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4 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

www.n o rthword.ca

issue no. 51

Co ver Photo

There goes another Northword reader, heading off the beaten track....

This time in the Suskwa. Photo by Paul Glover

Fea tures 12 14 20

26

The Art & Science of Ski Making

By Amanda Follett Hosgood

contents

‘13/14

Warmth Under the Snow

Why rising temperatures could mean a harsher climate for some species

By Norma Kerby

Coming Out of the Cave Finding my diabetic tribe in northern BC

By Sandra Smith

28

Dogging Adventure in the North

33

Find the best pet-friendly spots by following your best friend’s nose

By Amanda Follet Hosgood

On Track

With the right wax

By Emily Bulmer

Canyon Creek

Map and trail guide

By Morgan Hite

story page 33

story page 26

story page 20

s t o r y p a g e 14

story page 12

story page 8

Dec / Jan

Depa rtm en ts 7

10 11

18

In Other Words

Editorial and cartoon from the seasoned and the silly

Commentary

The Northern Transmission Line: How a green infrastructure grant boosts mining in the North.

By Greg Horne

Commentary

Another Kind of Dream

By Sheila Peters

Story Comm en ts?

30 34

Top Culture

Explore the rural route to northern culture with UNBC’s Rob Budde

Resource Directory

Services and products listed by category

The Barometer

A seasonal reading of the Northwest

by Char Toews

Tell us what you’re thinkin’. Comment on any story at www.northword.ca

w w w. no rthwo rd .ca

| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 5

Joanne Campbell

PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER

contributors

joanne@northword.ca t: 250.847.4600 f: 847.4668 toll free: 1.866.632.7688

Amanda Follett Hosgood EDITOR

amanda@northword.ca

Shannon Antoniak

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

shannon@northword.ca

Sandra Smith

LAYOUT, AD DESIGNER, NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE

sandra@northword.ca

Emily Bulmer is a longtime Smithereen who enjoys subjecting herself to unscientific experiments in living. She occasionally records her findings and reports positive results most of the time.

in daily and weekly newspapers, national magazines, and loves a good regional. She writes a regular column for Northword from her home in Terrace.

Hans Saefkow is an awardwinning editorial cartoonist, illustrator and set designer. If you see this man, do not approach him, feed him, or listen to his idle chatter. It is simply best not to encourage him.

Morgan Hite is a map-maker and writer who lives in Smithers with his wife and two sons. Among the four of them there are six possible twoway relationships.

Rob Budde teaches creative writing and critical theory at the University of Northern British Columbia. He has published seven books (poetry, novels, interviews, and prose poems). His most recent book is Finding Ft. George from Caitlin Press.

Amanda Follett Hosgood is a

Norma Kerby is a Terrace-based

writer and environmental consultant.

She is fascinated by adaptations of plants, people and other animals to northern living. Her favourite reading materials are tracks in the forest after a fresh snowfall.

NORTHWORD MAGAZINE Northword Magazine the only independent, regional magazine that covers northern BC from border to sea. Our goal is to connect northern communities and promote northern culture; we put a vibrant, human face on northern life with great articles and stunning images. Northword Magazine—BC’s top read, for a reason.

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6 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

Charlynn Toews has published

www.n o rthword.ca

Smithers-based freelance writer and editor for Northword. In the coming months, she can be found skiing, skating and skijoring around the Bulkley Valley with her husband and two high-energy huskies.

Sandra Smith is a graphic designer and active Type 1 diabetic who loves to play outdoors. She is currently looking for ways to keep her blood-glucose monitor warm while she skis the mountains around her Smithers home.

Facundo Gastiazoro is a freelance designer who focuses on logos, posters, layout and illustrations. Originally from Buenos Aires, Facundo is currently living in Smithers. His illustrations appear in every issue of Northword Magazine.

Greg Horne revels in climbing over mountains and under good ideas. Based in Hazelton with his partner and rescued mutt, Greg is currently charged up on local energy solutions that make sense for the North.

Sheila Peters is a writer and publisher living in Driftwood Canyon near Smithers. She has been squawking about stuff since the cradle, says her mother, and never knows when to keep quiet.

You can find her books in local bookstores.

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editorial

In Other Words

False Pretences

by Joa n n e C a mpb el l

hans saefk ow

ed i tor ial@no rt hwo rd. c a

This afternoon, I was pouring hot water for tea when my dog started barking. Out the kitchen window, I saw the neighbourhood deer standing squarely in the middle of our tiny lawn, facing the patio door at which Dog was barking furiously.

Deer, who was waiting for Dog to notice her—and unafraid because she’d done this many, many times before—took two steps toward the door and extended her nose toward the noise. Dog, who doesn’t understand that Deer is an expert dog-button-pusher, barked off to a different window. Disappointed, Deer withdrew a step. Dog bounded back; Deer re-engaged and stepped forward. Changing tactics, Dog raced up the stairs; perhaps she thought she could ambush Deer from an open bedroom window.

With Dog shrieking at her mutely through the glass, Deer mentally shrugged and moseyed off toward my dormant lilacs and berry bushes; with Dog safely contained inside, she could browse on any juicy yard buds she wanted. She didn’t count on me, though. I opened the door and showed her what Hyah! meant. She stood and stared at me, wondering why I was able to address her so.

It wasn’t until I was a bush-length away that she

realized I meant business. Insulted, she took a step back. I persisted. She turned uncertainly. I persisted more. She bounced off into the aspens. I bounced inside, pleased at my power.

Too late as always, Dog thumped down the stairs. Now that Deer was gone, I put Dog out on her lead so she could sniff and bristle at opportunities lost.

Dog isn’t allowed out without a lead, you see, because Deer would entice her to play and, doggish creature that she is, Dog would follow her deep into the woods. She would eventually return, a conservation officer on her tail waving a fine for me, the owner of this deer-harassing dog.

Creatures pretending to be something they are not are numerous in this neck o’ the woods.

In this case, the deer is an interloper that stimulates a territorial reaction in the dog. She also promises to be a tasty tidbit should the dog ever be lucky enough to get close enough to take a bite.

She’s a creature that should be wary of dogs, and flees at the first whiff, never mind a woof!

But this deer is a poseur. Far from haplessly wandering into the dog’s yard and then fleeing at the first warning, she brazenly steps up to the

gate and pushes it open, then waits for the dog to notice. She knows the dog will be furious that she’s there, but she doesn’t care. She knows she’s safe.

That dog can’t get her. The dog’s exit is blocked by the door, and the ideology that prevents the door from being opened. The deer enjoys provoking the dog’s impotent, raging response. Confirming the dog is powerless, the deer feels free to wander over and eat the yard greenery, at least until one with the power to open the door does so and chases her off.

Deer are cute and all but I much prefer my dog.

Ideology I have to live with, my dog I love to live with. The deer, well, I’d like them better if they didn’t eat the greenery that I depend on for a) sustenance and b) aesthetics. They can hang out in their own forests, provide entertainment for wildlife aficionados and meat for wildlife eaters.

I just don’t like them in my back yard, provoking my dog and messing with my stuff.

Shoo deer. Go back to the woods where you belong.

N

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| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 7

op-ed

Comm en t T he 3 4 4 - km, 1 , 1 0 0 p o l e N T L i s al read y a p romi nent f eature al o ng H i ghw ay 3 7 b etw een Terrace and B ob Q ui nn.

g re g hor ne

g re g hor ne

The Northwest Tr a n s m i s s i o n Line is a 2 8 7 - ki l o v o l t power line that will s t re t c h 3 4 4 km b e t w e e n Te r r a c e and Bob Qu i n n L a ke .

Pi c t u re d h e re a re j u s t a f e w o f 1 ,1 0 0 2 7 - m e t re - t a l l poles that now dominate the landscape along Highway 37.

The Northwest Transmission Line HOW A GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT BOOSTS MINING IN THE NORTH

by Gr eg Hor ne gre gho r ne@g mail. c om

The graceful steel spires stand at regular distances along the highway. It’s as if a giant millipede has threaded its way over the steep roadside ridges, swept out a swath of forest with its belly, and lost a long, straight leg with every step. We are pulled over on the side of Highway 37, just north of Bell 2 Lodge, looking up at the biggest power line project that BC Hydro has undertaken in decades.

The Northwest Transmission Line (NTL) is a 287-kilovolt power line that will stretch 344 km between Terrace and Bob Quinn Lake. Clearing the rightof-way began in 2012 and the project is currently two-thirds finished. Line has yet to be strung between all 1,100 of the 27-metre-tall poles. Power is slated to start flowing in May 2014.

The NTL was kick-started in 2009 when the federal government pledged $130 million from the Green Infrastructure Fund, a grant for projects that “promote cleaner air, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and cleaner water.”

While BC Hydro’s website says one of the project’s goals is to “reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” it appears the project will in fact allow a vast increase in BC’s carbon emissions.

8 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

www.n o rthword.ca

Government and industry are heralding the project as opening the mineralrich northwest to mining and energy extraction. Imperial Metals’ controversial Red Chris project will be the first NTL customer. On the eastern flank of Todagin Mountain, the mine is next to the largest lambing population of Stone’s sheep in the world. The NTL’s second customer is AltaGas’s Forrest Kerr run-of-river hydro project, located 140 km southwest of Iskut.

Green infrastructure folly The NTL qualified for the “green” infrastructure grant, argued Stephen Harper, on the condition that the power line be extended 93 km farther north to relieve the village of Iskut—a community of 350 people—of diesel electricity generation, thus saving an estimated 2,800 tonnes of CO2 emissions yearly, according to the Ministry of Energy and Mines.

This calculation fails to consider the huge CO2 emissions from mining companies whose projects cannot go ahead without the NTL. Imperial Metals’ Steve Robertson confirms that Red Chris mine will not proceed without grid power.

S m o ke from bu r ning logs re moved to m ake wa y for t he NTL cou l d be se e n a s f a r aw ay as Terrac e .

do u g do n al d s on

The loss to BC Hydro is in the tens of millions of dollars per year per mine.

In 2008, the Pembina Institute calculated that just five of alent to 14,000 logging trucks loads—were burned. Residents the many proposed mines the NTL would power together as far away as Terrace noticed the smoke. release 890,000 tonnes of CO2 per year—the equivalent of BC Hydro cites long distances to roads and markets, coupled 316 more diesel-powered Iskuts. with the timber’s marginal quality, as valid reasons for such a If the NTL were really about relieving Iskut of diesel, there large-scale burn. are other ways to do it. After all, Iskut will use less than one Although mills in other regions have timber shortages, percent of the NTL’s power. In 2007, the Dogwood Initiative energy companies are not required to pay to ship timber they estimated that the village could be powered by micro-hydro cut to those who need it. As a result, wood is often seen as a systems for a mere $22 million—a far cry less than the $800 Marvin Schaffer, SFU nuisance. million for the NTL and its extensions.

Mike Larock, director of professional practice and forest In order to fast track construction, the province exempted stewardship for the Association of BC Forest Professionals, is the 93-km Iskut extension from an environmental assessbothered by the way energy companies deal with timber. He ment and a standard BC Utilities Commission review, a process intended to advocates that, “Some—if not all—of the costs to cut the wood on an occuensure that project costs are in the public interest. pied energy footprint, and to store, transport and deliver the harvested wood In March, Imperial Metals agreed to build a line extension to Tatogga Lake, to a manufacturing facility, should be borne by the energy industry to reflect then sell it to BC Hydro for $52 million. From Tatogga Lake, two smaller good stewardship of the forest resource.” extensions will take power 18 km east to Red Chris mine, and 16 km north Burning these trees also released a tremendous amount of CO2, estimated to Iskut. to be 338,250 tonnes by UNBC environmental engineer Steve Helle. This further thwarts the intended goal of the NTL to “reduce greenhouse gas Trees burned emissions.”

Nearly 90 percent of the trees cut to create the right-of-way for the NTL were BC Hydro does not see this as a contradiction. “What you are talking burned. about (burning timber) is a one-time release. What we’re looking for with the BC Hydro reports that 495,000 cubic metres of timber were cut for the project is long term overall reduction in the amount of greenhouse gas emisproject, making it one of BC’s biggest logging operations in 2012. Of this, sions,” NTL project manager Tim Jennings says.

56,000 cubic metres were sold and a whopping 439,000 cubic metres—equiv... continued on Page 10

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| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 9

The eq ui va l e n t o f 1 4 ,0 0 0 l o g g i n g t r u c k s l o a d s — o r 9 0 p ercent o f t re e s f e l l e d — w e re b u r n e d i n t h e constructio n o f t h e N T L . C O2 re l e a s e d b y t h e b u r n i s esti mat e d a t 3 3 8 ,2 5 0 t o n n e s .

tamo campos

m organ hi te

... continued from Page 9

( ab o v e ) T he Nort h w e st Transm issio n Line f o llo ws High w ay 3 7 from Te r r a c e t o Bob Q u inn. A line extensio n to Tato g g a L ak e w i l l be bu i l t b y Im p e r i a l M e t a ls a n d so ld to B C Hydro f o r $52 m i l l i on .

Based on the estimate that connecting Iskut to the grid will reduce CO2 emissions by 2,800 tonnes a year, it will take 120 years to compensate for the CO2 released by the burn. Long term indeed.

Who will foot the bill?

NTL’s cost has exploded from an initial estimate of $404 million in 2008 to the latest estimate of at least $736 million. Of this total, AltaGas will pay $180 million, and the Green Infrastructure Fund will contribute $130 million. Including the $52 million that BC Hydro is committed to pay Imperial Metals for the extension, this leaves BC Hydro on the hook for at least $478 million Since 99 percent of NTL’s power will be used by industry, the NTL could be seen as a massive public subsidy to mining and energy companies.

BC Hydro does not see it this way. In the face of criticism, it has scrambled to justify NTL costs. In April 2013, the company announced Tariff Supplement 37, intended to recover costs from the line’s industrial customers.

This agreement is misleading for three reasons. First, the fine print reveals that industry will pay for the basic power line, but ratepayers may foot the bill for a deluxe upgrade. Jim Quail, lawyer for COPE 378, estimates this may leave BC Hydro customers on the hook for $150 million.

Second, it will recover NTL’s construction costs, but not its extension costs. BC Hydro assures that a separate tariff is being planned for the extension. Yet, BC Hydro has already agreed to pay Imperial Metals $52 million to build the extra line to Tatogga Lake. It seems unlikely that a further deal would have Imperial Metals pay this money back to BC Hydro.

Third, besides the construction costs, BC Hydro customers will subsidize the actual electricity that the NTL will carry from expensive independent power projects.

Simon Fraser University economist Marvin Schaffer explains: “When the mines hook up to the system they will need a lot of power and that will require BC Hydro to develop or acquire more resources. BC Hydro estimates the marginal cost of new supply to be between $85 and $100 per MWh. The mines, however, will pay the standard industrial rate which is only some $40-$45/MWh. The loss to BC Hydro is in the tens of millions of dollars per year per mine.”

Not only will the NTL pave the way for open-pit mines in some of the most spectacular land in the continent while allowing these operations to increase the region’s carbon emissions by hundreds of times, the public will be footing a substantial portion of the bill. It’s not clear how the project qualifies as “green infrastructure.”

N

10 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

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op-ed

Comm en t Another kind of dream

by S hei l a Peter s sp eters@creekst o nepre ss. c om

I live beside a gravel road. You cross a small bridge into the heart of Driftwood Canyon and, for a couple of kilometres, the hydro poles have been rerouted out of sight. The curves of the road that follow the dictates of topography are beautiful; they move like the creek itself, the one that carved the canyon. For a few moments, as I follow my dog and listen to the creek, the croak of a raven, or the rasp of a kinglet, there’s the time and space to dream.

Imagine living in a world where walking and cycling prevail, where vehicles are small and efficient, powered by quiet batteries charged by the sun. Imagine solar planes carrying hikers, hunters and fishers into the northern wilds. Imagine a world where young men and women are encouraged to observe the other inhabitants of the planet and learn to live unobtrusively among them and with each other. Where their creativity and ingenuity are turned toward reducing our consumption of the Earth’s resources instead of figuring out how to make you click on a link to an Internet ad.

Surely this is no more crazy a dream than Perry Collins’ $3 million scheme to run a telegraph wire joining North America to England taking the longest possible route, a route that included a stretch through northern BC to Alaska, across the Bering Strait to Russia, and on to Europe. By 1866 his crew had made it just north of Hazelton when they abandoned the project having heard, via their own telegraph line, that a transatlantic cable had been successfully laid. No more wild a fantasy than when, 40 years later, wire was strung between trees, over mountains, and across rivers all the way to the Yukon. Cabins were built every 20 or 30 miles along the way and staffed with operators and linesmen year round right into the 1930s, when radios made the wire obsolete.

Meanwhile, writers like Hamlin Garland and John Muir were heading toward the Stikine country from the south and west in search of places where people tread lightly upon the land.

“When John Muir traveled the lower third of the Stikine in 1879, he called it a Yosemite a hundred miles (160 kilometres) long, and he counted some 300 glaciers along its tortuous course. It’s a land where Canada could hide England, and the English would never find it,” writes Wade Davis in

the field notes to his own 2004 National Geographic article celebrating the region and its inhabitants.

Think of the crazy dreamers who finally drummed up the financing to complete the road from Kitwanga to the Yukon border when fewer than 1,000 people lived along the 725-km route, or the $160 million sunk into the Dease Lake railway extension before it was abandoned 200 km short of its destination. Both projects, whether completed or abandoned, brought even more dreamers into the region: some dreaming of striking it rich and others looking for wild places that were becoming harder and harder to find.

In that context, the current spending of over 600 million tax dollars to build the Northern Transmission Line so Imperial Metals can remove about 30 tons of Todagin Mountain every day for the next 25 years just next door to the Sacred Headwaters fits right into a long history of dementia. (If you think the transmission line is being built to get approximately 300 Iskut residents off dieselgenerated electricity, then you’re another kind of dreamer altogether.)

Our federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans helped the mine avoid a comprehensive environmental assessment by dividing the project into pieces and ignoring the mine itself. According to Ecojustice’s report on the results of a court case it initiated with MiningWatch, the Supreme Court of Canada “ruled that the federal government cannot split projects into artificially small parts to avoid rigorous environmental assessments” and “held that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans had failed to comply with the legal requirements to conduct a comprehensive study and associated public participation.” The court “granted a declaration that the process followed was illegal, but decided not to overturn the environmental assessment certificate.”

It wasn’t Imperial Metals’ fault that the federal government broke its own rules. Instead, its actions mean we get to pay $52 million of the costs to extend the transmission line to that mine.

Go figure.

Imagine spending some of those millions to develop a coherent energy plan for Canada that didn’t require oil and gas pipelines to cross our already threatened salmon streams. To plan

for orderly mineral exploration in the northwest where projects rise and fall like spinning tops, leaving behind half-built roads, washed-out bridges and polluted sites. Imagine even a fraction of those millions going to properly protect the wild places and creatures that live in them, where a couple of BC Parks staff in the Dease Lake office are expected to oversee thousands of hectares of parks spread over 1.5 million hectares. Where a couple of conservation officers monitor the operations of more than a dozen guide-outfitters and the many resident hunters who have everincreasing access to places that were once very hard to reach.

There are still sections of Highway 37 that curl and swoop through the complex topography that gives rise to the Skeena, the Nass and the Stikine watersheds. As well as the transport trucks, diesel pickups and crew buses that supply both transmission line and mining projects in the region, motorhomes, campers and even a few cyclists wend their way through that beautiful country.

More and more of us seek out the same pleasure and challenge of wild places that so entranced Muir 150 years ago.

But now much of the main route into the Stikine country parallels a right-of-way that cuts a swath across the stunning scenery, including the beautiful Ninginsaw Pass north of Bell II. The stern lines drawn by the wires strung between the massive towers and poles of the Northern Transmission Line tell a story centuries older than the insulators people still occasionally find along Collins’ original route. There is nowhere the dreamers and schemers won’t go. And it seems each dream is more grandiose and destructive than the last. Perhaps it’s time we started dreaming differently.

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| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 11

Start Here.

Go Anywhere!

the art & science of

2013/2014 UPGrAdinG & EmPLoymEnT rEAdinES Adult Education Centre Burns Lake – Ongoing registration U Southside Adult Education Centre – Oct. 29- Dec. 19

CArEEr & UniVErSiTy ProGrAmS Targeted initiative for older Workers (Southside) – Jan. 6

UniVErSiTy/CoLLEGE LEVEL CoUrSES • SoC 206 Social Problems – Jan. 6 • WmST 101 Intro to Women’s Studies I – Jan. 6 • PSyC 101 Introduction to Psychology – Sept. 9 • SoC 230 Critical Perspectives on Contemporary Families – Sept. 9

onLinE • FASd 300 FASD Support Strategies – Jan. 8 • FASd 301 Fundamentals of FASD – Jan. 8 • FASd 325 Developmental Disabilities – Jan. 8 • FASd 335 FASD Prevention – Jan. 8 • oASW 102 Culturally Appropriate Practices – Jan. 8 • FASd 305 FASD Brain & Behaviour – Jan. 15 • FASd 260 Overview of FASD – Feb. 26 • FASd 320 Human Development – Apr. 16 • FASd 330 Addictions – Sept. 24

VoCATionAL • H2S Alive – Nov. 25 • occupational First Aid Level 1 – Nov. 23, Nov. 30 • Winter defensive driving Nov. 26 & 27 • oFA Transportation Endorsement Dec. 1

STAY TUNED! There’s more!

We’re programming now for great upcoming courses.

Check out the CNC Website in December for the most up-to-date information!

www.cnc.bc.ca/lakesdistrict

Ph: 250-692-1700 • Fax: 250-692-1750 Toll Free: 1-866-692-1943 545 Hwy 16 West, Box 5000, Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0 • lksdist@cnc.bc.ca 12 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

www.n orthword.ca

by Ama nd a Fol let t a f o lle t t @ b u lk le y. n e t

James Fisher’s shop is a thing to behold. It dwarfs his house in downtown Smithers and is immaculate, despite the faint smell of epoxy.

“We bought the shop—the house came with it,” he jokes.

What also came with the 1,400-square-foot shop was the opportunity to pursue his passion.

After years in the ski industry, Fisher decided it was time to stop working on other people’s skis and develop his own. A couple years ago, a WorkBC grant allowed him to quit his job as a ski tech and begin developing his own business: a line of skis called Paranormal.

This impressive backyard business isn’t just where he makes skis—it’s where he’s making them better.

“Dust is your enemy,” Fisher explains when I comment that the shop rivals a hospital for cleanliness. Particles can create bubbles in a ski’s top sheet. “Everything has to be pretty clean during the setup.”

Having the space, he notes, is also important: skis are cumbersome and their production tends to take a lot of space. Also unwieldy is the 1,500-pound ski press that he made himself with some online research, a 40-foot I-beam and a high-pressure fire hose.

Innovation is just one ingredient that goes into Fisher’s meticulous ski production.

First, the science Fisher begins by designing his skis on a computer program. His first pair, the Weapon, he says he agonized over, creating four prototypes and changing the molds several times. He holds up a sheet of numbers: combinations of woods and profile settings that he has been experimenting with.

The ski’s core is made with local birch and aspen from a nearby mill, which he binds using a pine-based epoxy—a

byproduct of the pulp-and-paper industry. Then he experiments with the physics: some woods are stiffer than others and how the ski performs depends on how the wood is layered within the core. The right combination creates rigidity or flex in different parts of the ski for a response that suits the conditions.

This might be a good time to mention that the multi-talented Fisher also has a background in cabinetry and fine woodworking.

Once the core is complete, it’s protected with plastic seals around the edges and tip spacers at the front and back. For each model, the ski’s specific design—side cuts, rocker and camber—is tweaked depending on the weight of the skier and the intended terrain.

“Because I’ve sold and tested skis for a long time, you get a pretty good idea what works,” he says. “By testing things back-to-back in a variety of conditions you get an idea of the nuances.”

Fisher isn’t just innovating skis: he also creates the right tools for the job. When a tool proves inefficient or simply doesn’t exist, he has one made or creates his own from materials in the shop.

“This is an example of how you come up with the more advanced tools—you cobble things together with junk,” he says, holding up a tool he made for creating the edging’s curve along the nose of his skis.

It doesn’t look at all like junk—it looks like just the right tool for the job.

Before the ski is sandwiched together, a vibration-dampening rubber is added to create less wear on the ski during use and each pair gets a layer of tri-axially braided fibreglass and stringers of carbon fibre, known for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio, under

Ep oxy a n d num ero us clam ps are used to se c ure me tal edg es o nto a sk i base.

Then the art Any skier knows that while performance is important, first impressions also matter. Fisher doesn’t just have the technical side down—he also creates his skis’ graphics.

That’s right: the scientific woodworker is also artistic.

For his first prototype, he digitized an acrylic painting he’d done several years earlier of Gimli Peak in the Valhalla Range. For his second graphic, he experimented by playing with images of aliens that he’d imported into Photoshop.

Buying a drawing tablet allowed him to design directly onto his computer. A graphic for his second prototype, the Pack of Wolves (which he fondly refers to by its acronym, POW), is a detailed drawing of a wolf slinking menacingly from the shadows. It’s “a little bit creepy,” he admits.

“I watched a documentary about Yellowstone that said the wolves struggle through the summer and as soon as the snow starts to fly they come alive and become the dominant species in the park in the winter. It sort of spoke to me,” he laughs.

Once completed, he emails the graphic to a supplier who sends it back as a top sheet. He also plans to make a wood-veneer ski as well as a ski that exposes the wood core.

Finally, the skiing Once the ski is pressed and trimmed, there’s one final step: peeling a clear protective film from the top sheet—an unveiling of sorts. Fisher gives me the honour. ... continued on Page 19

am anda f ol l ett

the top sheet to make the skis lighter and stiffer.

Then the materials go into Fisher’s coffin-esque ski press, where they cure at more than 80 C for 25 minutes. Once cooled, the skis are trimmed with a jigsaw.

Interchangeable molds allow him to use one press for a variety of ski sizes and types, and will enable him to manufacture snowboards and split boards in the future.

Fisher recently ordered a high-end inline belt and stone grinder, as well as an edge grinder.

These tools—the only ones of their kind in northern BC—create a high-quality base and edge finish, and he now does as much ski tuning as ski building on downhill skis, cross-country skis and snowboards unavailable anywhere else in the North.

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coming out of the cave Finding my diabetic tribe in the North subm

it t e d

Zip-lining, h i g h ro p i n g , c a n o e i n g a n d h i ki n g a t a w e e ke n d g a t h e r i n g o f a d u l t s w i t h Ty p e 1 d i a b e t e s a re g re a t w a y s t o tes t y ou r l i m i ts , g e t t o kn o w e a c h o t h e r, a n d a n a p t m e t a p h o r for m ov i n g for w ard w i th t h e s u p p o r t a n d c a m a r a d e r i e o f a c o m m u n i t y.

by S a n dr a S m it h sandra@no rt hwo rd. c a

The chairlift seat sways gently as it whisks me up the hill. I lower the safety bar and catch my breath.

Those steep runs through powder burn tons of calories! It’s time to check my blood-sugar level.

As a Type 1 diabetic, my body produces no insulin. Some people call it a disease. I think of it more as a disability—my pancreas doesn’t work.

I must constantly measure my bloodstream’s glucose levels and either take insulin (if the level is too high) or eat something (if it’s low). I prick my finger and squeeze out a drop of blood, then touch it to the sensor on my blood-glucose monitor—a small iPod-sized gadget—and get a digital readout. I do this about 10 times—and inject insulin five times—each day.

“Whaaat?!!” I exclaim. The monitor indicates my blood-sugar level is 2.1—dangerously low. In most people, their correctly functioning pancreas automatically maintains a blood-sugar level of about 6.0. If mine drops much below 2.0, caused by an insulin rush, I could be in danger of passing out, potentially falling into a diabetic coma, followed by death if I don’t get an emergency glucagon injection. In my 33 years as a Type 1 diabetic, this has, thankfully, never happened to me–the passing out, or the death.

In a panic I reach into my pocket for dextrose tablets—sugar that digests straight into my bloodstream. I have stashes in all my pockets. Always.

“This doesn’t make sense!” I tell my chairlift mates, hurriedly explaining I might be dropping into insulin shock, as I shovel handfuls of dextrose and raisins into my mouth.

At the top of the chair, in the warmth of the lodge, I check again. Yikes! My blood sugar has skyrocketed to 22! Or has it…? What the heck? Now I must 14 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

www.n orthword.ca

inject insulin to bring the levels back down.

All these dramatic highs and lows are hard on the body. And the mind. In the short term, a high blood-sugar level feels like a bad hangover and can take a day to recover. In the long term, it can lead to scary complications like blindness, kidney failure, losing a foot…

Is there a problem with my monitor? It turns out, yes. It looks like it works, but reads inaccurately in the cold. I thought I was outsmarting it by keeping it warm inside my coat. Apparently not. This is a problem for an outdoor enthusiast in a snowy climate.

No longer a death sentence I was 13 when, in the midst of a normal Vancouver childhood, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Just 100 years ago, this would’ve been a death sentence. But the discovery of insulin in the 1920s allows Type 1 diabetics to live normal—or nearly normal—lives in most of the developed world, although life expectancy is 15 years shorter than the general population.

There are 300,000 Type 1 diabetics in Canada and some 750 to 1,500 of them live in northwest BC, according to stats. We are the “insulin-dependent” diabetics—only 10 percent of the greater diabetic population. Most diabetics are Type 2 and usually don’t require insulin injections.

More isolated in the North In Vancouver there were a lot of supports to help me cope with my new life. I had appointments every three to six months with leading endocrinologists at BC Children’s and St Paul’s hospitals. As a young adult, I was encouraged to check in to diabetic clinics every couple years for educational diabetic

“tune-ups.”

In the North, where populations are smaller and spread apart, resources are stretched a little thinner with 90 to 95 percent of diabetesdedicated healthcare generally focussed on the demand, which is Type 2. Any Type 1 focus is largely dedicated to Type 1 kids and the newlydiagnosed who need it most. We don’t have any endocrinolgists here, so an appointment generally requires a Vancouver trip, and there’s not much demand for Type 1 “tune-up” clinics for adults. If afternoon clinics have ever been held, the Type 1s generally don’t show up, I’m told.

When I moved to Smithers in the mid-1990s, I simply maintained my same-old 1990s insulin regime. Diabetes technology and research were moving forward. But I wasn’t. Without realizing it, I let my diabetes care slide.

“Type 1s are pretty isolated up here,” says Shelley Irvine, diabetes nurse educator at Northern Health’s Healthy Living Centre in Smithers.

“They don’t have the same access to educational resources—the conferences, clinics and meetings that happen a lot in metropolitan centres.”

She says Type 1 diabetics in the North have fewer appointments with an endocrinologist—if any at all—because of the travel and expense entailed. I haven’t seen an endocrinologist since I moved north.

Shelley is one of about 12 diabetes nurse educators spread out across the Northwest from McBride to Haida Gwaii. Four of those are in Prince George.

All are part-time. In Smithers, we are lucky to have a nurse educator—and such a passionate one like Shelley. In places like Stewart and Dease Lake, there is little to no dedicated support.

s a ndra s mith

Come see what

UNBC Northwest

sh ow i n g i t off

Finding my tribe That alarming chairlift ride was the kick in the pants I needed to get active again with my diabetes care. An intensive week of Googling led me to Sean Busby, a 29-year-old professional backcountry snowboarder. He’s a Type 1 diabetic from Montana.

“How do you do it?” I emailed him. “How do you check your blood-sugar levels in the cold?”

That email led me on a life-changing journey of introductions, inspiration and information. I felt like I was coming out of a cave. I discovered a huge community online—a movement of Type 1 diabetic-run organizations—where people were sharing stories, encouraging and learning from each other.

I started reading online forums and blogs, and finally ventured out to connect. I found myself zip-lining with other Type 1s at a weekend camp on Vancouver Island. I went to a national conference of Type 1 athletes and researchers in the US. I was euphoric—I felt drunk from all the new information and started incorporating new strategies into my daily regime. I learned about diabetic

sub m i t t e d

( a b o v e) S ome Typ e 1 s m ak e a po int o f k eeping thei r i n s u l i n p u mp s visib le so that peo ple will ask them a b o ut it , se e ing it as an o ppo rtunity to educate.

A u th or S an dr a S m i th w as ecs tati c to r u n a h al f m ar ath on w i th n ear per fect bl ood-s u gar l ev el s th i s fal l an d credi ts th e n ew i n s u l i n s tr ategi es s h e l ear n ed from oth er Ty pe 1 s at a con feren ce th i s s u m m er.

smartphone apps, better ways to take insulin and the “bionic pancreas” (watch for it on the shelves in about five years).

I met heroes like Doug Masiuk, a humble 39-year-old Type 1 diabetic who ran across America this year—the first Type 1 to do it.

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| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 15

... continued from Page 15 (belo w) Kno win g oth er s w i th Ty pe 1 i s pow er fu l l y v al i dati n g an d i n for m i n g , a n d m o s t a re s u r p r i s e d b y h o w m u c h o f a diff erence it m ak es. H ere, a grou p of Ty pe 1 s s h are ti ps , r an ts an d i deas on ho w t o l i v e h e a l t h i e r, h a p p i e r, m o re e n l i g h t e n e d lives, which inclu des focu s i n g on th e br i gh t s i de of th e con di ti on . . . “ feel i n g i n t u n e w i t h t h e i r b o d i e s a n d a w a re o f t h e i r health in a w ay th at, per h aps , th e n on -Ty pe 1 crow d w i l l n ev er f e e l ,” s a y s Je n H a n s o n o f C o n n e c t e d i n M o t i o n

s andra s mith

“How many months? How far did you run each day? ” I asked him.

“About six months. About 20 to 30 miles, a few days a week.”

“That’s a marathon a day!” I gasped.

“Diabetes isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon,” someone piped in.

This was the first time in 33 years I’d been in a room full of people like me. Diabetic gadgets beeped throughout the day and their owners would frequently glance at cellphone-sized insulin pumps or blood-sugar monitoring devices clipped to their belts. People poked their fingers to check blood-sugar levels at any time. It all felt so normal. I was in awe. There was instant recognition amongst everyone, even though most had never met. The feeling of “family” was impressive.

Our health professionals are doing a great job, and we couldn’t survive without them. But Type 1 diabetes is a complex condition with so many variables that come into play. Meeting other Type 1s who truly get it is kind of uplifting. It’s validating.

“Living with diabetes is like having a second full-time job,” says Jen Hanson, Executive Director at Connected in Motion, a Canadian charitable organiza-

tion run by—and for—active adults with Type 1 diabetes. “There are no vacations…and, of course, no pay.”

Shedding the cloak There is often a shyness among Type 1s. Along with conditions like epilepsy or renal failure, diabetes is one of those invisible conditions we’d rather not flaunt. We don’t want people to worry, panic or treat us differently, so many of us keep it under wraps.

A Type 1 in the Northwest talks excitedly that for the first time he’s just chatted with another Type 1. “I learned so much!” he says. Another tells me his co-workers don’t know he’s diabetic, but he’s “coming out of the closet.”

In Smithers, a group of Type 1s will gather—most for the first time—in November.

Finding community is empowering—for anyone with a chronic condition.

It’s informative, insightful and, most importantly, it’s good for your health.

With resources and populations being fewer and farther between up here, perhaps we northerners need to find it the most.

N

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finding

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c o nne c te d in mo tio n

type1 tribe

by S a n dr a S mit h san d ra@nor t hwo rd.ca

So... where do you find them? Under rocks? On mountain tops? If you are looking for your Type 1 community, here are some ideas of where to start: Go Local! FInd or make a group In Smithers, Type 1s will meet for a wine and cheese get together this November and will likely do it again. Contact your nearest diabetes education centre or this author for ideas and info.

Go Online! Some T1-specific websites • Connected in Motion – Canadian organization run by—and for—active adults with Type 1 diabetes www.connectedinmotion.ca • Riding on Insulin – Sean Busby’s organization focused on weekend gatherings for Type 1 kids, usually snowboarding camps in Canada and the US www.ridingoninsulin.org

M

ntain Eag u o Books & le

uni q ue and g rowing c ommunity Ty pe 1 s tr av el l ed from B C , A l ber ta, S eattl e an d a s f a r a s To ro n t o t o “ c o n n e c t ” w i t h o t h e r Ty pe 1 s at a C on n ected i n Moti on “ S l i ps tre a m ” e v e n t o n Va n c o u v e r I s l a n d t h i s f a l l .

• Insulin Dependence – focused on physical activity and peer support. US-based host of this summer’s national US conference on Type 1 and Sport. Great info on exercise and technology —worth checking out! www.insulindependence.org/resources/virtualconference/ • Welcome to Type 1 – Canadian T1 filmmakers inform and inspire through video and documentary www.welcometotype1.com • GLU – Boston-based collaborative data collection and sharing network, designed to accelerate research by listening to the collective voice of those living with T1D;

Feel good.

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• • • •

•

• •

excellent discussions, articles, and research for Type 1 diabetics www.myglu.org TUDiabetes.org www.tudiabetes.org JDRF Canada (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) – research, advocacy and events www.jdrf.ca Diatribe – research and product news for people with diabetes www.diatribe.us 1run - Doug Masiuk’s site, shows current effort to set up annual 1 mile fundraiser runs across the US (no reason Canada can’t join in!) www.1run.org Integrated Diabetes Services – one-on-one consulting for people who use insulin, run by celebrated author of the book Think like a Pancreas – www.integrateddiabetes.com Take Control of Your Diabetes www.tcoyd.org T1 Active Living www.t1dactiveliving.com

Social Media All of the above on Facebook, Twitter & YouTube Events: • Snowboard Camp for Kids – Connected in Motion & Riding on Insulin , March 8, 2014, Nakiska Resort, Alberta Other Resources: Favourite T1 books: The Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook by Sheri Colberg Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner Using Insulin: Everything You Need for Success

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column

Top Culture

Gillian Wigmore: strong, authentic and uniquely northern

s ubmitte d

Gillian Wig m o re grew u p a v et’s dau gh ter i n Vanderho o f , B C and i s n ow an aw ard-w i n n i n g poet and nov el i s t l i v i n g i n P r i n ce George.

by Rob Budde

Wigmore’s poems are about this place, northern BC, her family, and the quiet tensions of everyday life and love.

rbudde@shaw.ca

In previous columns I have written my opinions about how important it is for a community to read and celebrate its own authors. Too often I see small communities turn away from the local in favour of a perception that writing only happens in cities and the South.

I have previously profiled writers such as Ken Belford and Eden Robinson. In this column, I would like to introduce to you poet-novelist Gillian Wigmore, a bright and energetic part of the Prince George literary landscape for almost a decade now.

Jill, as she is known to friends, is witty, strong and committed to her writing. She grew up a vet’s daughter in Vanderhoof, BC and graduated from the University of Victoria in 1999. She first began publishing in magazines Geist, CV2, filling station and the Inner Harbour Review, but perhaps more influential in her development was the publication of her chapbook home when it moves you by Creekstone Press in 2005. A beautiful little book, home when it moves you established Wigmore as a professional writer and was my first introduction to her as she moved to Prince George.

Wigmore won the 2008 ReLit Award for her work Soft Geography and was also shortlisted for the Dorothy Livesay BC Book Prize. Wigmore is now firmly established as a nationally known poet and has come to represent this place when she travels abroad. This makes me happy.

Wigmore’s poems are about this place, northern BC, her family, and the quiet tensions of everyday life and love. They have been described as “authentic” but I am suspicious of that word; instead I would suggest that Wigmore’s placebased poetry is one of many valuable voices in northern BC. I appreciate her views as they come from the perspective of a mother and a seasoned traveller of BC’s trails and waterways. As Robert Hilles remarks, “They reveal the tender truths behind the rough edges of small-town life.”

In a recent interview with me, Jill described northern BC writing as “a brand new country

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www.n orthword.ca

waiting to be explored. There are so many exciting new voices up here, so many people trying new things, experimenting, going forth fearlessly. It’s a great place to write from—people are supportive, the landscape is inspiring, there is no one to tell me ‘no.’ I feel like it’s all potential in the North—that arts, culture and travel are the real natural resources yet to be tapped.”

I like that Wigmore doesn’t put up with my highfalutin academic pedestal (I definitely need reality checks once in a while!). She forges her own way and creates a literary community of her own as she goes.

In April 2014, Grayling, a novella, will be published with MotherTongue Publishing. A book of poems is forthcoming from Brick Books in fall 2014. Lots to look forward to from this regional ambassador.

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“It’s a very good feeling when you get to that point—it’s finally done,” he says.

As the frosted plastic peels away, revealed beneath is a glossy top sheet with vibrant colours—this one boasts Fisher’s original Gimli Peak painting. I grip the ski’s narrowed waist, feeling its almost weightlessness in my hand and sharp edges against my fingers.

The ski I’m holding, the Weapon, is a fat backcountry ski with lots of rocker and camber at the centre. The POW is a narrower version of the Weapon and great for spring skiing, groomers and harder snow conditions. His third ski, the UFO, is a freestyle ski. All are tailored to local ski conditions.

It’s easy to understand Fisher’s ear-to-ear grin as he admires his work. While he spent the first winter working on his prototypes and the second year putting his research into the community for testing, this year all three models are available to purchase. The skis, which retail for about $900, are simply continuing a high-quality ski-making tradition here in Smithers, Fisher says.

“There’s a whole history here of building skis that I find really interesting,” he says. “You can tell when you go out into the community there’s still such a passion for it.”

For more information or to order skis, visit the Paranormal website at www.paranormalskis.ca N

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... continued from Page 13

J am es Fi s h er pos es i n h i s s h op w i th a pai r of Weapon s ki s , o n e o f s e v e r a l m o d e l s i n h i s l i n e of P ar an or m al br an d s k i s . H e created h i s ow n gr aph i c f o r t h e s ki t o p s b y d i g i t i zi n g a n a c r y l i c pai n ti n g h e’ d don e y ear s ear l i er.

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w w w.no rthwo rd .ca

| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 19

NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

A dog’s life : Ta ke y o u r b e s t f r i e n d o n v a c a t i o n a n d t h e y might lead you to some beautiful vistas.

dagmar norton

Dogging adventure in the North Find the best pet-friendly spots by following your best friend’s nose

by A ma n da Fol let t am anda@nor t hwo rd. c a

Some say dogs tie people down. In our household, it might just be the other way around.

What if we turned the tables on our four-legged friends and let them choose our next vacation destination? Where would they take us? Well, it would probably be somewhere outdoors, with lots of space to run and beautiful mountains to wander amongst. How far wrong could a person go?

We’re thinking not too far. Next time, consider taking a vacation not in spite of your favourite ball-and-chain-of-fur, but because of them.

This is far from an exhaustive list of pooch-approved adventures in the North. (Increasingly, tourism operators are recognizing the growing pet travel market and an online search for pet-friendly accommodation will turn up options in most communities.) But what we’ve listed here aren’t just petfriendly, they’re pet-over-the-moon-with-tail-wagging-happiness destinations. You know—those places where your four-legged friends can really rip.

North Beach Cabins Nothing says romp quite like 25 km of beach right outside your doorstep.

Haida Gwaii’s North Beach has expanses of wide-open space for walks, stickthrowing and swimming.

Owner Lisa Schultz allows dogs in all four cabins at North Beach Cabins, as well as the tree-house-style Backpackers Inn (although your dog would need to climb a short ladder.) On this particular morning, Schultz has just watched two surfer guests run down to the beach with boards and beasts in tow.

20 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

www.n orthword.ca

“It’s wonderful to have that kind of spirit and youthful, loving-life energy around,” she says. Her own golden retriever, Boone, likes to visit guest cabins on his daily rounds and Cupcake (the cat who thinks she’s a dog) might also end up dropping by to say hello.

“This is the perfect place to bring a pet,” Schultz says. Many easy day hikes exist within an hour’s drive of North Beach, and hiking maps are available at North Beach Cabins. “I think people are really happy to take their dogs out and let them run.”

While pets don’t need to be leashed, Schultz asks that dogs aren’t bothering other visitors and are kept in the immediate vicinity of your cabin. A one-time $28 pet fee applies for the duration of a visit. Also, keep in mind these cabins are very rustic (no electricity means no vacuum) and leave them as dog-hair-free as possible.

Paw note: Haida Gwaii is home to a large population of small black-tailed deer. It is faux paw for your pooch to chase them, so keep Fido leashed around wildlife.

Onion Lake (and other) trails While lift-accessed downhill skiing is great, it does exclude our four-legged companions. Until those ski-hill managers wise up, look at it as an opportunity to get out and ski under your own steam. ... continued on Page 22

47

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| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 21

D o g s are enc ou ra ge d t o ro m p o ff leash at No rto n No r th R an ch C ottages n ea r Pr i n ce G e orge .

da g ma r no rto n

da g ma r no rto n

T h e Ol d L o g b a r n c a b i n at Norton North Ranch Cottages has a tiny dog nook with its own d o g m a t t re s s .

... continued from Page 20

Onion Lake Cross-Country Ski Trails, located halfway between Terrace and Kitimat, has a six-km loop that has been dog friendly for the past five years. The area’s most popular trail, the club has plans to extend the dog loop, according to Snow Valley Nordic Ski Club president Liz Thorne.

In fact, winter road trippers could hit several dog-friendly Nordic ski areas along Highway 16: the Bulkley Valley Nordic Centre, near Smithers, has seven kilometres that are pooch approved and Prince George’s Otway Nordic Ski Centre has five kilometres of dog trails.

ang e l i ka l a ng e

Paw note: For a fun ride, invest in skijoring gear (all you need is a dog harness, people harness and bungee leash) and let your dog do the work.

L o ca t e d h a lfw a y b e t w e en Terrace and Kitim at, the s i x-k m dog l oop at Oni o n L a ke Cross-Country Sk i Trails is the m o st po p u l ar of al l i ts tr ai l s .

Ripley Creek Inn While visitors come to Stewart in summer to check out grizzly bears and the Salmon Glacier, six to eight feet of snow means it’s make-your-own fun in the winter, and Ripley Creek Inn makes a great base for you and your four-legged sidekick.

The inn has six rooms available for travellers with pets. These rooms are less expensive than other rooms ($95 in the low season versus $105) as they’re smaller, but they’re clean and no additional dog fee applies.

“We get people with pets all the time,” manager Sheldon Rogers says.

“Usually tourists, but sometimes we’ll get some blue collar corporate traffic.”

With endless backcountry, Stewart is truly the wild north, and has little in the way of maintained ski or snowshoe trails, Rogers says. However, the area is popular with snowmobilers, who leave packed trails that are great for walking or cross-country skiing. When frequently mild coastal temperatures dip below freezing, crusty snow can be walked upon without snowshoes.

Although there are no local snowshoe rentals, Rogers has a pair he says he’d be willing to lend.

“We get a lot of snow. It’s definitely something you can do,” he says. “It’s not like you’re going to get lost. We’re in a bowl—it’s surrounded by mountains.”

Though not dog friendly, the inn also has a sauna for two-legged travellers to ease aching muscles after a day spent trekking through all that snow.

While the road into Stewart is open year round, travellers might be held up for several hours during avalanche control. Prepare to be patient.

l isa s chult z

Paw note: Ripley Creek’s resident chickens mean dogs must be leashed while on the property.

H ai d a Gw aii’s Nort h Be ach o ff ers year-ro und ro m pin g fu n , n ot to m en ti on so m e g rea t su rf for a d venture-seek ing hum ans.

22 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

Ross Lake Located just east of Hazelton, a couple kilometres north of Highway 16, Ross Lake Provincial Park is a popular ice-fishing destination and, because the road is kept clear all winter, a great spot to stop and stretch the legs—whether you travel on two or four. On a bright, sunny day, nothing beats a walk on a frozen lake with your best friend.

Paw note: Discarded fish guts abound. Keep pooches that enjoy stinky things close at hand.

... continued on Page 24

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| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 23

a ma nda fo lle tt

... continued from Page 22

P et s s h o uld b e le a she d where wildlif e abo unds.

Norton North Ranch Cottages Dagmar Norton doesn’t mince words: “It is pet paradise,” she says about Norton North Ranch Cottages, 30 minutes west of Prince George. Indeed, treats are provided on arrival and you can leave the leash at home.

“We take pride in that we have an off-leash policy,” says Norton, who estimates about 30 percent of guests bring pets. “We actually encourage people— let your dogs off the leash. These dogs, they want to run.”

The Nortons keep five kilometres of walking trails plowed all winter and snowshoes are provided with each cabin. Resident horses are socialized to dogs and not bothered when a curious canine barks at them. In fact, the Nortons have two strays of their own.

“We do ask the guest if their dog is friendly,” Norton says. Out of respect for non-pet-toting visitors, owners are also asked to keep their dogs close to their own cottage. Out of three cabins, the larger two are most appropriate for dogs and The Old Logbarn, the largest cabin at 950 square feet, has a tiny dog nook under the stairs with its own dog bed.

Paw note: Campfires and barbecues go all year long, so bring your woollies and settle into the winter outdoors.

Ancient Forest Located 113 km east of Prince George on the south side of Highway 16, the Ancient Forest Trail officially opened in 2006 and offers gentle snowshoeing through towering cedars, some up to 2,000 years old and several metres in diameter.

“The Ancient Forest Trail is a popular place for dogs and their families. Visitors are very respectful of the Ancient Forest and take care of business where their pets are concerned,” says Nowell Senior with the Caledonia Ramblers.

“The dogs love it!”

c a ro l yn i bi s

Paw note: The trail is 2.3 km long and an easy 90-minute hike for most adults, children and, of course, dogs.

am anda fol lett

T h e 2 . 3 - k m A nc ie nt Forest Trail is po pular with f am il i es an d t h e i r f o u r- le gge d me mb ers.

Tak e y o u r d og w it h you and f ind the ro ad less travel l ed.

Mountain River Lodge Close to Mount Robson and one hour west of Jasper, Mountain River Lodge is the perfect place to take a furry friend. Owner Claudia Pajunen says the lodge’s two cabins have been pet friendly for over 10 years and they’ve never looked back.

“The whole thing about pets changed dramatically since my husband was growing up on the farm,” Pajunen says.

“They’re family members now. People want to travel with their pets and take them along on vacation.”

People are pleasantly surprised when they realize the pet-friendly cabins are Claudia Pajunen clean and safe, not the dingy and dated accommodation associated with smoking rooms. Hardwood floors and leather furniture don’t just look good, they’re also relatively easy to clean, Pajunen points out.

The area abounds with outdoor activities, including the famed Berg Lake Trail, which is open year round and trackset for cross-country skiing in winter.

While dogs need to be leashed within Mount Robson Provincial Park, there are plenty of other quiet trails where dogs can run.

There is a $15 surcharge for pets (it takes longer to clean the room, Pajunen explains). The area abounds with wildlife, so keep runners close at hand. That said, well-behaved dogs don’t need to be leashed at the cabins.

“We’ve never had any issue with our four-legged furry guests,” Pajunen says.

They’re family members now.

People want to travel with their pets and take them along on vacation.

Paw note: Unfortunately, the cabins are now closed for winter, but re-open in May. N

24 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA

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| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 25

warmth

warmth under snow Why rising temperatures could mean harsher climate for some species

by Nor ma Kerby n ker by@t elus.net

Broad, deep tracks in the fresh snow followed the logging road ahead of us. “First snow of winter,” my grandfather would say, “and the grizzly bears head for their dens in the mountains.” This was the first snow in November and, from the size of the tracks, a large grizzly had headed up the slope to higher elevations. As the snow deepened, we turned around, but the bear continued climbing.

At the time, it struck me as a bit odd, as black bears happily hibernate in valley bottoms. Why would grizzly bears in the inland north-coast seek out mid-slope to subalpine dens for the winter?

It wasn’t until one wet, snowless January that the answer occurred to me: in the coastal valleys, snow cover varies from year to year, and may not occur or might melt out mid-winter. Higher elevation dens in the mountains ensure that grizzlies are sheltered and insulated under a cover of snow until spring. With spring comes sufficient food for both adults and cubs, but an early winter wake-up can lead to starvation.

So what would happen if our winter snow cover disappeared? Lack of snow cover directly affects the ecology of many subnivium ecosystems, exposing organisms to temperatures for which they are not adapted. Lack of snow also directly affects our homes and communities. Penetrating frost into soil not protected by snow can lead to frozen water and sewer lines. Heating costs in homes increase as cold extends around foundations susceptible to frost cracking and damage.

We northerners have a love-hate relationship with snow on the ground. Although lack of snow delights anyone with a long driveway, most of us groan and shovel, knowing that snow cover is essential for the survival of northern wildlife species. Where snow cover is a predictable occurrence—in the northern interior or above low elevations—both plants and animals have adapted to its insulating qualities during the coldest months

of the year. At an air temperature of -40 C, the temperature of the soil surface beneath 1.5 metres of snow will hover near freezing. For invertebrates, fungi, soil bacteria and plant roots, snow maintains a mild winter temperature in which they can survive, compared to the killing cold up above.

A persistent snow cover or subnivium environment provides safety for animal species that are active in winter. Sausage-shaped red-backed voles build nests and elaborate grass tunnel systems along the interface between your lawn and the snow. Lack of snow exposes these voles to bitterly frigid temperatures, reducing rodent populations to such low levels that winter-adapted predators—owls, weasels, martens and foxes—can be affected.

Some birds, such as grouse and ptarmigan, burrow into powder snow at night to stay warm.

Using the same principle of a warm blanket of snow, northern mammals will curl up in drifting snow or huddle down in snow-covered dens, emerging through snow tunnels to the surface.

Cold-blooded amphibians beat a hasty retreat in late fall, burying themselves into wet seepages or pond bottoms insulated by deep overlying layers of snow and ice.

Some of our northern winter species are especially designed to work within a snow cover.

Moose have long legs to wade through moderate snow levels, feeding on shrubs protruding above snow level. Mountain goats and mule deer avoid areas of deeper snow but will dig through shallow snow to reach winter food. Snowshoe hares and their predators, lynx, have enlarged hairy feet, which allow them to run on top of the snow. Fast hares are pursued by faster lynx, especially if the snow becomes crusty.

By filling in the underworld of bogs, swamps, dips and hollows, snow also allows people to move quickly and efficiently through the winter

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landscape. First Nations in northern BC built snowshoes to travel like wolves across the snow’s surface. Snowshoes were essential for winter hunting. Without them, a person could sink waistdeep or disappear into snow-covered gullies. By adjusting the length and width of the snowshoe design, travel was possible throughout the winter season. In regions with deep, powdery snow, snowshoes were long and narrow, compared to the bear-paw-shaped snowshoes for areas with denser, heavier snow.

Most Europeans who moved into northern BC in the 1800s and early 1900s adopted the use of snowshoes and dogsleds to move about the winter landscape. Trails were trampled in with snowshoes and the rough, bushy terrain disappeared under a firm, snowy highway. In the Stewart area, even horses wore snowshoes as they carried supplies to the mines and ore back to the docks for shipping.

In the early days of farming in the North, the insulating qualities of snow were used to extend both the types of plants that could be grown and how long produce could be saved through the winter. Farmers banked snow over precious rose beds and berry bushes to protect them from deep frosts, or buried fresh vegetables under a thick layer of hay covered with snow to save fresh food for late winter consumption. Without a consistent and predictable snow cover, many homesteads’ perennial food plants would have been frozen by deep January cold snaps.

Today, snow cover is a multimillion-dollar industry, if one looks at the recreation investment in snowmobiles, tracked all-terrain vehicles, ski hills and cross-country skiing. Lack of snow cover causes a direct hit in tickets and equipment sales to the thousands of northerners and tourists who take advantage of our snowy winters.

Could we lose our snow cover? According to

fa c undo g a s tia zo ro

Some of our northern winter species are especially designed to work within a snow cover.

researchers at the University of WisconsinMadison, global warming is causing millions of square kilometers of North A mer ic a n snow cover to disappear. By comparing March snow cover in 1966 to 2012, large areas of land south of the 49th parallel were identified as having lost their late winter snow. Serious ecological impacts are occurring that may lead to downward shifts in the number of species living in these regions.

Although northern BC is well north of this zone, and snow cover loss has not yet become a persistent pattern, projections of increasing global temperatures raise questions as to how the winter ecology of our region will be affected. According to these researchers, as the stability of snowpack habitats becomes less predictable, management goals and regulations will become essential to protect snow cover from compaction and destruction of shallower snow areas by our recreation and industrial activities.

Reductions to the depth and duration of snow cover could be a future crisis for northern BC. Last winter, snowshoeing through the hills near my house after a fresh snowfall, the patterns of tracks, emerging and disappearing into the snow, were a testament to the biodiversity associated with our snowy winters. If this snow no longer comes, or leaves too early, who knows what will happen to the wild species that we all enjoy.

N

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e mily bulme r

A w el l - s t o c k e d w a x i n g ki t hel p s e n s u re yo u h a v e w hat yo u n e e d f o r t h e ri ght k i c k a n d g l i d e .

e h t h w it x a w t righ

on track

by Emi ly B u l m e r advent uremily@ya h oo. c a

Out on the ski trails, a properly chosen and correctly applied wax can make the difference between tranquility and torment. Though waxing can become highly technical, the recreational skier can produce very good results with a few tools and a moderate number of waxes.

The variables to understand when choosing a wax are temperature, humidity and freshness of the snow, and the relative hardness of the different waxes available. Grip and glide waxes work together to counterbalance the grabbiness of the snow and the amount of moisture that is present. Swix brand wax is rated by air temperature and Toko brand is rated by snow temperature; both are colour coded for easy reference.

Snow conditions Fresh snow in cold and dry conditions has an intact crystal structure. These crystals are sharp, with many edges, making the texture of the snow abrasive and grabby, like of a piece of Velcro. When the snow is crystalline, a smoother, harder surface on the base of the ski is needed, which can be created using hard glide and grip waxes.

On older snow or in warm and humid conditions, snow crystals break down and become rounder, less sharp and less abrasive—more like the texture of a wool sweater (stuff still sticks to it, but not as much as Velcro). Softer glide and grip waxes are used in this case.

Late spring skiing conditions can create snow textures that are more like silk, as the snow crystals are completely degraded. These conditions require very soft waxes and klister to help draw excess water away from the skis.

Bulkley Valley Cross Country Ski Club head coach Chris Werrell has been waxing his skis since he was seven years old. “I have been around waxing and racing long enough to have a good feel for what we are going to use for the day by the time I have walked from the car to the waxing area.”

His advice to recreational skiers: “Keep it simple! Pick one line of waxes and get to know it well. From there you can branch out to waxes recommended by others.” Werrell emphasizes, “Having the right equipment makes a big difference; a good waxing iron, a waxing jig, a base and

groove scraper and sharpener, and a copper-nylon brush will get you through glide waxing. A cork, grip wax, putty knife and wax solvent will work for grip wax.”

Glide on!

Travel over snow on skis also requires glide, which is in part dependent on how much moisture is in the snow. For a ski to glide well, a thin film of water—created by the pressure of the ski on the snow—needs to be present and acts as a lubricant.

Not enough water is called dry drag, or friction; too much water is wet drag, or suction. Both slow the skis down; selecting the right glide wax helps reduce these forces. Harder glide waxes create more water film for cold, dry conditions and softer ones create less film, good in warm and humid conditions.

When there is a lot of water in the snow, small groves can be pressed into the finished glide wax with a rilling tool. This helps collect and move water away from the base of the ski. Hydrophobic additives such as fluorocarbons can also be applied to the skis for extra glide in humid condi-

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e mily bulme r

P e t e r K r au s e u s es a wa xing iron t o me l t g l i de-w ax on to the ba se of a cro ss - c ou n try s ki , pri or t o ironing a nd sc r a p i ng to a cl ean , smoot h finish.

tions. These waxes are toxic (and expensive!) and require the use of a respirator.

Glide wax is applied to the tips and tails of both waxable skis and waxless fish-scale skis for crosscountry classic technique, and to the whole ski for skating technique. Glide waxes are also used on downhill and telemark skis and snowboards.

Peter Krause, owner of McBike and Sport in Smithers, demonstrates how to apply glide wax to a pair of skate skis. “The biggest mistake people make is running the waxing iron too hot.

Running a hot iron changes the properties of the wax, causes toxic smoke and fumes, and can damage the base of the ski.”

He recommends allowing the skis to warm up to room temperature, which will reduce the temptation to turn up the temperature of the iron.

Krause first brushes the skis tipto-tail with a stainless-steel brush, cleaning out the pores of the base, followed by a couple passes with a Chris nylon brush. He sets the iron and drips wax up and down the ski, then

irons over the length of the ski twice. He recommends quick tip-to-tail passes with the iron rather than back-and-forth scrubbing motions, which create hot spots that can damage the base. He lets the wax cool for a few minutes, then scrapes it off with a sharp plastic scraper, scraping out the groves first. “You want a sharp scraper for a clean finish,” Krause says as he sharpens his scraper on a piece of 150-grit sandpaper on top of the workbench. Lastly, he brushes excess surface wax off with a nylon brush, leaving the skis with a glossy finish.

Getting a grip For classic technique on cross-country skis, grip wax is needed on the centre portion of the ski— the kick zone—to help the skier maintain forward momentum. When the ski is weighted, the camber (or curve) of the ski is flattened and the kick zone contacts the snow. In this moment, you want the ski to stick so you can push forward, then release when it’s lifted. The kick zone depends on the flex of the ski and weight of the skier, but generally extends from about 30 cm in front of the skier’s toe to the heel of the ski boot.

For grip waxing, Werrell recommends that you should have your kick zone marked properly. “The ski shop your equipment came from should help provide this service for you. Apply thin layers— it is easier to cork, and easier to add more layers than to scrape them off. Use the cork vigorously to heat the wax up and smooth it out. The smoother your wax is, the better it will work.” Having two corks, one for warmer waxes and one for colder waxes, makes application easier.

Don’t kiss the klister When there is no crystal structure left in the snow, the snow behaves like silk, and a sticky substance called klister is needed. Klister is gooey, behaving more like glue than wax, and takes practice to apply. To deal with klister-sticky hands, Werrell recommends putting them directly into your ski gloves. “The sweat on your hands breaks down the klister and your hands won’t be sticky by the time your ski is over.”

Werrell stresses to always ask for help if you are unsure about something. “Skiers are friendly and love to offer advice,” he says. “Local ski shops are great resources too—most owners are skiers as well.”

Werrell

Coach Werrell’s

wax picks for difficult conditions

REALLY COLD

Swix LF4 for glide. (Nothing beats it in the cold!) Almost anything for grip— most waxes will work when it gets really cold, but my “old faithful” grip is Swix Blue Extra

MUSHY, SLUSHY AND WARM

Swix HF8/HF10 with a pure fluorocarbon on top, and with a structure pressed into the ski. Depending on how warm and slushy it is, klister will most likely be in the running, or a warm, goopy hardwax like Swix VR70.

ICY

Icy means abrasive! Swix LF4 or LF6 tend to be very durable. For kick, you want a base binder (a harder wax that helps keep the kick-wax on longer)—usually a green hard wax or a cold klister.

N

Skiers are friendly and love to offer advice

N

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| DEC 13/JAN 14 | 29

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YOU have until DECEMBER 5 to help create a

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eight reasons to get here.    

Over 45km of groomed trails



Warm up in the Buchfink Family Memorial Ski Lodge

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Stay warm while waxing in the Gary Murdoch Memorial Wax Hut

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Only a 10 minute drive from downtown Smithers — 9km up Hudson Bay Mountain Road!!

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Fun and fitness for the whole family

5.5km of lit trails Over 5km of dog-friendly trails Home to the Bulkley Valley Cross Country Ski Club with programs for all ages and skill levels

www.bvnordic.ca for trail conditions + more 32 | DEC 13/JAN 14 |

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m o rg a n hi t e

CANYON CREEK GROOMED TRAILS, TREE SKIING AND ALPINE MEADOWS

by Morga n H it e morga njh@bulkley.ne t

Canyon Creek Cross-Country Ski Area is about 25 minutes from Smithers up Babine Lake Road.

The bottom section is groomed (although not set with tracks), while the upper section offers trails for backcountry touring and some opportunities for tree skiing.

Although the trail just barely reaches timberline (see sidebar), there is access to alpine meadows at the top. Tree skiing, indicated on the map, is through portions of an old 1934 burn where the trees are still widely spaced.

Being 500 m higher than the town of Smithers, the snow here can be in great shape, even when it’s melting in the valley bottom. From Smithers, head east toward Telkwa, and turn on Babine Lake Road, which you’ll take for 22 km. Pass the point where the road turns to gravel and the turn for the Canyon Creek Forest Service Road on the right. Look for a plowed parking lot on the right.

The parking lot is just before McKendrick Pass, at 1,040 m elevation. Groomed trails top out below 1,100 m, but ungroomed ones reach farther up this west-facing slope, through the old burn, and end just below 1,600 m on the ridge connecting Dome Mountain to Mount McKendrick. The trails are sponsored by the BV Outdoor Recreation Society, and maintained by volunteers. This will be their sixth year of operation. There is no fee.

Snowshoers are welcome, although they are asked to keep to the outside edges of the groomed trails and leave the middle for skiers. Dogs are also welcome, as long as their owners clean up after them. Firewood is provided at both picnic table sites.

See their web page at www.bcnorth.ca/canyoncreek/default.asp N

treeline and timberline When I taught map reading in the U.S., a piece of folklore we told our students was the green areas on the topographic map indicated there was enough forest to hide a platoon of soldiers (about 40 people) per acre.

It was a good way to explain why small clumps of trees didn’t appear on the map.

I like the implied subtext—cartographers producing the maps for military officers involved in some kind of domestic war, and needing to know where they could hide their men from aircraft—but it doesn’t take much reflection to realize that the U.S. Geological Survey couldn’t have visited all those places, looked at the tree cover, and decided where you could hide 40 guys.

According to Natural Resources Canada, the green area on topographic maps is “an area at least 35 percent covered by perennial vegetation of a minimum height of two metres.” And they probably estimate that 35 percent coverage from air photos.

So, when you’re ascending a mountain and the green ends on the map, is that treeline, or is it timberline? I’d always thought these were just variant terms for the same thing, but then I read Jim Pojar’s new book Alpine Plants of British Columbia. In the introduction, I learned that treeline and timberline are different: The term treeline designates the upper limit of tree species occurrence, regardless of their stature, whereas timberline refers to the upper limit of continuous cover of upright trees three metres or more in height.

Timberline, being where the solid forest ends, is the end of green on the map. Treeline is the last little, twisted, stunted tree. And neither, of course, is really a line.

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Trail Map sponsored by Dawn 2 Dusk

www.dawn2dusk.net see ad page 21

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column

Ba rom eter

Grease, gas and dilbit trails “Called Grease Trail by the Europeans, (it was) a major trading route running from Gitlax’aws (near Nass Camp) to Gitwanhlguul/ Kitwancool; the trail (was) utilized by the upper Ksan people, or Gitksan … to trade for oolichan grease—the prize commodity of the Nisga’a Nation. … The Nisga’a travelled this trail on the way to the Babines to trade oolichan grease.”

– GeoBC, Nisga’a Tribal Council, New Aiyansh

by C h a rlyn n To ews edit or ial@no rt hwo rd. c a

I am pretty sure there was no environmental assessment or Joint Review Panel for the establishment of the Grease Trail, nor any proponents, critics or lawyers.

It was part of the many ancient international trade routes that First Nations established to make life better for the people trading. Coastal people got furs, and the inlanders got seaweed, seafood and the prized commodity of oolichan grease.

How old is the Grease Trail? Gitxsan oral histories refer to an ancient cultural flourishing, and archaeologists identify this as a period of important changes in the subsistence patterns around 3,500 years ago. About 500 or 600 BC: a long time ago.

So, first, walking over trails, next boats, a telegraph line, pack trains and the railway: In 1741, the voyage of Danish expedition leader Vitus Bering, an officer with the Russian navy, to Alaska resulted in direct contact—primarily fur trading—between northwest coast people and Europeans.

The steamer Mumford made it as far as Kitsumkalum with supplies for the Collins Overland Telegraph line in 1866. The Russian-American COLT line was a $3 million project—equivalent to $45.8 million in today’s dollars. Both shortlived events, COLT economic activity and, later, gold-seekers with donkey or horse trains made Hazelton a boomtown.

The riverboats operated on the Skeena for only 22 years, when the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway took over its function. Construction started from both ends—Winnipeg and Prince Rupert—in 1908. Coming from Rupert, the first passenger train puffed through Terrace and Hazelton in 1912 and Burns Lake and Smithers in 1914. From Winnipeg, it reached Prince George and Houston in 1913. The two ends of the railway were joined in 1914 at Fort Fraser.

The railway was not all good news: it meant the end of steamboat and pack train operations, and jobs were lost. But there were bonuses, too. The population in the Bulkley Valley boomed from about 75 people n 1905 to more than 1,200 by 1920.

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And now, pipelines: Jump to 1968 for the first natural gas pipeline. Connecting to the Peace River area’s gas fields north of PG, it travels north of Vanderhoof, through Fraser Lake, Burns Lake and Houston, takes a short cut from Telkwa to Terrace, then branches off to Kitimat and Rupert.

According to the Pembina Institute, landslides ruptured natural gas pipelines in northern BC four times so far—in 1978, 1999, 2002 and 2003.

Enbridge’s Northern Gateway pipeline would enter BC south of Tumbler Ridge, and pass through Fort St. James, Burns Lake, then south of Terrace to Kitimat.

According to TransCanada Corporation, to reduce the gooeyness of bitumen so that it will flow in a pipeline, it is mixed with a light petroleum liquid to produce diluted bitumen, or dilbit.

They do not mention this, but you should not eat it.

Oolichan grease is stable, thus suitable for storage and transport, explaining its status as a preferred trade item among First Nations in our region. It won’t—and cannot—hurt anything if it spills.

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Centrally located on Smithers’ Main Street, the Fireweed Motor Inn is the place to stay! We‘re walking distance to the town’s best restaurants. Or book a kitchenette and fill the fridge with groceries from one of Smithers’ two grocery stores, literally across the street.

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