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RCR lets air out of terrain parks

Riders protest decision to remove jumps at six resorts
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The air will be even thinner this winter at ski areas owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. Brad Kasselman, www.coastphoto.com

Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) is taking the unusual step of removing all the jumps from their terrain parks this season in an effort to make their mountain resorts safer.

“All man-made snow jumps will be eliminated from RCR terrain parks this season,” said Matt Mosteller, senior director of business development for RCR.

“We have found that one of the main issues that increase the likelihood of serious injury on our mountains is big air. When we are making decisions about safety at our resorts, the big jumps in the terrain parks always come into the equation. We decided to make a change.”

At the same time RCR is adding new rails and features to its advanced parks, and creating beginners parks at several resorts. They have also added a Rail Jam Series to their calendar for this season, with contests at Lake Louise Mountain Resort, Fernie Alpine Resort, and Nakiska.

The changes will also apply to RCR resorts at Kimberley, Mont-Sainte-Anne and Stoneham.

Comments on a Fernie website were overwhelmingly negative. Several people suggested that the decision to remove the jumps had more to do with insurance and liability concerns than safety. They made note of the recent court case where a 27-year-old skier who was paralyzed while riding a terrain park at the Summit at Snoqualmie successfully sued the resort for $14 million.

Others complained that they bought passes to RCR resorts at least partly for the terrain parks, and wish they had that information before they bought their passes.

Still others noted that getting rid of the jumps would only prompt skiers and boarders to build their own jumps in and out of bounds at the resorts, increasing the risk of avalanches and injury and interfering with the public — all issues that gave rise to terrain park riding in the first place.

One rider from the U.K. complained that the timing of the announcement couldn’t be worse.

“This is absolutely devastating. I just arranged to spend the season in Fernie with a group of friends. We’re all traveling over from the UK. Rented a house, bought season tickets, everything and now one of the most important features on the hill gets pulled. I feel absolutely cheated. This should have been announced (sic) a long time ago so people like myself could have arranged to go somewhere that was existing in the 21 st century…

“As mentioned, a well maintained terrain park provides the best and safest environment for people to progress. It will be a nightmare when folk are trying to make all their own jumps onto sketchy landings off-piste.”

The decision to remove jumps does not specifically include halfpipes at this time, although some pipes have already been removed — notably at Lake Louise, where management decided not to build a pipe last year.

Some respondents also took issue with the idea that rails are safer than jumps — some park skiers and riders only use the jumps, which they are comfortable with, and pass on the rails.

According to some accounts, RCR’s decision has been good for Mount Norquay in Banff, near Lake Louise. Norquay will continue to offer jumps, and has a night skiing program where the terrain park is under lights at night. Norquay offers one of the only lighted terrain parks in Western Canada.

Pique Newsmagazine attempted to contact RCR and Norquay for details, but did not receive any reply at press time.

According to Whistler-Blackcomb, there are no plans to remove jumps in local terrain parks or reduce their size.

“We’re definitely continuing to create man-made snow features, including jumps in our parks, and believe educating guests is the best way to reduce injuries,” said Michelle Leroux, senior public relations officer for Whistler-Blackcomb.

Whistler-Blackcomb took a different approach to park riding a few years ago, switching the once common green, blue and black designations for Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large signs. That system has also been embraced by other resorts for the simple reason that skiers and riders capable of navigating a blue run may not have the skill to use a blue terrain park feature. It also emphasizes the progression for all elements of the park, from rails to the tables.

Whistler-Blackcomb also created a second park pass and waiver for riders who wished to use the XL park on Blackcomb, as well as a beginner Terrain Garden with small features.

“If we take away the jumps we believe they would just show up somewhere else on the mountain,” said Leroux. “In our opinion the best thing to do is to keep them in a designated area, and have signage that keeps people safe. We encourage people to start small and progress their way through the jumps, and to always roll a feature before hitting it with any kind of speed and getting air.”

Leroux said Whistler-Blackcomb is concerned that someone hearing about RCR’s announcement may get the impression that all Canadian resorts are removing their jumps. Some comments made on snowboard forums indicate that riders from outside the country are unclear that Resorts of the Canadian Rockies is a company that owns and operates specific resorts. The name of the company may suggest to outsiders that all resorts will be affected.

“That is definitely a concern for us, and we’ll be monitoring the forums to see what the comments are,” said Leroux. “We will work to get the word out that we do have jumps, that Whistler-Blackcomb will continue to build new jumps in the park, and that we’re not following what RCR has decided to implement.”