We’re going to take an opportunity here to state the obvious.
Don’t go into the backcountry this weekend.
When Avalanche Canada posts a public safety warning Western Canada-wide (front page), we believe it would be in every backcountry enthusiast’s best wishes to take it at face value.
Avalanche Canada has stated that above average temperatures will affect conditions in backcountry areas – pretty much everywhere.
Environment Canada backs up the assertion, as in Banff/Canmore, for example, temperatures are forecast at 17C Friday (April 1), 18C on Saturday and 10C on Sunday. And we’ll just go ahead and presume the warning is not Avalanche Canada experts’ idea of an April Fool’s joke.
Over the same three days, Environment Canada has forecast Golden, B.C. temperatures at 18C, 17C and 14C, respectively, in Revelstoke at 17, 15 and 15, Invermere at 19, 20, 18 and B.C.’s Shuswap at 20, 17, 17. In other words, pretty much anywhere in the backcountry that enthusiasts might be tempted to head out is going to be very warm.
Being that avalanches have claimed the lives of a collection of more than a dozen snowshoers, skiers and snowmobilers in Western Canada since December, including in our valley, we feel it shouldn’t be too difficult to call off a backcountry excursion – particularly in the face of information from professionals that strongly suggests it’s not a good idea.
Short of banning access to backcountry areas to keep people out, a warning for all of Western Canada should do it.
Photo radar to prove useful?
While complaints of photo radar being useless as a means of slowing traffic within the cozy confines of Canmore are multitude, we’ll agree that funneling money from the cash cow into safety programs is a good idea.
Perhaps programs (page 25) for new drivers, a bursary for students wanting to study criminal justice, etc. would help convince our readers that there’s actually a community benefit involved with photo radar.
At the least, it might prompt fewer letters to the editor, which over time have ranged from ‘quit complaining and slow down’ to ‘photo radar is a municipal government cash cow’ to suggestions that municipal politicians are embibing in the Kool-aid of photo radar as an easy means to fill public coffers.
Since the introduction of photo radar into the community in 2007, speeders have poured $1.5 million into town coffers.
Yikes. Talk about doing your part to help your town’s budget.
And that $1.5 million is just the Town’s side of the ledger; it’s easy to see why private contractors embrace the ongoing operation.
Like the eradication of feral rabbits in Canmore, photo radar is clearly a ‘forever’ project, even if it does nothing to boost road safety or the lifting of lead feet.
Bears are out there
With bears emerging from dens and closures now popping up in Banff, Canmore and K-Country, it’s safe to say it’s time to dust off your bear spray, put your bear aware hat on and take precautions.
The extra warm weather (see above re: avalanche warnings) will no doubt increase the number of bruins leaving dens to start the hunt for fresh greens, carcasses and other available goodies at the lower elevations where most recreation is now taking place.
