Ski club feeling the heat after trailblazing gaffe
The Whitehorse Cross-Country Ski Club is under fire after a new trail blazed to provide easier access to the Fraser Loop came up wider than regulations allow.
The Whitehorse Cross-Country Ski Club is under fire after a new trail blazed to provide easier access to the Fraser Loop came up wider than regulations allow.
"We screwed up,鈥� Claude Chabot, the ski club's executive director, admitted to the Star today.
The issue stems from a new four-kilometre trail blazed to connect the Fraser Loop at the top of Mount McIntyre to Fish Lake Road.
With an elevation of over 5,000 feet, the loop is popular for its early-season snow, said Chabot.
The club's trail report stated the loop was "packed and tracked鈥� already yesterday morning, after the trail received about 20 centimetres of new snow.
Access to the Fraser Loop is available via the Descent Trail 鈥� known as a 4x4 road in summer and a snowmobile trail by winter.
"In the past, it's been pretty tricky to drive,鈥� Chabot said. "Some years, you actually need chains to get up and down.鈥�
A few years ago, the concept was presented of blazing a trail from the loop to the maintained Fish Lake Road so skiers could access the loop on skis.
Current regulations allow for 1.5-metre wide trails to be blazed on Crown land without assessment. Permits become necessary when trail widths exceed that standard, and assessments would be undertaken by the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB).
Chabot said the intention was to blaze only a 1.5-metre wide trail, cutting down a minimum amount of trees 鈥� the majority being willows.
However, "an enthusiastic group of volunteers鈥� cut a wider-than-expected swath, and that's put the club in hot water with some local residents concerned that the new trail may lead to heightened ATV usage.
"It's not their fault,鈥� Chabot said of the volunteers. "It's the club's fault. We fell down on the job. We did not supervise our volunteers properly and the trail ended up probably being closer to 2.5 metres. It's not a massive deal but it's an unfortunate thing.
"We should have gone for the permits. We didn't.鈥�
The club has since issued a stop-work order on the new trail, which remains rough but is useable with enough snow cover. The trail isn't yet blazed all the way through to Fish Lake Road, so it is not yet well known.
Chabot said one way the club prevents motorized vehicle use is by blocking the trail off to motorized traffic during the summer months "to keep the ATVs from chewing up the terrain.鈥�
The Yukon Government's Department of Energy, Mines and Resources has set up a meeting with the ski club to discuss the situation this afternoon.
"It all came to light just a day or two ago,鈥� said Ron Billingham, communications officer for the department. "It's an incident that we are presented with, and we're trying to work through it to everyone's satisfaction. We're definitely interested in working with all parties to get a resolution.鈥�
Billingham said the ski club did approach the government regarding the project last year.
Chabot said while further trailblazing is unlikely in the future, the ski club will be more careful with any developments.
"Hopefully we learned our lesson,鈥� he said.
Comments (2)
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Stan Rogers on Oct 26, 2012 at 5:32 am
I agree its refreshing to see an organization admit responsibility for something going wrong. Congratulations to the club and Director!
I hope this rubs off on Ryan Leef, the Yukon Party and the federal Conservative government.
Had PM Harper said, "We made a mistake and need to maintain the GST at 6% to provide valuable government services and programs", Parks Canada and many other agencies would not have had to make draconian spending cuts. Thousands of people would still be working, and Canada would be a better place.
Harper's response to opposition critics could have been: "We are planning to make responsible and cost-effective cuts to government departments through attrition (ie people retiring) and other balanced assessments. We value our Public Servants and the contribution they make on behalf of all Canadians. We were elected to make difficult choices and have confidence we are doing the right thing."
PS I write balanced and thoughtful press releases for $1500/day. And I will use a spell check!
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Bob McKay on Oct 25, 2012 at 10:21 pm
I just have to say that it is refreshing to see an organization admit responsibility for something going wrong. Congratulations to the club and Director. More organizations and government officials should take note.