highlineonline.ca winter 2014 VOL. 6, ISSUE 1
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THE SURVIVAL iSSUE
outlier \\ protect the source \\ me monster \\ rockies rescue
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Highline headquarters was submerged during June’s flood, creating a 100% natural opportunity to chill the keg and party under the Super Moon. Hey Mother Nature, you got any other brain busters?
letter 7 chatter 10 recipe 18 book review 20 know your neighbour 22 are you a survivor 24 still life 26 outlier 32 rockies rescue 40 protect the source 46 locally grown 50 snapshot 54
Winter 2014 Volume 6 | Issue 1
Founding Publisher | Creative Director Kristy Davison · kristy@highlineonline.ca
Editor Corrie DiManno · corrie@highlineonline.ca
Editor Emeritus Meghan J. Ward
Head Designer Julie McArthur · Wild Ginger Design
Assistant Designer Dee Medcalf · dee@highlineonline.ca
Copy Editor Paul Davison
Advertising Sales Nicole Larson · nicole@highlineonline.ca Kristy Davison · kristy@highlineonline.ca Dee Medcalf · dee@highlineonline.ca
Events Kristy Davison, Nicole Larson, Dee Medcalf, Chloe Vance, Siri Bright, Camara Miller, John Coleman
Contributors Niki Wilson, Britt Bates, Reuben Krabbe, Camara Miller, Chloe Vance, Sarah Elmeligi, Brian Van Tighem, Kananaskis Public Safety, John Reid, Joanna Croston, Chris Lavery, and Paul Zizka.
Special Thanks Greg Bouck, Chloe and Rob Vance, Siri Bright, Amanda Kraft, Allan Buckingham, Eric Daigle, Jeff Thom, Tom Thompson, Bryon Parlo, Niki Wilson, Aaron Beardmore, Brian Van Tighem, John Coleman, and Maya and Paul Zizka.
Social Media Corrie DiManno, Dee Medcalf, Camara Miller
For Information: Email · info@highlineonline.ca Web · www.highlineonline.ca Facebook · Highline Magazine
Twitter · @HighlineMag Instagram · @HighlineMag
Printed in Canada on FSC Certified Recycled Paper. Highline Magazine is a free, semiannual publication. Donations are most gratefully accepted and can be made through the website. Cover photo: Dave Gheriani photographed by this issue’s feature photographer, Reuben Krabbe.
- Kristy
LETTER FROM us HIGHLINE
magazine launched, I received a phone call from an anonymous woman (let’s go ahead and call her Negative Nancy) who had picked up a copy and felt the need to call and ask me how I thought we were ever going to succeed with this project. The high quality of design, paper and printing versus the small number of ads and free distribution, she said, would make it impossible for us to survive past a couple of issues before we would give up. I thank you for that phone call, Ms Nancy. Your words have remained with me, motivating me in those moments when I have wanted to throw in the towel, when I have asked myself whether the long nights and weekends and $2 an hour is worth it. Was the time spent glued to the computer after working a full time job (as all of us here at Highline do) serving the community in the way that I’d envisioned? We had built a platform for mountain people to unite in a creative space, but how could we know if it was actually making a difference? It only took time before the community love, the creative energy and the golden souls of these mountains who have been drawn to this project inevitably came flooding in and washed away the doubt. You are the real reason I stick with this, no matter how difficult it can be to keep going at times. You continually help me to shift my focus and support me in finding the sweetest nuggets of goodness in the day to day work and in the big picture. In this issue, we bring you stories of survival in the mountains, but the message is bigger than that. Whether you’re surviving against the elements, the naysayers, difficult circumstances or your own self-doubt, we hope you can dig deep in the face of the challenge and hold on to any last hope. That’s what it takes to be a survivor. That, and a little help from our friends.
winter 2014
The issue you hold in your hands marks Highline’s fifth year of publication. Weeks after the first
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contributors
Question: “If you were lost in the mountains for the rest of your life, what app would you want on your iPhone?”
Answer: This American Life or the Flashlight app. Wait, do I have a solar charger too?! Yeah, I would have packed that. chloe vance Growing up in the concrete jungle of Toronto turned out to be good training for a life spent in wild places. Chloe is known for carrying the largest backpack on any given outing, chronically over-prepared with emergency gear and trail snacks. She guides expeditions on rivers and lives in Canmore with her technical rescue specialist husband, Rob. They have enough gear in the basement to stage any rescue. Answer: Knot Guide. I can never remember my knots! john reid John Reid is an outdoor enthusiast and freelance writer with a deep love for craggy Rocky Mountain peaks. His writing has appeared in Highline, Prospect and Impact magazines. John is also a competitive rower and would love if you came to ride with him at the Branch Out Bike Tour.
Answer: Is there a fire-starting app? NIKI WILSON Niki Wilson is a biologist-turned-science writer from Jasper. She lives with her husband and son, who’ve taught her as much about survival as the great peaks around her.
Answer: I would choose a topo map app of the Rockies because everything looks different and more awesome on a topo! SARAH Elmeligi Sarah is a grizzly bear biologist working on her PhD through Central Queensland University. Before going back to school, she worked as the conservation director for CPAWS Southern Alberta, focusing on large landscape conservation issues in our region. She’s a native Albertan and a Canmore resident and loves to experience the wilderness as much as possible via boot, ski, climbing shoe, or bike. Answer: Definitely that app that has a full topo map of all of North America so I wouldn’t ever be lost. Although, I guess you aren’t ever lost if you don’t know where the hell you’re going! BRITT BATES Britt Bates is a born-and-raised Kootenay girl from Kimberley, B.C. After studying creative writing at UVic, she found her way back to the Rockies and Purcells, where she works at a backcountry lodge and spends her free time exploring on her skis and mountain bike. She loves poetry, yoga, black coffee and making lists.
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shameless plugs
Pick up a Copy Highline is spreading our wings. Now available beyond the Bow Valley in Edmonton, Calgary, Jasper and Revelstoke. Find the full list of the fine stores now carrying the mag at bit.ly/pickupacopy.
winter events
Maya by Paul Zizka The gang at Highline is sad to see our editor of two years move on from these pages, but as Meghan says in her letter below, if you really love something, let it go. And just look at those cheeks! That’s stiff competition. - the highline team
I have always believed there is such a thing as “love at first sight.” In fact, that’s exactly how I described my relationship with Highline Magazine in my first letter as the Editor back in 2011. I also believe that if you love something enough, you have to be willing to let it go. In the spring I welcomed a little adventurer to my life, and knew it was time for me to transition out of my role with Highline. It wasn’t an easy decision leaving a dream of a job, but I’m stoked to raise my spirited little girl in such an inspiring community and amongst the kind of people whose stories have filled the pages of this magazine over the years. Thanks to Kristy and the rest of the team for such an amazingly wild and fulfilling ride. You all get the biggest of Bear Hugs from me. Keep choosing adventure over predictability! - Meghan
summer 2013
HIGHLINE
Mountain People, Unite!
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Thanks to an outpouring of community support, Highline’s “Mountain People, Unite” t-shirts have raised over $2000 for flood relief efforts so far. Would you like to contribute and look good doin’ it? These unisexy little numbers are available for purchase on our website at highlineonline.ca.
Join us this winter at Highline-hosted events like Know Your Neighbour Night and the Highline Speaker Series. Dates and times at highlineonline.ca/winter-events or on our Facebook page.
online store Highline’s online store: showcasing some of your favourite moments from the last five years of the mag — redesigned and portable. For realsies. Check it out on our SWAG page online.
did you know the highline team does custom design? We’d love to chat about your big design ideas. Get in touch at info@highlineonline.ca and let us take you out for tea.
NEWSLETTER Sign up for our newsletter to be inundated by jibber-jabber on a daily basis. We kid! Once a month at the most, promise. bit.ly/highlinenewsletter
Community Events Celebrate the wonder and vibrancy of winter, Canmore style. NEW YEAR’S PARTY ON THE POND December 31 A true local tradition! See you at the Pond.
LANTERN WORKSHOPS LANTERN STUDIO
December 3 - 22 & January 5 - 23 Learn how to make your own lantern.
WINTER CARNIVAL January 31 - February 18 What a year to enjoy Winter Carnival! Soak in the Olympic spirit and celebrate the Alberta Winter Games while you enjoy the ski tracks on Main Street, Kid ‘n’ Mutt Races and much more.
LANTERN PARADE January 31 Showcase your lantern and join the parade to kick off Winter Carnival.
KIDS’ ART EXHIBITION THREE SISTERS GALLERY
winter 2014
For more information visit: www.canmore.ca or find us on Facebook: CanmoreArtsEvents
HIGHLINE
January 31 - February 18 An exhibition to celebrate creativity of children and youth in our community.
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highline survival kit Tips and tricks for surviving life in the mountain towns this winter
Highline has your back How do you deal with that awkward wintry situation when your buddy has a runny nose and it’s on the verge of dripping? Simply ask him “Are you a psychic? Because I can see your crystal ball.” Aaaaand - you just nailed it.
ballsy
There is a legend among us — an unassuming neighbour with the demeanor of a quiet, snowy evening, who can actually begin a sentence with “When my scrotum was chainsawed off...” His name is Allan Buckingham and he’s an incredibly modest, mild man. Allan likes cooking meals from scratch, reading, politely listening to both sides of a political debate, paddling, knitting, building websites (like HighlineOnline. ca), travelling the world, listening to the CBC, skiing and reorganizing his book shelf by the authors’ geographic locations. The incredible events that kicked off Allan’s 2010 began with two pals heading off to ski Observation Peak and ended with a stunted sprint to the Mineral Springs Hospital. This story of boldness and bravery was caught on tape, produced by Camara Miller & Chris Wood and curated by Wasted Spaces. The recording was delivered through a vintage telephone in a creative office space in Brooklyn, New York.
Listen to the legend in its entirety at soundcloud.com/camaramiller/high-mountain-dialling
1. Send all text messages before leaving a warm building. 2. Consult the town’s blueprints for the perfect routes through downtown in order to maximize shelter. 3. Invite a buddy for a walk and use him as a shield. 4. Invest in one of those full body suits made out of hand warmers.
It’s common for powderloving skiers and riders with snowflakes in their eyes to take risks beyond their knowledge when riding out of bounds at the hill. Slackcountry is perceived by many to be less dangerous than backcountry, but whether you are ducking under the fence for a few lines or touring in the backcountry, travel in mountainous terrain comes with risk. The drive for the untouched white stuff tempts newcomers into the out-of-bounds and it’s important for everyone’s safety that we share our knowledge and travel wisely out there. Our staff writer and rider, Dee Medcalf has compiled a list of resources for you to learn about skiing and riding the slack- and backcountry at: bit.ly/165cxZ8
Review by John Reid Wandering the wilderness is one of life’s greatest pleasures but is not without its dangers. Getting lost, hurt or sick can turn a lovely backcountry escape into a life-or-death situation. Fortunately, you might have an unexpected hero on your side, a phenomenon known as “the third man factor.” It refers to an unseen force that intervenes in a life or death moment, guiding you out of peril. Think Patrick Swayze in the movie Ghost, minus the pottery scene. The third man factor has been well-documented throughout recent history by explorers, sailors, 9/11 survivors and even astronauts. All tell the same story of having escaped harrowing situations with the help of a phantom presence motivating them through their ordeal. In his book The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible, Canadian author John Geiger compiles these incredible stories and examines the theories behind “the third man.” Is it a subconscious coping mechanism? Help from a higher power? Through detailed research and brilliant storytelling, Geiger takes the readers as close to their own “third man” as they would ever want to get. ***Disclaimer: while having an invisible guardian to help you escape danger certainly sounds awesome, you should probably pack bear spray just in case your third man is answering the call of nature when you bump into a grizzly.
HIGHLINE
The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible
winter 2014
5. Two words: hip flask.
Heading outside the ski boundary is no big deal, right?
chatter
In this particular order…
Are You Avi Aware?
Our Top Five Winter Tips for Mountain Town Dwellers
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chatter
Me
Monster
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by Corrie DiManno
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Instead of using claws, they flap their jaws, and the only thing they’re interested in biting is the conversation bait because while some animals like to stalk, a Me Monster loves to talk. Surely you’ve encountered a Me Monster before: the shy-atfirst kind, who become the whoa-are-they-going-to-read-metheir-grocery-list-too; or the super aggressive kind, skilled in trapping unsuspecting listeners near the food table at a party until, before you know it, the shindig’s over, and all you’ve got to show for it is learning about this motor mouth’s family lineage (“on both sides of the tree”). But don’t worry, we’ve got the verbal antivenom right here, baby.
The Bluff Charge If you suddenly find yourself seven minutes into a “chat” without saying more than a few “uh huhs,” then it’s time to bluff charge your way out of this several-going-on-17-minute sermon. Dig into your pockets and pull out the first thing you can get your frantic fingers on: a phone, an iPod, or even an old Safeway receipt. Look at the object with a furrowed brow, and say something urgent like, “Oh, there’s something I need to take care of right now!” Then dash off like a deer late to a party ‘round the saltlick.
SOS The good lord gave us hands for a reason — to signal our friends for backup when we’re stuck in a conversation headed straight for Crazytown. First, stare past the Me Monster getting its disengaging drivel on, and lock eyes with a friend close by. Ever so subtly, press your index and middle fingers against your thumb in a quick motion to create the international distress code for This Person Won’t STFU...Help Me! If this friend ever wants you to show up to any of her birthday parties again, she’ll call you over immediately to assist in locating her drunk friend named, um, Sam, yeah, Sam, who is lost…somewhere in a different part of the building away from the talking head.
Play dead And finally, if the one-way discussion is starting to feel more like a concussion, there’s only one self-rescuing tactic left to do. Play dead. That’s right, drop to the floor like you’ve just been hit with a hurricane of hot air. Once the Me Monster leaves your immediate vicinity, wait a few minutes before carefully looking to see if it’s still around. A Me Monster may look back and return if it sees you moving and, if it does, science has proven it won’t be able to resist round two of mauling you with a monologue.
Prime prowlin’ Now that you know how to survive a Me Monster attack, put your skills to the test at events where running into a Me Monster is guaranteed, such as:
The Banff Mountain Film Fest’s Rad Reels night Oct. 29
Night of Lies Nov. 23 at Cornerstone Theatre
Movember fundraiser at Devil’s Gap on Nov. 30.
Christmas staff parties (expert level survivors only)
Party on the Pond in Canmore on New Year’s Eve
St. Paddy’s Day at the St. James Gate
Slush Cup at Sunshine Village on May Long (skis also make an excellent getaway)
Illustrations by Dee Medcalf
Your comfort, our fashion. 105-713 Main St. Canmore, AB joanne@shoestboot.ca 403.675.0017
chatter
Pack Your Bags Stereotypically-speaking, Canadians can handle rough weather. When a natural disaster hits, as it did June 20, we band together. But man alive, are we terrible at packing evacuation bags.
Question: which of these unnecessary and ridiculous items did Bow Valley residents pack during the chaos of the evacuation: a) A Rubik’s cube. b) A remote control helicopter. c) A large 1-foot by 2-foot framed photo of (still living) parents. d) Old love letters but not a change of clothes. e) A chicken from the oven…a full chicken from the oven! Answer: All of the above. Admit it, you have something to add to this list. There’s no need to be ashamed. Post your answers on our Facebook page, and just let it go.
Hutiquette: If you plan to hit up a backcountry hut this winter, act like a pro by following these golden rules:
Don’t: wear your wet or snowy boots around
read the hut instructions and layout
inside the cabin. Bring hut booties!
when you arrive to get a lay of the land.
leave leftover food in the cupboard
carry out ALL of your garbage, and clean
for the next group. It seems like a
up after yourself.
nice gesture, but it attracts mice, and someone else is going to have to pack it out for you. worry about how you look. This is the
winter 2014
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perfect chance to tap into your inner dirtbag, so live it up. pee in the water source, and that includes the snowfield outside the hut. drink and curse and be annoyingly rowdy if you are sharing the hut with other groups.
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Do:
Photo courtesy Nicole Larson.
bring extra toilet paper to share if needed. It’s light to pack, and someone always forgets. empty all water containers and slop buckets before you leave so they don’t freeze. be welcoming and friendly: invite others to play hut games or share your extra dinner. be a hut hero by keeping the fire stoked if you are sleeping closest to the stove on a cold night.
Photo courtesy Dee Medcalf
The Hermit of Inglismaldie
Billy Carver built this nowabandoned cabin out at Lake Minnewanka in 1910. Originally from England, he worked occasionally at the local mines but much preferred the solitary to the social life. His only acquaintance was Gee Moy, owner of the Market Garden in the town of Anthracite (the ghost town whose ruins can be seen on the Minnewanka loop road), who brought him provisions from time to time. Other than Mr. Moy, he was seldom seen by anyone, unless by accident. Suspicious about Billy’s disappearing act, the RCMP of the day did investigate his past, but could find no legal reason for his seclusion. His solitary lifestyle spanned almost 27 years in all, until one day some local boys came across him at his cabin and recognized that his health was clearly failing. They notified the authorities of Billy’s whereabouts in an attempt to help him, but whether Billy wanted the help or not is something that the walls of that old cabin in the woods will never tell. Billy was taken to a senior’s home, where he later died.
Zuni’s pregnancy wasn’t out of the ordinary, but nothing could have prepared us for the circumstance in which she would deliver. Rain had been falling in Southern Alberta for 24 hours straight and the mountain towns were in a state of emergency. Both two- and four-legged staff are marooned at the kennel until further notice as the roads have been washed out. The pressure was on: if complications arose during the delivery, it could put Zuni and her puppies in danger as outside help was no longer an option. But by 9pm that night, soon after her labour began, she successfully delivered three healthy pups – named Ketea, Lusca and Kraken – aptly named after Greek sea monsters. Zuni’s determination and ability to adapt to any environment is the reason she is one of our most valued lead dogs.
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recipe winter 2014
HIGHLINE
This dish packs a lot of energy and will power you up for wherever the day takes you. But, since breakfast is the one meal you can have any time of day, it’s a great dish for a midday warm-up or for fighting off the postadventure chills before bed.
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Better on a Coleman stove, but also easy over a fire, this meal is perfect for when you’re in a pinch or when you need to use up some leftover veggies. All you’ll need for supplies are a pan, a sharp knife and a fork.
Wilderness Breakfast Scramble
by Britt Bates
Ingredients: Baby potatoes, chopped into small cubes Your choice of vegetables, chopped into small chunks. Try adding 1 to 2 bell peppers, half a zucchini, a handful of halved cherry tomatoes, and /or asparagus Oil Garlic 1 can black beans 1 cup che ese, grated Salt and pepper
Directions: 1. Heat a glug of oil in a pan. 2. Add garlic and stir until fragrant. 3. Toss in potatoes. 4. When potatoes start to soften, mix in other vegetables. Stir occasionally. 5. When everything is almost done, mix in black beans. 6. Towards the very end, toss in the grated cheese. 7. Finish with a shake of salt and pepper.
Britt is an ongoing contributor to Highline with her online column “Dirtbag Dining.” Check it out on our website at highlineonline.ca.
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book review
Rock F Paper Fire
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Review by Joanna Croston
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Joanna Croston is a voracious reader of all types of writing and is the Programming & Event Producer for the Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival.
or a few years now, I’ve been watching various mountain types roll in and out of The Banff Centre’s Mountain & Wilderness Writing Program. Coveted by climbers and adventurers alike, the program is in its eighth year with only six spots available annually. For writing faculty Marni Jackson and Tony Whittome, it’s a dream gig: meeting interesting mountain folks, nurturing them to become better writers and then sending them off into the world to see what they can come up with. So I shouldn’t have been surprised that an anthology celebrating the program’s writers should be published. Nor should I have been surprised at the excellent calibre of writing contained within the pages. But make no mistake; these are not happy tales of trouncing through the woods with doe-eyed critters at your heels. These are tales of physical hardship, mental anguish and, in the most severe cases, pure survival. Rock, Paper, Fire; The Best of Mountain and Wilderness Writing, as the anthology is aptly named, contains the work of several familiar local faces such as Barry Blanchard, Bernadette McDonald, Karsten Heuer and Bruce Kirkby to name a few as well as some newcomers to the wilderness writing scene like Christian Beamish, Niall Fink and Masa Takei. Stories from 20 past participants are bookended by brilliant writings of two veterans of the Canadian literary scene, Charlotte Gill and Ian Brown. What first struck me about the book was the care with which the stories were presented. Commonalities like loss and nostalgia or humility and hubris or youth and energy were used to group stories by different authors; this technique is designed to reflect that when we are in the mountains, it’s often easy to break things down to their fundamental elements, even in this case, complex emotional stories. Some highlights of the book are the lovely poems of Helen Mort and the brutally honest story, End of the Rope by Jan Redford. Mort’s poems about early women mountaineers, fall beautifully off the page. Her words glide seamlessly between reality and fable, between the natural elements and the human spirit. Redford’s stark account of a young climber’s mistakes on the walls of Yosemite, and similarly in life, recount youth’s delusion of infallibility and what it means to learn the hard way. There is no shortage of inspiring and heart-thumping adventure amongst the other pieces either. All of this, dashed with a dose of history and memoir to boot, makes it one of the most well rounded anthologies I’ve read in a long time. Despite variety of content, one underlying theme resonates throughout the book — that of being humbled by our mountain and wilderness environment. All of these authors show us, whether consciously or not, that the mountains will never fail to remind us who’s really in charge. Rock, Paper, Fire: The Best in Mountain & Wilderness Writing is an imprint of The Banff Centre Press to be published in Fall 2013 and will be available at your local bookstore or by visiting banffcentre.ca/press.
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know your neighbour
Garry
Gonis Photos and story by Corrie DiManno
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T
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he Bow Valley has its very own “The Dude.” Just like The Big Lebowski’s heroic lead character, this local rocks Cowichan sweaters and is more laid back than an evening spent at a backcountry hut. While we forgot to ask whether he’s prone to White Russians or not, we do know for a fact that this man has never met a stranger. Which is why Banffite Garry Gonis is the neighbour to know. A Calgary-transplant, Gonis moved to Banff around 20 years ago with his skiing and hiking equipment and his guitar. Over the past two decades, his name has become synonymous with anything to do with local live music ‘round these here parts. Our Dude is different than the L.A. bowler though: Gonis works hard to promote the musical talent that is either rooted in or passing through the Bow Valley. And he doesn’t always abide. In the late nineties, Gonis successfully changed a busking bylaw in the Town of Banff, which stated that a busker could only perform for two weeks out of the year. Gonis was eventually given an audience to persuade Council to let a person busk year round. “Mayor Dennis Schuler’s eyes popped open,” Gonis says of singing a tune he called “Buskin’ to Begun” in Town Hall’s council chambers. So when he’s not fighting for his right to perform, Gonis has been a bartender and a big believer that watching live original music ties us together, which is why he began the open mic
night at Bruno’s and currently facilitates the open mic night at Tommy’s Neighbourhood Pub. Gonis has also hosted eight annual Indie Music Festivals (six in Canmore, two in Banff) and two Battle of the Bands, and has performed in the Canmore Music Folk Fest lineup. He has strummed and sung in four local bands, ranging from punk to funky fun: Et-Al, Peace, Chicken Wire, and the Ramblin’ HeyHoHas. But the wildest night Gonis has had onstage happened three years ago when Chicken Wire performed at Bruno’s as part of their One Night Only World Tour (according to the shirts they printed for the occasion). “A boot hit the mando player, knocking his mandolin out of his hands, then the boot hit the drummer. We also had a Christmas tree thrown on us — decorations went everywhere. Now that’s punk.” Speaking of hardcore, Gonis recognizes how difficult it can be to get gigs in the Bow Valley while trying to make a living. “You have to work to provide for your craft, but just keep at it and don’t give up,” he says. “Believe in what you do, and others will cherish it even more.” Which is why we cherish the heck outta Gonis. So the next time you’re in Tommy’s on a Wednesday evening for open mic night, find the guy rocking a ponytail, a hat, and a big smile. Go ahead and even call him The Big Garbowski. Unless you just want to call him Garry, because that works too.
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I
magine bush-crashing through thick underbrush, stinging nettles raking your shins and willow slapping at your eyes, when you stumble into a clearing and come face-to-face with a massive grizzly bear. Do you freeze and whimper, hoping your shorts are wet because your water bottle broke open? Or do you snarl viciously and charge at it with your 3-inch Leatherman? Hopefully neither, but it can be hard to predict what a person might do in a life or death situation. Everyone dreams of morphing into a Les Stroud-like hero, saving themselves and their friends from certain death. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case as panic and fear can make a person more useless than bear spray in a backpack. If you do find yourself in a survival situation, whether it’s bumping into a dangerous animal, getting lost in the woods or being caught in a snowstorm, it will require some quick and clever decision making. Will you be able to step up to the challenge? Or will you freak out like a frightened grouse? This handy People Under Pressure Guide might be able to tell you. by John Reid
Illustrations by Chris Lavery
are you a survivor? Headstrong Harry
Full Freeze Fletcher
When the trail mix is down to raisins and you’re still lost in the woods, Harry just wants to take action. Doesn’t matter if it’s the right action, as long as something’s happening. Harry’s more likely to start sprinting full out down the mountainside than, you know, check the GPS.
Fletcher is the guy hiking at the back of the pack, content to let the group make the decisions. If you’re to happen upon a grizzly with Fletcher, he won’t be able to move so just push him over and play dead beside him.
You might be Headstrong Harry if: you were the captain of the
when the server walks up to your table for an order.
You might be Full Freeze Fletcher if: you have a panic attack
high school football team… that never won a game.
You might be Cucumber Constance if: you’re the only one in the group that packs sunscreen on the first ski day of the season.
Betty can find the silver lining in any cloud, even if that cloud’s been dumping snow on you for the last 24 hours and you’re in a remote hut 30km away from the nearest road. Sure, it sounds great having someone that cheery around but when you hear “at least it’s pretty” for the 30th time you might be tempted to give her a lemon snow cone. You might be Bright-side Betty if: You get excited opening a photo radar ticket because “getting stuff in the mail is fun.”
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Cooler than a polar bear dip, Constance is always calm because she’s fully prepared for whatever’s thrown at her. She’s the one who pulls out the flint kit when you’ve lost your lighter.
Bright-side Betty
winter 2014
Cucumber Constance
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STILL LIFE 2014 HIGHLINE Danwinter Treadway by Reuben Krabbe.
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Hailing from Calgary, where he grew up staring longingly west out his front window at the Rocky Mountains, Reuben Krabbe now makes his home in Whistler, BC. As an action sports photographer, he uses lenses and sensors to explore the idealized experience of mountain life, but also the real day to day experiences and frustrations. “I aim to photograph not the athletes who
are in front of my lens, but moreover the soul, culture, community and natural beauty that defines the lives of my subjects. Creative and physical wanderlust and restlessness drive me to find unique perspectives and methods by which to capture the evolving world of action sports.� Check him out at ReubenKrabbe.com.
featured photographer
Chelsea Sullivan by Reuben Krabbe.
STILL LIFE
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HIGHLINE
Austin Ross by Reuben Krabbe.
winter 2014
STILL LIFE
Eleil Poulin by Reuben Krabbe.
“I think the whole event bothered the searchers more than it did me.” - George Joachim, September 2013
outlier
How a Chicago man hampered his own rescue from the Columbia Icefield, and what searchers learned from him. by Niki Wilson
W
hen you ask members of the Jasper Parks Canada visitor safety team if they remember the search for George Joachim, a common response is a deep sigh, and something like: “Ah yes…George.” Four years later, the name still conjures head shaking and wary glances. On Sept. 6, 2009, Chicago man George Joachim walked onto the Columbia Icefield and disappeared for nine days. At his family’s urging, Parks Canada undertook a search that cost Canadian taxpayers more than $30,000. In the end, Joachim walked off the Icefield under his own power.
On a search of this magnitude, Parks Canada uses a statistical model to help predict where the lost person might be. The model uses data collected from similar lost person cases to learn the size and location of the search area. Combining the experience of the searchers and research on the lost person, the model then suggests the likelihood the person will be in various locations based on how previous people in their situation have behaved. Joachim unintentionally misled searchers by listing his destination incorrectly in the climber’s registry, and then behaved so unlike other people previously have in his circumstance that
Above the Athabasca Glacier, near Snow Dome. Photo by Paul Zizka.
he was repeatedly missed in the search. Parks Canada’s search and rescue community considers his case a valuable learning experience and have since tweaked search protocols to account for other behavioral outliers. Searching is both an art and a science based on the clues the lost person leaves behind, rigorous statistical models, searcher intuition and environmental conditions. What follows is an examination of how all these factors came together in the search for George Joachim, both from his perspective and from that of the searchers who looked for him.
Day One: Stuck George Joachim describes his outing on the Columbia Icefield as “a day hike.” He was headed for Mount Snow Dome, having read that the peak was a hydrological apex, meaning melt water travels to the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. He was carrying light survival gear and wearing running shoes fitted with crampons. “Basically I had a day and a half of food in case I got in a pinch and had to stay over night,” says Joachim. He parked his car at the climber’s parking lot and stopped at the registry to sign in. “When I got to that climber’s log, a few other people had signed in as going to the ‘North Glacier.’” George looked at the map and thought Snow Dome looked like it was in the north part of the Icefield. “So I also signed in as destination North Glacier.” This would later prove to be a crucial error. The North Glacier is located on Mount Athabasca and is generally associated with mountaineer training. It’s more than eight kilometres away from Snow Dome and meant that search efforts were concentrated in that area. Joachim then followed the glacier tour bus road up over the gritty moraine and onto a packed ice road that leads up the Athabasca Glacier. “About six of those bus drivers saw me,” he says. Three days later, when Parks Canada searchers interviewed the bus drivers,
none of them could specifically recall seeing Joachim. It is not uncommon for bus drivers to see climbers on this road, a fact that may have accounted for their inability to remember seeing him. From there, Joachim travelled up the glacier until he encountered a crevasse field located at a ramp where the Athabasca Glacier meets the main Icefield. Jasper National Park Canada visitor safety specialist, Steve Blake, says experienced mountaineers with proper equipment “commonly have minor crevasse incidents” in the area. Miraculously, Joachim survived the crossing, although later he would tell rescue team member Max Darrah that he had partially fallen into crevasses along the way. Throughout the day, snow squalls came and went across the Icefield. Around the time he was exiting the crevasse field, a storm front moved in and stayed, causing a whiteout. Joachim thought it would pass like the others. Instead it lasted three days. “I never did get to Snow Dome, but I was pretty close.” In reality, at the end of day one, Joachim was likely three to four kilometers from Snow Dome. He shook out his bivy sack and sleeping bag, dug a hole in the snow and likely tucked in somewhere above the crevasse-filled ramp that marks the beginning of the Athabasca Glacier outflow.
Day Two: Whiteout On day two, Joachim attempted to go back the way he’d come, but fresh snow blanketed the crevasse field, making the fissures more difficult to see. He decided to try an alternate route, travelling across the main Icefield toward the Saskatchewan Glacier. He ended up dangling a foot into a crevasse along the way. “I didn’t fall down into it, but I thought, ‘Yeah, it’s five more miles to get out this way. The likelihood of me getting there isn’t good.’” Joachim retreated to just south of where he was the night before. By the end of day two, a Parks Canada rescue team member had reviewed the climber’s
Given the crevasse hazard and the persistent whiteout, Joachim decided to try to follow a ridgeline down. The ridgeline was part of an outcropping located to the south of Mount Andromeda. Bands of snow and scree made travel difficult. “It took me a few hours to try and go a half mile. I was exhausted, and [where I was] seemed like a pretty good place to stop.” Joachim hunkered down in a snow band and decided to spend the night. Meanwhile, a Parks Canada representative had spoken to Joachim’s family and work colleagues, and had established him as missing. Blake immediately assembled a search team, hired helicopters and began gathering as much information as possible to help them find Joachim quickly.
Day Four to Day Seven: The Joachim Profile The next day, the sky was clear and the sun was shining. Joachim says his focus “became conservation, energy and food, drying myself out and being in a place I could be rescued.” He decided that place was exactly where he was. He stayed there for three days and nights, assuming he could wave down a helicopter that came “within a half mile.” He was more than six kilometres away from the North Glacier on Mount Athabasca, and seven kilometres southwest of Snow Dome. “He was in an odd no-man’s land,” says Darrah. Later, Joachim would tell journalist Ben Gelinas (then of the Edmonton Journal) that “a lot of it was really pleasant, sunny beautiful days. I had a beautiful view of Mount Columbia. I lay in the sun like a cat, pulled up my shirt, suntanned my back. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I might die, but it’s a pretty nice way.’” Meanwhile, back at search headquarters,
Continued on page 38
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Day Three: The Search Begins
Blake began the process of using the computer model to establish search parameters. “The science element of this is very much like any social or biological science in that we are using very robust data sets to create a whole bunch of possible scenarios.” The first step was to determine Joachim’s level of experience with mountain travel so that his subject category (for example climber, hiker, skier, etc.) could be entered into the model. RCMP and Parks Canada officials visited Joachim’s apartment in Fort Saskatchewan (where he was working temporarily), and hacked into his computer. An analysis of his Internet research revealed that he had repeatedly researched a nontechnical route up to the AA col between Mount Athabasca and Mount Andromeda. He was also active on a number of websites where adventurers and “survivalists” share information about their conquests. His comments on these sites gave the impression that he had an understanding of some fundamentals of winter travel. “Because of where he said he was going and the routes he researched, we defined him as a beginner mountaineer,” said Blake. When this information was entered into the software, the model then incorporated into the search profile statistics about the behavior of missing mountaineers, and biased the search probabilities toward searching for this type of person. In reality, Joachim had no mountaineering experience. “I’m not a climber. I’m a distance hiker.” Joachim says that at the time he would have described the Icefield as “a big lake of ice, almost flat, with a few rolling areas.” He had read that if he went to Mount Columbia he would go through a “ditch” and climb up the other side. “You know, it’s not necessarily a wild, technical climb. I believe a lot of people ski it.” In some ways, he fit the profile. After simply being overdue, the most common reason for beginner mountaineers to be missing is by becoming stranded. However, he veered off the profile in significant ways. Mountaineers tend to remain on or near designated routes, whereas Joachim was unfamiliar with standard routes and registered the wrong destination. Mountaineers also tend to travel when the weather is good and to hunker down when the weather turns foul. Joachim did the opposite, deciding to dry out and rest on the best search days. “On those days, we would have rated the probability of detecting George very high, especially given fresh snow on a glacier, because the light was good, and any tracks would have been perfectly visible,” says Blake. The profile suggested Joachim would do something to make himself more visible.
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registry, saw that Joachim was overdue, and had reported a possible missing climber to the visitor safety team.
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10
8
2000m
9
1
1A Snowdome
2 2800m
Joachim’s 2 Timeline
Day Two: Sept. 7 Joachim’s gear is soaked, and hypothermia is a real threat. He tries to return the way he came, but fresh snow impedes his ability to read
crevasses. He tries for another route down the Saskatchewan Glacier but is once more turned back by crevasses. He spends the
1
Day One: Sept. 6 Joachim travels eight kilometres up the Athabasca Glacier and onto the Columbia Icefield, moving unharmed through a dangerous crevasse field along the way.
1a
night in a wet sleeping bag.
3
Day Three: Sept. 8 The whiteout continues. Joachim tries to follow a ridgeline down toward the Athabasca Glacier but is exhausted after roughly a kilometre of
arduous travel. He stops for the night in the cliff bands of an Day One: Sept. 6 A storm blows in and strands
outcropping located to the south of Mount Andromeda. By this
him somewhere near the beginning of the
point, Parks Canada searchers know Joachim is overdue.
Athabasca Glacier outflow.
50m
athabasca
4-7 3000m
4-7
Day Four to Day Seven: Sept. 9 to 12 Day four brings a break in the weather. Joachim stays put to dry out and to conserve energy.
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3
Day Nine: Sept. 14 After exhausting all avenues and resources, Parks Canada searchers turn the search over to the RCMP. Meanwhile, Joachim finds a rarely-
He assumes he can wave down a helicopter from within a kilo-
travelled route off the ridge and onto the Athabasca Glacier.
metre. Parks Canada profiles Joachim as a beginner mountain-
Against the odds, he walks out, ending up at the Icefields centre.
eer, so search routes around the North Glacier and the AA col
He calls his wife, then sleeps behind the main building.
are based on his entry in the climbers registry and on research from details on his computer.
8
Day Eight: Sept. 13 Joachim thinks the search has been called off and assumes he must rescue himself.
10
Day Ten: Sept. 15 Joachim contacts Parks Canada searchers who can’t believe he’s alive.
He follows the ridge above the cliff bands again, and
along the way, he sees another route down that will require him to back-track the next day. He spends the night in a partially dug snow cave along the ridge.
yellow line = helicopter search path
“Our people accepted a great deal of risk to find him” “Instead he was sitting in rocky terrain, essentially camouflaging himself.” Joachim thought he would be able to wave a helicopter down if one “came within a half mile.” At one point, helicopter GPS locations confirm that searchers flew past Joachim within roughly half a kilometre (or a third of a mile) of where he was. Joachim didn’t see the helicopter, and the searchers didn’t see him. “People are very difficult to see from the air in that terrain,” says Darrah. “We can have someone’s exact location and still have trouble finding them.” However, Darrah adds that if Joachim had made a bunch of tracks in the area, they likely would have seen them. He points to other cases where mountaineers have been successfully rescued by doing so. Many on the rescue team wondered why Joachim didn’t do more to be noticed. Some wondered if he wanted to be found at all.
Day Eight: “If I’m going to get out of here, I’m going to do it myself.” By the end of day eight, Parks Canada searchers had found no sign of Joachim. Because he had only travelled in snowstorms, any tracks were likely covered along the way. Says Darrah: “We put people on the ground and put them in danger of being hit by rock fall and other hazards. We checked crevasses. Our people accepted a great deal of risk to find him.” Not finding Joachim was unusual for the team who has a very high success rate finding lost people. With all leads exhausted, they turned the investigation over to Jasper RCMP. Meanwhile, sun had been belting down on the slope where Joachim was for three days. The band of snow he’s been nesting in was quickly disappearing, and he was concerned that without it, he would roll down the slope in his sleep. He also felt that if another storm came along, he would be too exposed on the ridge. He decided to try following the ridge down again, being careful to keep his distance from what he assumed was a cornice. As he trudged along, he noted, “a good place to dig a snow cave.” From there he had a view to a route below him that would take him along the Athabasca Glacier. He thought the slope looked gentle enough for him to descend, and that the sun had melted snow enough to see the crevasses. If travel was not good, he would stay in the cave. “My calculations at that point were that I could live for 20 days in that snow cave. I had about 700 calories left. Basically, it would have been about 50 calories a day, but after a few days of living on 50 calories, I wouldn’t have the strength to walk out. Remember this was at 11,000 feet.”
Day NINE: George Returns On the ninth day, Joachim backtracked to where he thought he could get down. “It was a lot of scree fields. There was no coming back up. Had I got stuck, I wouldn’t have gotten out.” Once down the ramp, he travelled through the crevasse field, but this time hugged the rock wall along its south border. “I had
“Survivorman” – A New Category?
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HIGHLINE
Although Joachim considered himself a “distance hiker,” his interests travelled well beyond hiking territory, and on over to outdoor survival.
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Blake’s impression was that Joachim was a student of survivalist thinking. “In our interview, he referenced books like The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad, and another World War II story about a prisoner that had escaped from a camp in northern Norway, transecting the entire country in the deep woods by himself.” Joachim confirmed this, adding that the books taught him “with just a little bit of thinking, you can live. You don’t have to panic. Even if you don’t have a lot to eat, it takes a long time for you to die.”
“George drew inspiration from these tales of survival,” says Blake. “I’m sure in his mind, travelling when the weather was bad just kept him warm. When it was sunny, he could stay warm, and dry out his gear and care for himself, which from strictly a survival perspective, is a great strategy. It’s just not statistically — and that’s what we rely on in many cases — how people would do it.” Blake wonders how many other cases there are where this element of self-taught survival affects the statistical probabilities of finding the lost person. “It’s almost like there’s a new category of people out there.”
to go down into crevasses and back out.” Not much later, Joachim could see the ice buses, but they were finished for the day when he arrived at the packed ice road. He told Blake that he passed a couple of people on the way out, but didn’t stop to talk. He arrived at the climber’s parking lot and was dismayed to see his car had been towed. “There was a bag of chips in there,” he said. He followed the highway back to the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre, and borrowed some change to get a candy bar and call his wife in Chicago to let her know he was okay. He says his wife told him the search had been called off so he didn’t call park officials until the next day. He spent the night in his bivy sack behind the Icefield centre.
The Science of Searching The search model used by Parks Canada is the brainchild of Robert Koester, author of Lost Person Behaviour: A Search and Rescue Guide
Aftermath “Where’s my car?” This was one of the first things Darrah remembers Joachim asking when he received his call the next morning. The surprise on Darrah’s face must have been obvious to search team members sitting around him. No one could believe Joachim was alive. Darrah and Blake interviewed Joachim once they had him at headquarters. While Joachim was keen to talk about how he had survived, they were surprised at his apparent lack of awareness of the effort put in to find him, or the extent to which his actions prevented them from doing so. From Joachim’s feedback, the team was able to determine how little knowledge of the inherent dangers he had originally been aware of, and they understood immediately that he had listed the wrong destination in the climber’s registry. His behavior baffled them. When they had expected him to move, he stayed put. When they expected him to wait out storms, he had been travelling in them. It was way outside the parametres of how people normally behave in this kind of terrain. As a result, Blake realized they had overlooked an important clue. At the time of Joachim’s disappearance, footsteps had been spotted at the point from which he left the ice bus route and struck out on the glacier. “We were so biased against this route,” says Blake. “It was unfeasible to us that someone could survive the gauntlet of hazards alone – that they would travel there without ropes. We didn’t see [the footprints] as a clue. We saw them as belonging to other mountaineers.” “Since this case, we write our assumptions on the command board where they are visible throughout the search,” says Darrah. He adds, “Searching is a big game of probabilities. You need to make assumptions because you have a limited number of resources in a limited number of time.” While George admits there were a few “miscommunications” like his climber’s registry entry, he still feels that he did what he should have in his circumstance. “Looking back on it, I got stuck, and I did the right thing. When it wasn’t safe for me to get out of there, I stayed put. That’s what you’re supposed to do. And when the time came and the snow had melted, I walked back out.”
on Where to Look – for Land, Air and Water. “The first thing we do on an actual incident is gather enough information so that we can place a person into a ‘subject category,’” says Koester. There are 41 categories, including people with dementia, lost children, hunters and hikers. Koester reviewed more than 50,000 incidents to create these categories, defined by the subject’s mental status, age, or activity. The categories help searchers profile the person they are looking for, and develop a search perimeter. Koester recommends a series of investigative questions to help designate the subject category. Friends, family and colleagues are asked things like: What gear was the person carrying? What guide books have they read? Are they familiar with avalanche safety? Can they self-rescue? How willing are they to take risks? Have they travelled in this area before? Once the subject category is assigned, statistical data from previous incidents is activated in the software. For example, the “climber” category consists of probable distances from the initial planning point (usually the point the person was last seen), probable elevations, likely rate of dispersion by hour and degree, and probabilities of survival in various scenarios. The data is limited by a couple of factors, one of which is the way it’s collected by searchers after an incident. Koester just received a grant from the US Department of Homeland Security to create a database collection tool. Searchers would simply drop a point on a map, and the software would do the work of managing the distances and doing the calculations. He hopes the accuracy of the map-
Niki Wilson is a science writer based in Jasper and an ongoing contributor to Highline Magazine and Highlineonline.ca
ping component will have a resolution of one metre. “It will be far more accurate.”
Photo courtesy Kananaskis Public Safety.
*This article recounts real life events. Some names have been changed as this is a small mountain community, and the parties involved in these rescues may run into each other at a barbeque one day. Let’s save them the embarrassment.
We Get by With a Little Help from our Friends by Chloe Vance
Sarah and Reagan awoke at 6 a.m. to the unmistakable reverberations of helicopter blades circling above their Egypt Lake campground. Moments later, heavy footsteps approached their tent. “Are you Reagan and Sarah?” asked a deep voice through the tent fly. “Uh, yeah,” they replied shakily, exchanging wide-eyed glances. “Your mom called. You’re late!” came the voice of the parks mountain safety specialist. Mortified, Reagan retreated to the depths of her sleeping bag while Sarah unzipped the door of their small tent, poked her head out and reassured the search and rescue team that they were fine, and not due back for 12 hours. Unsure of the detailed overnight trip plan the girls had left behind, Reagan’s mom had called Parks Canada emergency dispatch to report their absence, just in case. Parks responded. Kananaskis Country public safety specialist, Mike Koppang, backs up Reagan’s Mom’s decision: “We encourage people to call us anytime. That’s what we’re here for, to answer questions and respond,” adding that they would rather send someone out on a hunch, than allow a situation to escalate in the backcountry. With ‘extreme mortification’ as her only lasting injury, Sarah’s gratitude for her ‘non- rescue’ is clear. “Our local search and rescue teams are amazing,” she says. “Parks flew in a helicopter to check on us based on a mom’s hunch, and it didn’t cost a cent. It’s an amazing service that our province and the national parks provide.” As Sarah recounts the tale of the time she wasn’t rescued from Egypt Lake, a helicopter flies over the balcony of her Canmore condo. Living in the Bow Valley, the rotating blades of our local choppers are as familiar a sound as the call of a raven or the bugle of rutting elk. Though air traffic has received criticism in the form of noise complaints from some Bow Valley homeowners, we, the people of and visitors to the Bow Valley and our mountain parks, must appreciate our good fortune to have helicopters, highly trained and specialized search and rescue teams, and competent dispatch services on-call, 24/7, based right here in our own backyard. In Alberta, a myriad of government, provincial and private organizations collaborate to form a comprehensive network of safety and rescue services. Depending on GPS coordinates,
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Kananaskis Country public safety specialists, Parks Canada visitor safety specialists, Parks Canada warden service, Alpine Helicopters, RCMP, Alberta Health Services and local emergency departments collectively watch our backs each time we set foot in the backcountry; moreover, these services come free of charge to the user. So who pays? Funding for search, rescue and public safety comes from our Parks Canada park pass fees (when within national park boundaries) and/or our provincial taxes, depending on the services deployed and the location of the rescue. Kananaskis Country public safety specialists respond to approximately 350 calls per year. Parks Canada responds to ‘several hundreds more’ according to Rupert Wedgwood, acting visitor safety manager for Jasper National Park. Both organizations use Alpine Helicopters, based in Canmore, for many of their helicopter-based rescues. There is a Kananaskis Public Safety Specialist, a Mountain Parks Visitor Safety Specialist and an Alpine Helicopter mountain rescue pilot on-call, 24/7, 365 days of the year. Also, between Banff and Jasper, there is a dog handler on call 24/7 for lost persons
and avalanches. These handlers work with all local agencies. “We never stop,” says Koppang, who also stresses the important role of Alpine Helicopter’s mountain rescue pilots, the unsung heroes of the system. He explains that the safety specialists and pilots work together seamlessly — pooling experiences, strategies and skill sets — to meet a common goal: get the injured, lost or ill person out of the backcountry and to safety as quickly as possible. On a personal note, I have eight years of guiding canoe and raft based expeditions in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic have made me acutely aware of what a privilege this is. When we call for a ‘rescue’ in the Far North, we are lucky to get a pilot with a few seasons of flying under his belt. Not once has anyone with medical and/or search and rescue training jumped out from under the blades. In addition, calling in a helicopter is big business. We have to ensure that our client’s insurance will cover the cost of the rescue, sometimes upwards of $10,000, before placing the call. So we are extremely fortunate to have a fully-funded, comprehensive rescue service at our disposal; however, it is not an excuse to head into the backcountry underprepared.
All photos courtesy Kananaskis Public Safety.
Koppang notes that more than 50 per cent of the calls they receive in Kananaskis County are the result of folks who are simply unprepared for the backcountry experience they embarked upon. On the flip-side, many experienced backcountry users are hesitant to place a call for help, attempting to ‘self-rescue’ instead. This often results in some of the most challenging and complex search and rescue scenarios, where incidents have progressed in duration or severity and thus require increased amounts of resources, staff and exposure to risk for all parties involved. “Pride is a powerful thing,” says Koppang. “There is nothing wrong with giving us a call. It is often the better choice. Things can escalate quickly in the back country.” It is this multifaceted evaluation of risk that gets many people into trouble. Safety specialists maintain an extremely high level of risk management training, technical standards and skill sets. Certified through Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG), Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA), and with additional training in high angle rescue, helicopter sling rescue, swift water rescue, avalanche response and rescue, thin ice
rescue, search management, cave rescue, avalanche forecasting/ bombing and wilderness first aid, they are equipped to respond to complex scenarios and make sound, rational judgments to determine appropriate courses of action when responding to incidents in mountainous terrain. Sarah wishes she had offered her search and rescue team breakfast or a coffee for their efforts before they took off. Besides buying them a beer a local watering hole to say thanks, how can we do our part to help our safety specialists to help us? In the case that a search and rescue team is trying to track you down, Koppang and Wedgwood both explain that the more information you leave behind, the better. Most importantly, Koppang notes, “Be willing to change your objectives. Don’t be goal motivated. Be able to adapt to your environment and have a set back up plan. Variables can change quickly in the mountains.”
Help them help you As outdoor recreationalists, it is our responsibility to be well prepared, self-reliant and knowledgeable and to practice good risk management and decision making in mountain environments. Here are a few things to consider before heading out : How
have
you
chosen
your
route,
trail
or trip and have you taken into consideration your entire group’s ability level? How many people are in your group, and how might that affect your movement through the mountains? Have you understood the local and regional weather forecasts and bulletins? Check the Parks Canada, ACMG, ACC and other websites for updates on conditions, infrastructure and wildlife before heading out. Do you know the distance, elevation gain and time it will take to travel your route? The average person walks 3km/hr plus an additional hour per 1000ft of elevation gain. Do you have proper clothing, equipment and supplies? Always carry extra warm clothing, food, water, headlamp, first-aid kit, bivouac sac or small tarp (emergency shelter), map and compass (and know how to use them!), your route info and a repair kit. Do you have the proper skills, training and self-rescue capabilities necessary to complete your trip? If not, consider taking a course. Know the emergency numbers in the area where you will be traveling, and have a device to be able to connect with them. Is there cell service in the area? If not, and that is likely, consider a SPOT (findmespot.com) or inReach (inreachdelorme.com) device. Leave a written trip plan with a reliable family member or friend including: emergency contact info for all members of the group; your route and potential alternatives; campgrounds; departure and return dates and times; colour of tent and packs; colour, make, plate number and location where your vehicle will be parked; emergency numbers to call if you do not return at a specific time.
Protect the
Photos by Brian Van Tighem
e Source by Sarah Elmeligi
On June 20, Southern Alberta changed.
I
n a little more than 24 hours, over 200mm of rain fell in the Rockies. As it travelled down the mountain sides, it brought with it rocks, mud, trees and anything else that got in the way — like hot tubs, fences and even houses. Alberta’s Eastern Slopes, from the Ghost area to Waterton, were in the throes of the biggest flooding event in close to 100 years. As a citizen of Canmore, I was struck with the impact to my local community, and my heart went out to those who were losing their homes. As a biologist, however, I instinctively began to think about the impacts to the ecosystem and how they might be mitigated. It became instantly apparent that what happens in the headwaters, happens even more intensely downstream. Canmore is in the headwaters of the Bow River, and the flood waters there travelled downstream to Bragg Creek where houses were washed away. Those waters continued to High River, where the entire town was submerged, and they also flowed into Calgary, drowning the downtown. It wasn’t just the Bow River either; the Oldman River was flooding from the Crowsnest Pass and Pincher Creek to Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat was preparing for the inevitable as the waters worked their way across the province.
This flood was intense, and it surprised many of us with its unrelenting rains and subsequent damage. But this is only the beginning. This isn’t our one-in-a-hundred year flood; it’s our new reality. Climate change models suggest that Southern Alberta is headed for more mass flooding events due to more rainfall and more rain-on-snow events in the early spring; paradoxically, models also show an increased likelihood of droughts in the late summer. Climate change models are scary and intimidating, whether you’re talking about water, biodiversity or temperature. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t anything we can do to ameliorate the situation. Models are a prediction of the future based on the present reality, but if we take steps to change the present reality, then the predictions of the future may change too. We might not be able to reduce the amount of water that falls from the sky, but we can increase the ecosystem’s resiliency and ability to ease the impacts that come with these enormous volumes of water. Our land-use decisions directly impact a forests’ ability to alleviate impacts. Right now, we are faced with a choice — do we choose to manage our forests appropriately and ensure their maximum resiliency to soften the effects of future floods, or do we continue our current pattern of removing large swaths of forests and decreasing a forest’s ability to protect our communities from the impacts of massive natural disasters?
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HEADWATERS — WHAT ARE THEY GOOD FOR?
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Headwaters are so-called because they are at the top of the whole hydrological network; they are our natural water towers and provide most of the water in an entire watershed. In Southern Alberta, our headwaters are basically the Rocky Mountains and their foothills; the water here flows from small creeks and streams to join with larger creeks and streams until it all empties in to the mighty Bow or Oldman Rivers. We live in the South Saskatchewan Watershed whose rivers join to become the South Saskatchewan; consequently, what we do in the headwaters of our backyard directly impacts other provinces and millions of people. When we consider the behaviour of flood waters, understanding the condition of the headwaters is essential. As tributary streams join with other streams and creeks, their water volumes combine, and so does their power, velocity, force and sometimes just plain ol’ attitude. What was already a fast-moving, high-volume powerhouse of moving water in Canmore quickly became exponentially bigger and badder by the time it reached the foothills.
So how can we manage the headwaters to protect us from the impacts of these cumulative flows and from the damage that comes with them? What does protecting the headwaters actually mean? The answer can be found in the woods.
There is often a disconnect between political decisions, public needs and science. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
HOW THE FORESTS PROTECT US
Rather than looking at a forest and asking how much timber we can get out of it, we need to be asking how we can manage that forest to better provide us with long-term benefits. For instance, it is possible for a forest to be logged in such a way that snow sheds are created to hold back water in the spring reducing the likelihood and impact of floods, and then to slowly release it throughout the summer in order to diminish drought. Cut-blocks can be made to mimic natural disturbance patterns, and forestry can promote different age/class structures that enhance biodiversity. This means that the forest contains a variety of species of different ages, from saplings to old growth, which provides a variety of growth habitat for the various species. This complexity is what constitutes a healthy, vibrant forest. Logging roads could be better constructed, and once their industrial purpose has been served, could be decommissioned in ways that restore the soils absorptive capacity.
An intact forest does three things with water: soaks it up, slows it down and spreads it out. Alberta’s logging and resource extraction practices, however, have decreased the ability of our forests to do just that, resulting in a forest that is not effective in reducing the impacts of massive flooding and drought. Forestry practices along the Eastern Slopes from the Ghost to the Livingstone Range have removed trees and built an intricate road network. Without trees to absorb the water and spread it out, more water travels through the system. Roads facilitate a straight path giving the water more power and force to cause more damage to our human communities. Forestry plans aren’t changing either: sensitive creeks like Todd Creek in the Livingstone, fragile wetlands like those in the Ghost, and some of our largest remaining intact forests in the Castle are slated to be cut down in the coming years. This doesn’t mean that we have to go back to a time where we didn’t harvest resources, but it does mean that we have to plan our forestry practices differently with more environmental objectives in mind, rather than solely economics ones. Ironically, planning to meet environmental objectives will ensure the economic sustainability of the forestry industry in Southern Alberta as well. Since the mid-1970s, scientists, conservationists, local citizens and the government have been studying the land and its ecology to work toward better protection of the Alberta headwaters. There have been a series of reports, research studies, public opinion polls and media pieces all recommending that we increase the protection of the headwaters along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes. The goal is not only to mitigate the impacts of climate change, but also to protect our resources, including water quality and recreational opportunities, healthy communities, habitats for threatened species and to allow for a more diverse economy. Even though Alberta government policy does actually prioritize health of the headwaters over other uses, sadly, on-the-ground management still does not reflect that policy direction.
THREE WAYS TO PROTECT THE HEADWATERS
An intact forest does three things with water: soaks it up, slows it down and spreads it out.
WHY NOT DO SOMETHING?
Why don’t we do something, even when government policy says we should? There are many potential reasons, but I think the main one, and the most difficult one to swallow is that we — you and I — allow it to happen. We aren’t educated about these things that affect us, and if we are, we often don’t make our voices heard. But now is the time, with the wake of this year’s flood still leaving its mark on our lives. The Alberta Government is going through an extensive land use planning process called the Land Use Framework. A regional plan focused on the southern third of Alberta, called the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan, was publicly released on October 9, 2013 and is currently open for public comment (landusealberta. ca). Making sure that this plan reflects what you want for Southern Alberta is essential if you want clean water, a place to play, an opportunity to see wildlife and a healthy forest that works to protect your community from natural disasters. When it comes to conservation, you can’t only be the change, you have to get out there and demand the change. Be the change, demand the change and don’t settle for less.
Knit & Caboodle Yarn Shop #105, 717 Walk of Champions (9th Street), Canmore, Alberta
403-609-5582 knitandcaboodle.ca
Knit & Caboodle Yarn Shop is dedicated to yarn and yarn lovers alike! Browse our diverse collection of designer yarns, plus unique handdyed yarns from local and Canadian sources. Patterns, needles, accessories and gifts for hand-knitters and crocheters.
CAG
Of Cabbages
Canmore artists and artisans Guild caag.ca Contact:Richard Berry richard@richard-berry.com
129 Bow Meadows Crescent Canmore, AB
The Canmore Library Art Gallery is jointly managed by the Canmore Library and CAAG. A diverse variety of art shows and community art exhibitions such as “Kid’s Art” are featured. The gallery is typically open from 11am to 5pm daily.
and
Kings POttery
403.678.1922 ofcabbagesandkings.ca
‘of Cabbages & Kings’ is a working pottery studio in Canmore Alberta, featuring the work of two generations of local potters. John Borrowman, who has been making his living with clay since 1974, was joined by his daughter Katie in 2005. Together they create several studio lines, as well as each producing their own distinctive and colourful lines of functional and one-of-a-kind pieces. Stop by to visit Katie & John at the pottery any time Tuesday through Saturday and see how the pottery is made. They usually have a great selection of finished work available, and are always happy to make something to order!
Phaneric
Whyte MuseuM
Box 3235 Banff, AB
of the
Canadian RoCkies
LocaLLy Grown Get in on it! Want to see your ad here? info@highlineonline.ca
info@phaneric.com
111 Bear Street Banff, AB 403.762.2291
phaneric.com
whyte.org
highlineonline.ca
403.763.1767
Phaneric is the design brainchild of mountain enthusiast Dee Medcalf. She came to the Rockies from Australia six years ago and has come to love lunches on summits and bluebird days on the ski hills. When she’s not basking in the happiness of outdoor pursuits, Dee likes to volunteer: organizing local fundraisers and lending a helping hand wherever she can in the community. Living off a steady stream of illustration and vanilla lattes, Dee would be happy to sit down with you to assist in creating your next graphic design or marketing Is framing on your Christmas project. list? Bring it in early!
Looking into the green cravases [crevasses] of a glacier at its snout, Mary Schäffer fonds (V527/PS 2-28)
Our must-see exhibition, Gateway to the Rockies, brings to life the stories of the men and women who shaped the culture of the Canadian Rockies.
403.688.5103
The Locally Grown section showcases the businesses that are rooted here in the Rockies. Align your business with Highline and reach an audience of happy, healthy, mountain-loving folks. Reserve your space in our next issue today.
arts + culture
Locally Grown Banff Tea Co
Valbella Gourmet Foods
208 Caribou Street Banff, Alberta
Wild Bill’s
Wild Flour
LEGENDARY SALOON
Banff’s artisan Bakery Cafe
104 Elk Run Boulevard jeff@valbella.ca
201 Banff Ave, 2nd Floor
403.762.8322 banffteaco.com
403.678.9989
403-762-0333
valbella.ca
wildbillsbanff.com
Banff Tea Co. is a local specialty store ‘infusing’ the Bow Valley with over 180 kinds of loose tea and fun tea-related equipment.
Valbella Gourmet Foods has been serving the Bow Valley locally sourced and naturally produced meats for 34 years and counting. Our goal continues to be, unbeatable product quality tied in to tradition as well as product innovation. Visit us in our Deli this summer to taste what it’s all about!
Banff’s favourite Saloon bar and dance hall has got his-self a facelift! Featuring a new Sport’s Saloon, we are still serving Banff’s best BBQ along with almost-nightly live music, comedy nights, Karaoke and Bull Riding. Celebrate the legend.
We use only fresh and wholesome ingredients to create artisan breads, pastries, all day breakfast and lunch items, including a full organic espresso menu. Vegan, vegetarian, glutenfree and raw options always available. Open 7am-6pm.
Chez FranCois
O BistrO
Drop by for a sniff of the heavenly aroma and some tea supplies to warm your mountain adventures.
Rocky Mountain Bagel co.
101-211 Bear Street Bison Courtyard, Banff, AB
403-760-5074
Bow Valley Trail
102-830 Main Street Canmore, AB T1W 2B7 403.678.9978
c a n m o r e
6A-1306 Bow Valley Trail Canmore, AB T1W 1N6 403.678.9968
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a l b e r
Always has been and always will be a proud supporter of the community. The Bagel Co is where locals love to meet: it’s like Canmore’s living room! www.thebagel.ca
1604 2nd Ave. Canmore, AB T1W 1M8
#2, 626 Main Street Canmore, AB, T1W 2B5
403.678.6111
403.678.3313
restaurantchezfrancois.com
restaurantobistro.com
Breakfast and Brunch served 7am-2:30pm. Wake with a cappuccino, daily smoothies or fruit cocktails. Famous home-made eggs benedict, crepes, French toast, pancakes, and smoked salmon bagels. Gluten-free and take out available! A great meeting place for any meal or dessert!
Fresh and tasty food in a friendly environment. Chef Olivier Gouin prepares Canadian & French classics with quality ingredients to provide a gourmet experience in a casual setting. Take out available to fuel your journey! Lunch 11am3pm, Dinner from 5pm.
t a
restaurants
The Yoga Lounge
Canmore Hot Yoga
Red eaRth Spa
2nd Floor, 826 Main St. Canmore, AB
101-1002 8th Avenue
Banff Caribou Lodge & Spa 521 Banff Ave.Banff, AB
403.678.6687 theyogalounge.ca
Happily helping folks in the Bow Valley realize their full potential: physically, mentally and spiritually. Ten years and counting! Namaste. Psychologist Carl Jung stated: “The afternoon of our life cannot be lived by the morning’s rhythm.” This great insight explains why many of us reach a point in our lives where we feel drawn to change. For some, the afternoon of our life arrives quite early. For others, it may never come at all. If you are in a place of confusion, take heart - perhaps you are on the cusp of something big...
Canmore, Alberta
403.762.9292
403.675.9642 canmorehotyoga.com
redearthspa.com
Canmore Hot Yoga offers you a dynamic yoga series designed to strengthen, heal and rejuvenate your body. The heat helps warm the muscles and aids the body in detoxification. Be prepared to challenge your body and transform your mind!!
Boasting an extensive treatment menu, The Red Earth Spa at Caribou Lodge makes spa-ing a perfect post hike activity. Unwind in the huge hot tub and steam room or enjoy a couples massage and private plunge in our geisha tub.
One Wellness + spa
Back at It Massage
187 Kananaskis Way Canmore, AB T1W 0A3
Book Your Appointment Online: backatitmassage.com 403.688.1561
403.679.7179 info@onewellnessandspa.com
Rhymes With Orange(2009) c Hilary B. Price. King Features Syndicate
One Wellness + Spa. Distinctive experiences, each customized for the uniqueness of you to Be Inspired, Be Engaged and Be ONE. One Wellness + Spa takes the concept of unlimited well-being to new heights by offering a specialized selection of wellness experiences including Massage Therapy, Scrubs & Wraps, Skin Care, Nail Care, Naturopathic Medicine, Personal Training and Physiotherapy. All are individually customized to promote relaxation, life balance and long-term health. Our 9,500-foot facility offers a broad range of amenities – from the elegant Fireplace Relaxation Lounge to refined Treatment Rooms and Locker Rooms, to the sunlit Fitness Studio and relaxing and restorative Sauna and Steam Room area.
TIRED OF ASKING FOR MORE PRESSURE DURING YOUR MASSAGE? We specialize in DEEP TISSUE massage. Also offering Sports Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Shiatsu. We DIRECT BILL for: Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan, Great West Life, Green Shield and Blue Cross. If your plan allows us to direct bill, we will make it happen.
health + wellness
Locally Grown Redstone Custom WindoW Fashions
Canmore, AB redstonewf@hotmail.com
Marcus Baranow Confessions of a Ski Bum: Banff Area Backcountry
Raven Rescue
Ultimate SportS LTD.
Training & Equipment info@ravenrescue.com
206 Banff Ave. Banff, AB
1.800.880.0287
403.762.0547
403-609-1609
confessionsofaskibum.com
redstonewindowfashions.com
info@confessionsofaskibum.com
ravenrescue.com
ultimatebanff.com
Redstone is the first choice for custom drapery, blinds, and home décor. We’ll help you design a home that’s more beautiful, functional, and inviting with our passion for drapery, wood shutters, bedding and everything in between. Consultations and installation are included.
Backcountry ski guide and journal covering: -Sunshine backcountry -Healy Creek / Pass -Egypt Lake -Harvey Pass -Lost Horse Creek -Cory Pass and More!
Internationally-recognized courses held in Canmore:
Outdated rentals getting you down? Head into Ultimate Sports where Banff’s best range of rental ski and snowboard equipment is fitted by true rental experts. Make your pre-hill prep as smooth as...snow?
Skookum CyCle and Ski
The Pro Image
Canmore WoodCrafters Ltd. canmorewoodcrafters.com
250.814.0090
101 - 717, 9th Street Canmore, AB 403.763.2010
www.skookumcycleandski.com
TheProImage.ca
Located in downtown Revelstoke, Skookum has all you need to get out in the mountains, including a huge selection of boots and skis for alpine and touring; awesome backcountry gear; big mountain snowboards and splitboards and the best ski and snowboard boot fitters!
The Pro Image is the Bow Valley’s own professional quality printer. Specializing in large-format and specialty materials such as canvas and archival photo paper, we are trusted by artists and professional photographers from this area and beyond.
revelstoke@skookumcycle.com
• Swiftwater Rescue • Surface Ice Rescue • Technical Rope Rescue • Wilderness First Aid • Wilderness First Responder
403.678.4767 Canmore, AB
See the value of shopping locally? We proudly make ALL high end custom residential/commercial cabinetry, and architectural millwork in house, from start to finish. Built on the cornerstones of craftsmanship, customer service, attention to detail, honesty, experience, and timeliness, since 1979. Benefits include: supporting the community, quicker turnover of products, better attention to detail, & reliable customer service. And “custom” means you get to be hands on, choosing the exact color, style & size of your cabinets.
InstaSnapshot
Instagram Photo Contest
Deadline for entries: April 1, 2014 Winner announced: April 15, 2014
SCENARIOS
(Minimum of 12 REQUIRED TO ENTER) *
A Highline team member - anybody you see in our masthead giving you a high five.
*
Someone disrupting traffic to take a photo of wildlife.
*
Yourself doing your favourite outdoor activity.
* A delicious meal or snack being enjoyed in the backcountry. * Neon or spandex ski wear taken to the extreme. * A picture of you or someone spreading love at a local event. * Snow falling at night (image may include a toothy smile or two!) * Yourself or someone else riding a bike while it’s snowing. * Lake skating. (Extra points for getting out during that small window
when the lakes freeze like glass and the snow hasn’t yet fallen.)
*
Patio drinks on a chinook day in the middle of winter.
*
Animal prints in the mud or snow.
*
Northern lights, shooting stars, or a full moon night.
*
A copy of Highline Magazine caught in a compromising or unique situation.
*
Someone - or something - licking an ice carving.
*
Yourself hugging someone who’s wearing a jester toque or other flamboyant headwear.
1st Prize
$500 cash and publication in the Summer 2014 issue.
2nd Prize
dinner with the Highline team!
3rd Prize
a mystery prize plus a complete set of Highline back issues!
CONTEST RULES Photo’s must be taken between October 2013 and April 2014. All photos must be uploaded to Instagram and tagged with #HISNAPSHOT and @highlinemag. When your 12 photos are submitted, email info@highlineonline.ca to confirm entry. Deadline for entries is April 1st, 2014. One entry selection per person. No fee to enter. Submission to the contest denotes understanding and acceptance that all 12 winning images may be published in Highline Magazine or highlineonline.ca. See website for full contest rules
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™
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