoring so loud the floor shakes. David Harrap// info@thejasperlocal.com
up a particularly steep hill, said
incredulously to Liam when she caught him up: “Who on earth would do this twice?” But Ashley did. For like the old man the experience beguiled her and she had to do it again. Even the polar plunge . . . Early morning New Year’s Day. Minus 32C. Jake slips away from a sleeping shelter to the lake, ax over his shoulder. He’s chopping a hole in the ice for the polar plunge. It’s more of a dip in a
Jasper’s David Harrap is the author of The Littlest Hiker in the Canadian Rockies. Like the Berg Glacier on Mount Robson, there’s often a rumble when he’s rearranging himself.
TOLFA Law Office & EED
Barristers | Solicitors | Notaries
JASPER
780 852-2242
HINTON
780 865-1070
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page B5 // the jasper local //issue 137 // tuesday, january 15, 2019
local wildlife //
Crazy like a fox Parks Canada wants members of the public to let wild foxes be wild.
A bold member of the order of Carnivora has been surprising members of the public with its willingness to approach humans. The fox has been spotted in and around the townsite, approaching residents visitors and pets, actively looking for its next meal. It’s become habituated to human handouts and has been seen searching through unsecured garbage for food. “This is unsafe practice for both people and the animals,” Parks Canada’s communications officer, Steve Young said in a statement. “The fox has now connected the dots after someone fed it directly. Once this connection is made by the animal, it is impossible to change its behaviour.” Parks Canada will attempt to relocate the fox to other parts of the park, but biologists aren’t confident the relocation efforts will stick, Young said. “The excellent homing sense that nature has provided the fox becomes a challenge that is difficult to overcome.” If and when it returns, human wildlife conflict specialists will have no other option but to euthanize it.
WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY? // THIS CROSS FOX WAS ON THE HUNT A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN PHOTOGRAPHER SIMONE HEINRICH SPOTTED IT FROM HER VEHICLE. WHEN SHE PULLED OVER TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THE ACTION, THE FOX WENT RIGHT ON MOUSING. //@SIMONEHEINRICHPHOTOGRAPHY
In the meantime, a healthy cross fox was recently spotted by Jasper wildlife photographer Simone Heinrich. This fox wasn’t downtown bumming taquitos, he was searching out mice in a snowdrift about 20 km from Jasper—you know, in the wilderness, where foxes are supposed to live. When Heinrich spotted movement from her car she pulled over and discovered a cross fox on the hunt. Cross foxes are part of the red fox family, but less common than their red colored counterparts. Two black stripes which stretch along the back and the shoulders give them their name. Heinrich said the fox hardly acknowledged her presence as she set up her gear. She framed her lens so she could capture his jump—but on the first few pounces it leapt clear out of frame. “I didn’t expect it to jump so high,” she said. As the fox dined on mice, Heinrich said it yawned heavily with each feasting. “Mice must make him sleepy. Either that or he needed to stretch his mouth,” she laughed. Finally, the fox stopped for a rest in the sunshine before vanishing into the forest. The downtown fox might just take a lesson from this mouse hunter. Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
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local science //
tuesday, january 15, 2019 // issue 137 // the jasper local// page B6
A glacial epiphany for the everyman: Sandford wins science writing prize
It is, says author Robert William Sandford, a book about hope.
That book, Our Vanishing Glaciers: The Snows of Yesteryear and the Future Climate of the Mountain West, is also the winner of the prestigious 2018 Lane Anderson Award for science writing. Published by Rocky Mountain Books, the hardcover ode to glaciers explains and illustrates the profound and crucial role water—as liquid, as snow and as glacial ice—plays in making life on earth, and in the Canadian west, possible. Through personal reflection and cutting-edge scientific research, the book focusses on the Columbia Icefields, the largest and most accessible mass of glacial ice that “A shudder runs through straddles the your soul as you realize, Continental suddenly, what an ice age Divide and the really means. That is the Alberta/Britfeeling I want readers to ish Columbia take away from this book.” boundary just a one-hour drive from Jasper. With gorgeous photographs, aerial surveys, thermal imaging and 40 years of Sandford’s own personal observations—all anchored by the findings of some of the world’s most respected snow and glacier scientists—the book graphically outlines the projected rate of glacial recession in western Canada’s mountains over the remainder of this century. For Sandford, the book represents not only a personal connection to the Rockies landscape, but also a means of honouring the researchers’ dedication and commitment to learning as much as possible about the region’s glaciers for the benefit of all. “What inspired me to write this book—and to keep going on it year after year—was my love of these monumental landscapes. Everything I have written has been informed by a deep sense of place,” Sandford said. Since his own first encounters with glaciers more than four decades ago, the long-time Canmore resident said he’s been continually drawn back to the Columbia Icefields. And in his current role as EPCOR Chair for Water and Climate Security at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, the area represents a touchstone that has guided him through his career. “It is only now, after a lifetime in the mountains, that I have come to more fully realize the extent to which my experiences in this remarkable place have inspired not just direction but purpose in my life,” he said. One thing Sandford hopes readers might gain from this book—one of more than 30 he has written on the history, heritage and landscape of the Rockies—is a new appreciation for the importance of the global water cycle to our way of life. But another, he suggested, is a sense of awe. “What makes the glaciers of Canada’s western mountains unique is their relative accessibility. In
places you can literally get out of your car, and in a few moments, walk directly back into the Pleistocene, a colder epoch in the earth’s history when much of North America was buried beneath two kilometres of ice. Epiphany is possible here, he says; a sense of aesthetic arrest. “A shudder runs through your soul as you realize, suddenly, what an ice age really means. That is the feeling I want readers to take away from this book.” On a practical level, Sandford hopes glaciers will not only remind readers of our past, but inspire our future as human habits affect and alter the planet’s natural cycles. “There has probably never been a time in history when making science understandable to a vastly diverse public has been more important,” Sandford said. “We are also at a bottleneck in the evolutionary history of our species where failing to understand and act appropriately on what we know could have devastating impacts on future
AUTHOR BOB SANDFORD ACCEPTED THE 2018 LANE ANDERSON AWARD FOR SCIENCE WRITING. HE’S BEEN INSPIRED BY THE COLUMBIA ICEFIELDS HIS ENTIRE CAREER. // SUPPLIED
generations and potentially catastrophic effects on earth system function for the rest of time.” Winning the award is an honour, he said, not only for the recognition and the cash prize of $10,000, but for the way it honours his efforts. “It provides evidence that what I write is being read, an affirmation every author needs,” Sandford said. “This book is about hope. Not just wishful thinking, but the genuine hope we can have if we pay attention to what we know and act on that knowledge in the service of creating a better world and a more secure future for all who come after us. For that is what science is meant to do.” Lynn Martel // info@thejasperlocal.com
HOME TRAIL ADVANTAGE // JASPER’S MATT STANELAND RODE TO THIRD PLACE AT THE FROSTY’S FAT BIKE ENDURANCE RACE, A 40 KM SLOG UP AND AROUND TRAILS ON THE PYRAMID BENCH. THIS WAS THE FOURTH YEAR FROSTY’S HAS COME TO JASPER. // GVT