On the B.C. Day long weekend, I was with my family in Whistler. Many activities were done and enjoyed, but the most enjoyable and craziest one of all was my decision to go with the younger generation on a float trip down the River of Golden Dreams, despite the discouraging reports of too-low water for our little rubber dinghy, too many sticks and fallen tree trunks.
We started our trip at the end of Lorimer Road. The rubber dinghy did not look on land all that small, but when my two grandsons tried to get this 85-year-old, crazy lady into the boat, it felt like an elephant trying to fit into a walnut shell.
OK, let our dreams begin.
In the first two boats is one of my grandsons, and in the other, his wife. Then it is my turn, but in my case, my other grandson walks behind the boat pushing it or holding it back. After us come my daughter and granddaughter.
The sun is shining and there are no boats or rough waters around us, but suddenly we experience some challenges and I decide to lie on my stomach and become the pilot, directing my grandson: “Stick to the right or left, very low water ahead or stump with fast running water to the left or right.” When this happens, I float into still, standing water or hold on to branches while he helps his mother and sister to get through the water rush. In the meantime, we try not to be a nuisance to the canoeists, stand-up paddlers or other boaters.
We have lots of laughs, but above all, I am enjoying the absolute fantastic view of the snow-capped mountains, particularly Wedge Mountain, towards which we are slowly, slowly floating.
It puts me almost in a state of meditation, all the worries of this world disappear and I feel like a little child, with no pain, nothing but contentment, happiness and peace, although frequently interrupted by giving direction to my co-pilot, passing groups of floaters just staying around and sunbathing or letting the serious floaters go by.
We are getting towards the end of our dream float; the sun disappears behind high trees and the water gets deeper and I wake up to reality and my responsibility as an adult.
My grandson in the water is cold and almost hypothermic. High time to get him out of that water, though he is not accepting any offer to change with my other grandson. So I am counting the minutes until we are at the landing. When we reach Meadow Park, he runs up towards sun, warm asphalt and is provided towels and I am helped out of my walnut shell.
It was a wonderful trip down the River of Golden Dreams, but should there be a next time, it will be in a much bigger rubber dinghy where my co-pilot and protector can enjoy the float as much as we did.
Wally Becker // North Vancouver
Calling out Vail Resorts’ pass-credit policy
I phoned to renew season passes for the family for 2020-21 and, much to my surprise, was told that because we were getting a credit for the early closure of the mountain last season, we were not entitled to the 10-per-cent family discount.
This is despite the fact that per the Whistler Blackcomb website, it is available to anyone who purchases at least one adult and one child/teen season pass. There is no indication in their advertising anywhere restricting the discount to pass holders that are receiving a credit (which would be pretty much all pass holders from last season).
I was told it was one or the other: If I wanted the family discount, then I had to forgo the 2019-20 credits.
This is quite frankly ridiculous. The credits (which should have been a refund but that’s another story) are compensation for the early closure of the mountain last season. Why should that mean that we don’t get a family discount this season, which is advertised as been available to anyone who buys an adult and youth pass?
This is another example of Vail Resorts making a big song and dance about looking after its customers and then not honouring its commitments.
As per usual, when I asked for an explanation, I was stonewalled, with the person I spoke to repeatedly saying that this was just the way it is.
It’s disgraceful business practices like this (and others), which give them a deservedly bad name.
Ian Quek // Whistler
WedgeWoods West and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District
What a shame. Yukon Inc., the company that built WedgeWoods, wants to build more affordable housing, five minutes from Rainbow shopping centre, and our elected officials found ways to make it not happen.
This fully serviced development would allow workers who are the backbone of our communities to buy a three-bedroom townhome for $450,000, supply affordable rentals to singles, couples and seniors in one- and two-bedroom apartments. And they were going to give the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) 300 acres as well. Why not ask for more homes?
What’s not to like?
Well, I’ll tell you: Excuses like you should be able to walk to your services and amenities; the traffic is going to be affected and it’s a dangerous intersection; how are we going to manage it?; what about the liability of owning all that land?; is it going to be built to the highest building standards?; Whistler’s original resident housing covenants were unenforceable, so we better not do this one.
This is scary stuff! It’s the, “No, Can’t, Shouldn’t and Won’t Board.”
I certainly hope when election time comes around, we remember who was trying to make things happen, or not.
Bruce Watt // Whistler
Madeley Lake trail should not be gated
I am a winter supporter of Whistler Olympic Park (WOP), a Whistler taxpayer who funds WOP, a hiker, chair of the Alpine Access Committee of the Alpine Club of Canada (Whistler Chapter), and on the board of the Whistler Rotary.
I am most upset that I cannot drive to Madeley Lake to hike on a trail built with free Rotary workers and money.
The Squamish Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) should withhold campsite approval and capital grants to WOP until WOP removes the gate blocking off the Madeley Lake access road.
There is growing concern from the public that Whistler Olympic Park has blocked this public driving access to Madeley Lake. Unknown to us, years ago, somehow WOP was able to expand its tenure to include the Madeley Lake Forest Service Road (FSR) and the lake, because in the summer it appeared to be an FSR open to the public.
The WOP tenure is not exclusive and the public right to vehicle access must be restored. During the winter, the gate can be locked to preserve cross-country snow quality. In the summer, if in a fire or emergency, the gate can be locked and the area patrolled for rowdy campers, but this denial of access is not in the public interest.
For decades, the Madeley Lake road has provided access to Madeley Lake for a variety of outdoor recreation activities including canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, fishing, camping, and hiking.
While it is still possible to access these areas on foot, it adds approximately five kilometres each way, which is an insurmountable distance for anyone wanting to take personal watercraft, such as kayaks, to Madeley Lake. It also makes the previously reasonable day trip to Hanging Lake on the Madeley Rainbow Trail a much more challenging outing.
At a time when all forms of backcountry use are dramatically increasing, every effort should be made to maintain or increase public access to the backcountry, not to close it off.
Impeding public access to one area only moves the problem to a different area. At a time when many areas of the backcountry are at or near capacity it is imperative that we do not lose any existing access points.
We need more, not less, public access to public lands to recreate. The private tenure of public lands was never intended to reduce recreation by the public, but to increase public participation by private capital investments. In the case of Madeley Lake, a private operator, created with public money, is stopping hikers from using trails built by public money.
Michael Blaxland // Chair, Alpine Access Committee, Alpine Club of Canada-Whistler Section
(Editor’s note: Please see www.piquenewsmagazine.com, “Proposed campsites at Whistler Olympic Park ‘premature’: RMOW,” Aug. 12 for more on this story.)
Saying goodbye
It was with a heavy heart that I learned of the passing of Mike Suggett.
Fond memories of all the times he would walk past our house with a call out, “Johnny!”
Many conversations shared and remembered. Farewell, my friend “Crazy Mike.” May you rest in peace.
John Champion // Whistler
Mismanagement in salmon
fishing continues
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has had the Fraser River open for several gillnet fisheries this summer, despite saying that the closures for sport and commercial fishing were for conservation concerns about Chinook salmon, along with the fact this was one of the worst years for Fraser River sockeye ever.
We all know that gillnets can’t selectively fish!
Thus far, DFO’s own website is reporting 8,716 Chinook harvested in these fisheries in the lower Fraser River: (See https://www-ops2.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fraserriver/firstnations/HTMLs/ChinookKeptCatch.htm.)
The harvest of Chinook in the mid and upper Fraser River is 2,254: (See https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/fraser/docs/abor-autoc/UpperFraser/UMFHarvestReport-eng.htm.)
They also harvested 7,692 sockeye in the upper and mid-Fraser River: (See https://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/fraser/docs/abor-autoc/UpperFraser/UMFHarvestReport-eng.htm)
After having fishing closed in the Howe Sound and Vancouver area from April 1 to Aug. 31, 2020, this appears to be more like a selective reallocation of salmon than an actual move to act on conservation!
We have to ask federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan how she can allow this mismanagement to happen.
Dave Brown // Whistler
Consider half-day reservations on mountain
I read the rather confusing communication regarding the coming winter season’s mountain access limitations. One thing I came away with was that mountain access would be limited by a reservation system that would only reserve by the full day. I think that’s a mistake that could easily be fixed.
I’m an old guy who still enjoys my skiing. I show up early and am gone by noon. There are many others who follow a similar pattern. There are also many people who show up at “the crack of noon” and ski to the end.
It would be a simple technological job to accommodate both of us types within the daily limit.
As I understand it, only passes that have reservations will be valid on any given day. Fair enough. Then why not allow those of us who leave early, the simple opportunity to “check out” for the day. This could be handled in any one of many ways, all of them simple. Our passes would be invalidated for the rest of the day. There could then be a physical or virtual queue of those wanting mountain access. The next pass in the queue (or the next person in line) could be validated for the rest of the day.
Please give this idea some consideration.
It’s to everybody’s benefit and would be simple to implement.
Jamie Pike // Whistler
Art on the Lake was best day on the water
A friend and I packed a garbage bag of dry clothes, a kayak paddle, and our two-year-olds and jumped into our inflatable dinghys, with a bit of trepidation as to how it would all go.
With ducks, drones, saxophones, DJs, bands, live art, and every watercraft and paddler in the community on the water, kids Forest (Murl) and Felix (Stewart) were easily entertained for our 1.5-hour paddle down the lake.
Everyone was out there for what was by far the best day I’ve had on the water in Whistler, and the best adventure with my little dude to date.
Thanks so much to the Arts Whistler team for finding a way for this community to have fun, embrace our artists, and enjoy all this community can do, in a COVID-19-friendly event.
Jeff Murl // Whistler
So long, Whistler
It’s been a great 40 years, but it’s time to go.
Thank you to all the amazing people I’ve met here through work and fun over the years. You have enriched my world and showed me what matters in life.
It’ll be strange in a world without all of you, not to mention the sports, wildlife and scenery.
All the best, Whistler. I’ll miss you.
Bruce Rowles // Qualicum Beach
