The Jasper Local December 1 2016 by The Jasper Local

a lt e r n at i v e +

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thursday, december 1, 2016 // ISSUE 86

ETIENNE CARDINAL TESTS THE SNOW PACK WHILE SKI TOURING NEAR HILDA RIDGE NOVEMBER 22. CONDITIONS ONLY IMPROVED AS A BLANKET OF FRESH SNOW BROUGHT WINTER ENTHUSIASTS OUT TO ENJOY BLISSFUL BACKCOUNTRY TURNS.// BOB COVEY

RCMP out in force to combat drunk driving Members of Jasper’s RCMP detachment are cracking down on impaired drivers during the month of December. In anticipation of the Christmas holidays, officers will be setting up multiple check stops and increasing patrols in and around the community. “The RCMP typically sees an increase in impaired driving during the month of December,” said Cst. Patrick Vallee. Vallee and the RCMP are reminding the public that the consequences of operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 or higher are severe and

include, but are not limited to arrest, being charged under the Criminal Code, driver’s license suspension and vehicle seizure. Drivers found with a blood alcohol concentration between 0.05 and 0.08 also face serious penalties. In 2015, more than 1,250 people were killed in impairmentrelated crashes in Canada. “If you plan an evening out, plan a safe ride home,” Vallee said. Jasper RCMP encourages anyone who suspects an impaired driver to call 911.

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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 86 // thursday, december 1, 2016

editorial //

Local Vocal Kinder Morgan’s TMX expansion has been approved and I don’t know about your social media feeds, but mine have been flooded with a torrent of rhetoric on every side of the issue.

Trying to make sense of the cacophony is kind of like attempting to peer through a sample of the diluted bitumen that will apparently be cruising under our rivers and forests at a rate of almost a million barrels per day; i.e., it’s murky! On one hand I’ve got friends who are ready to lie down in front of the machines which will build nearly 1,000 km of new pipeline—they say the federal government’s decision to green-light TMX will pose too high of risk to the environment while doing nothing to help transition to alternative energy sources. On the flip side I’ve got comrades who tell those tree huggers they better stop driving their cars and brushing their teeth with plastic toothbrushes if they hate big oil so much. Also: jobs. Thankfully, there are centrists in my newsfeed to This year’s Movember Project was so many Movembers, they now navigate the flying poop storm. bristle at being shaken down? like my buddy Tristan Nissen’s On the advice of one prolific poster, let’s first of all face fuzz: barely noticeable. While This campaign is feeling more and more like a 5 o’clock shadow: agree that we’re going to disagree. That’s part and last year we saw an uptick of cute for a day, but kinda lazy. parcel of being a big, proud, regionally-diverse upper lip-hoslstery, in 2016 the Don’t get me wrong, the Movember country. Should folks on the coast be expected to mo-momentum seems to have message is a good one—check your been shaved clean. kiss Albertans’ feet for getting oil to market when boys, boys—but can’t we conjure not even 10 years ago a busted Kinder Morgan Am I chaffed about crusty musk something more creative than pipe was spraying a 10-foot high geyser of crude dusters not creating much of a caterpillar carving? fuss? Hardly. I say: Gillette-it go. onto the streets of Burnaby? Not likely. However, I know one thing, if it’s December those people might be a bit more understanding of Over the last six years or so, while and you’re still sportin’ a snot mop they’ve raised a impressive amount and you don’t drive a police cruiser Alberta’s position on the TMX when they consider of ‘stache cash, Jasper men have for a living, you best have something that this province has made landmark deals on contributed to an over-saturation to show for it. Donations, sure. But carbon capping with oilsands companies, cut coal of creepy crumb catchers. By my more important are conversations. production and brought in a carbon pricing scheme, estimation, there are only a few Tell someone why your gravy all in an attempt to reinvest in clean energy. bros that can rock a non-molester grabber is good for his gonads. mo. The rest of you, get over your Otherwise, that mo’s all for show. Likewise, hard-line pipeline defenders might do handlebars! well to realize the intellectual dishonesty of calling -Bob Covey __________________ It’s not just an aesthetic argument; someone a gas guzzling hypocrite if they don’t send LETTERS our way! I’m trying to be practical. Can you drive a Tesla or brush their teeth with a twig. Oil letters@thejasperlocal.com blame would-be donors if, after is cheap because the government has made it so The Jasper Local // Jasper’s independent alternative newspaper and until there’s equal government investment 780.852.9474 • thejasperlocal.com • po box 2046, jasper ab, t0e 1e0 in alternatives, it’s a false dichotomy—not to mention kind of jerky—to use the “you use oil too” Published on the 1st and 15th of each month argument as a trump card. Editor / Publisher Politics, particularly when pipelines are involved, Bob Covey.................................................................................... bob@thejasperlocal.com are always going to be murky. But as much as the Art Director social media maelstrom adds to the noise, it is up Nicole Gaboury.................................................................. nicole@thejasperlocal.com Advertising + sales to us to use our voices responsibly. Transitioning sydnee makowichuk...................................................... sydnee@thejasperlocal.com to a post-carbon economy won’t be black and cartoonist white, but as long as we’re spewing rhetoric from the defensive crouch of our entrenched positions, Deke.................................................................................................deke@thejasperlocal.com facebook.com/thejasperlocal @thejasperlocal we’ll always hear the conversation as through a one-way pipe.

Here we Mo again

bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

Local trails //

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Karate chop! Jasper’s Heidi fengler navigates her way over fallen trees on the summit lakes trail, off the Maligne Road. keen early cross-country skiers had to hurdle a few obstacles along the route on November 27 but trail crew has since been in the area with their saws. Winter in Jasper has arrived. // N. Gaboury

Deadline for bike park design input Dec. 6 The Jasper Park Cycling Association wants help designing Jasper’s first ever mountain bike skills park.

The group is looking for rider input on features, jumps, skinnies and berms. If that’s all Greek to you, it may be because you’re not a mountain bike enthusiast, or it may be that your mountain bike experience has been limited to Jasper National Park and as such you’ve never seen a man-made mountain bike trail feature before. “This will be the first mountain bike-specific offering in Jasper National Park,” said JPCA chairperson, Matt Staneland. “That’s a really big thing they can hang their hat on.” “They,” are the project stakeholders who have helped move the project along thus far, namely the Municipality of Jasper (MOJ) and Parks Canada. Final approval for the use of lands adjacent to Connaught Drive, across from the Mount Robson Inn, was granted in August.

The JPCA has hired Hoots Incorporated, a specialized bike park and trail design/ build company. However, before consultants present a concept to JPCA members, the Hoots team is asking cyclists to indicate what sort of features—such as the aforementioned jumps and berms, as well as rock gardens, A-frames and teeter totters—Jasperites want to see in their new park. “We want to know if people want stuff similar to what they’d see on trails in Jasper, so they can practice those skills, or if they want things they’d only find in other bike parks,” Staneland said. Thanks in part to a handful of corporate sponsors stepping up with donations, the group has nearly reached its initial fundraising campaign goal of $20,000. That portion covers the design, however, Staneland estimates the park could cost another $150,000 to construct.

At a recent Jasper Rotary Club meeting, Staneland shared the JPCA’s vision of creating educational and interpretive opportunities within the context of skills park.

At the recent MOJ budget meetings, council deliberated on approving a $5,000 yearly line item for maintenance of the future bike park. The JPCA has also asked for infrastructure tie-ins, garbage receptacles and signage. Decisions on those requests will be forthcoming at a future council meeting.

“This will be much more than a bike park,” Staneland said. “We’re building a meeting place, a public space.”

The deadline for the skills park design input is December 6. Go to jasperparkcycling.com and follow the links.

To do that, the group wants the public’s help.

bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

page B1 // the jasper local // issue 86 // thursday, december 1, 2016

Local winter //

Surfing the November storm at Marmot Basin

MARLEY POLLOCK FINDS A STASH ON MARMOT BASINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S UPPER MOUNTAIN // B COVEY

PEPPER RUSTON LANDS SOFTLY IN THE GLADES NEAR PARADISE RUN // B COVEY

LISA WILSON AND DAUGHTER LUCY GET SOME EARLY-SEASON TURNS ON SCHOOL HOUSE ON NOVEMBER 27. MARMOT BASIN IS OPENING MORE TERRAIN EVERY DAY AS SNOWFALL AND COLD TEMPS HELP GET THE MOUNTAIN INTO SHAPE. // BOB COVEY

Local spirituality//

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A Lama in the mountains Himalayan monk takes up month-long residency in Jasper ‘Om mani padme hum.’ A striking melody holds the room of Blue Sky Yoga in reverence as Lama Drubpon Otzer Rimpoche steadily chants the Buddhist mantra. Participants who have been sitting cross-legged on cushions join in, but the voice of Rimpoche carries through, his chanting emanating from an ancient lineage of Mahayana Buddhism. After five minutes of chanting, Lama Rimpoche closes the evening class in a muted voice, choosing his words carefully so that Paloma Mitchell, a Jasper local who hosts Buddhist talks at Blue Sky Yoga, can help translate them to the group.

philosophy and meditation at a monastery in Ladakh, India, a place Lama Rimpoche describes as “a more peaceful world.” Decades of study and practice eventually earned him the venerable distinction of Lama, which is an ordainment bestowed only on spiritual leaders and honoured teachers in the world of Buddhism. Lama Rimpoche’s teaching life has taken him to sanghas in Bolivia, Peru and to his current residency at a Buddhist Centre of Studies in Santiago, where he has been for the last six years. During his Jasper stay this December, Lama Rimpoche will be offering regular classes and a full two-day retreat at Blue Sky Yoga. Lama Rimpoche says the classes will contain “basics of Buddhism such as understanding the mind and looking inside to compassion, love, wisdom and non-violence.”

Though modest in presence, Lama Rimpoche stands out in Jasper with his flowing red robes, shaved head, JOIN LAMA RIMPOCHE FOR A WEEKEND MEDITATION AT BLUE SKY YOGA AND LEARN and simple slip-on shoes—attire THE BASICS OF BUDDHISM. ALL CLASSES ARE BY DONATION TO COVER TRAVEL AND which distinguishes him as a monk. ACCOMMODATION COSTS OF LAMA RIMPOCHE. // FERN YIP All classes are by donation to cover The Jasper Buddhist community, or the cost of Lama Rimpoche’s flight, sangha, has been gathering donations accommodation and meals. Lama Rimpoche will be Jasper’s resident for the last eight months to bring Lama monk. Rimpoche to town. Although he grew up in In his homeland, the majority of the population DECEMBER SCHEDULE the Northern Himalayas, Lama Rimpoche has is Buddhist. Lama Rimpoche has dedicated Saturdays 10 am Meditation, 1-3 pm class; come to Jasper by way of Santiago, Chile. most of his life to the study of Buddhist Sundays 10 am meditation; Two-day Snowflakes filled the sky the morning after spirituality and philosophy. retreat Saturday December 10 and Sunday Lama Rimpoche arrived in Jasper. The sudden “At seven years of age I asked my family if December 11, 9:30 am – 5 pm at Blue Sky change in seasons kept him indoors at first, but I could become a monk,” he said through Yoga. For more information contact Paloma he had not travelled this far, he said, to keep Mitchell’s translation. Mitchell at (780) 931-5676 or Marla Pollock to himself. He will be in Jasper for the coming at (780) 931-2544. With that early, earnest request, Rimpoche weeks to share teachings of Mahayama began to learn and practice Buddhist rituals, Fern yip // info@thejasperlocal.com Buddhism. During the month of December,

PATRICK MAHLER WORKS HIS SKILLS DRYTOOLING IN BS CANYON. // TRISTAN NISSEN

page b3+B4 // the jasper local // issue 86 // thursday, december 1, 2016

LOCAL FEATURE // STORY AND PHOTOS BY BOB COVEY

Queens of the ice age

Women’s hockey is flourishing in Jasper thanks to passion, perseverance and the odd prank

THE BARLEY QUEENS WON THEIR HOME TOURNEY. PICTURED MILLSAP, ROBIN BANGLE AND RACHAEL CUMMINS. (BOTTOW

In November, the night before their first of six hockey games in three days, members of the Jasper Barley Queens women’s hockey team were setting up a raffle table to raise money for their first home tournament of the year. During the set-up, the Barley Queens’ goalie, the ever-caffeinated Wendy Hall, reminded four of the new girls of the team’s ritual: for the first game of the first tournament of the year, everybody comes wearing a dress. It’s a fun way to keep things light, Hall explained. More importantly, she said, it’s a bit of a Barley Queens rite of passage.

“I told them it was to help the players bond,” she said. “That it was a tradition.” Surprised they hadn’t heard of the protocol, but keen to make a good first impression on their new teammates, rookies Elissa and Rachael Cummins, Danielle Curran and Bryn Millsap got into the spirit. Just before 7 p.m., as friends and fans of the Barley Queens were anticipating an intense first game against the rival Hinton Mustangs, the four rookies lugged their gear into the rink, sporting a variety of fancy dresses—replete with jewelry and high heels. That’s when they spotted Hall retrieving her own equipment from the arena lockers. Hall was wearing her regular street clothes. She had a toque on. She definitely wasn’t in a dress. “They were like ‘what the hell?’” Hall recalled. “It was very funny.”

//WENDY HALL DISCOVERED A PASSION FOR HOCKEY 5 YEARS AGO // B COVEY

Spend a few minutes around the Barley Queens, and you quickly learn they love to have fun together. Five years ago, however, there weren’t as many

laughs in the dressing room. Although fans couldn’t tell from where they were sitting, there was tension within the group. At that time, the team was in its infancy, having recently branched off from the long-standing women’s team in Jasper, The Rustlers. It was a naturalenough separation— there were enough players to create two teams and the more competitive of the bunch wanted a bigger challenge—but some of the Rustlers were ticked off that their team was suddenly fractured. As a result, many of the Barley Queens felt guilty for //GENEVA LLOYD IS ONE OF 4 BARL

“Now to see where [girls’ hockey] has gone, to see how it’s grown in Jasper, it’s so exciting” thinking they were the cause of that hurt. “No one wanted to hurt the Rustlers, but we had 12 or 13 girls who wanted to go to tournaments,” said Jess Prinn, who was one of the those who felt like a defector. “The Barley Queens wanted something more competitive.” At first, they weren’t competitive at all. Hall, who’d helped spearhead the changes, was brand new to playing hockey, let alone the goalie position. When she struggled to keep pucks out of the net, there wasn’t a whole lot of sympathy from her former teammates. And despite self-identifying as the more competitive players, the girls who made up the defence and the forward positions weren’t yet confident in their new roles. Undoubtedly, some wondered if they’d made the right decision. Many women played on both teams and were caught in the middle. But the Barley Queens carried on. This wasn’t the first time they’d faced challenges, neither as a team nor as individuals. Many of the women had heard

feature //

D ARE (TOP ROW, L-R): DANIELLE CURRAN, AMANDA SCHULTZ, JESS PRINN, COLLEEN OLSON, GENEVA LLOYD, MEG STANELAND, BRYN ROW): BECCA BRITTON, CELINE STANKO, WENDY HALL, ELISSA CUMMINS, NICOLE KLOPFENSTEIN AND LEE ANN CROSS. // B COVEY

their fair share of rude, sexist comments growing up playing hockey. Some of them had dealt with outright discrimination. Smooth skating, ceaselessly smiling Lee Ann Cross was one such player. Her efforts to play in one of Jasper’s local pick-up leagues

only shown her ability to move the puck forward, but has been able to move the team forward, too. Olson’s experience and leadership enabled her to eventually take over as player/coach from a rotating roster of well-meaning, yet ultimately miscast, men. Today, having a female lead the team’s strategy is not only less awkward during dressing room speeches, it further asserts the team’s independence. Despite the changing faces of The Barley Queens, Hall said the team hasn’t forgotten where they started—as a group of gals who just want to get out and have fun together. Hall said there have been many people in town who helped paved the path to independent women’s adult hockey, women like early Rustlers organizer Jacquie Werbicki, or more recently, Mary Koleman, whose constant boosterism for women’s and mixed hockey has allowed countless ladies to get on the ice, some of them for the first time in their lives.

LEY QUEENS WHO PLAY IN THE COMMERCIAL LEAGUE, TOO.//

Moreover, there is an entire new crop of female hockey players being groomed at the minor hockey level in Jasper. One of those teams, the Atom Grizzlies, recently returned from a weekend hockey camp with Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser. And at the next level up, the girls Bantam Grizzlies were just in Edmonton with their own heroes, the women of the NAIT Oooks hockey team. Of course, it takes a big commitment from parents to pull off the minor hockey lifestyle. There are a lot of far-flung hotels to be booked, a lot of car windshields to be scraped and a lot of skates to be tied before the girls can even get on the ice.

//JESS PRINN STARTED PLAYING HOCKEY IN JUNIOR HIGH AFTER HER DAD, MARK, HELPED ORGANIZE A GIRLS TEAM IN JASPER. JESS ALSO GAVE A SHOUT OUT TO HER MOM, LINDA.

were resisted by a small but vocal minority of men who didn’t want to share the ice surface with a woman. It took courage and the support of her more enlightened male friends, but Cross eventually got back on the ice. As soon as she did, the chauvinist attitudes evaporated. Cross isn’t the only Barley Queen to have shattered one of Jasper’s glass hockey ceilings. When former Ohio State forward Colleen Olson came to town, as well as playing with the ladies, she soon became the first (non-goalie) female to play in the Jasper commercial hockey league. Since then, Olson, a powerful skater possessing a heavy shot, has not

But take it from Prinn’s father, Mark, it’s all worth it. Prinn, along with Jeff Melanson, helped reestablish girls hockey in the mid-1990s after a 20-year lapse (shout out to the Ruddy sisters, some of the original Jasper female hockey players). Mark says he doesn’t remember the goals his daughters scored or the wins they accumulated or even the lessons in teamwork they learned. What he remembers is how much fun the family had with the other parents while watching the kids improve. “Now to see where [girls’ hockey] has gone, to see how it’s grown in Jasper, it’s so exciting,” Prinn said. What’s also rewarding is knowing that his daughter is having as much fun playing pickup hockey with her friends as he did with his. And if part of that fun is pranking the rookies, more power to them. Bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

page B5 // the jasper local // issue 86 // thursday, december 1, 2016

Local business//

Jasper Skytram to undergo major surgery control system this winter, the Jasper Skytram has hired specialists to perform routine yet important maintenance work on both the 27mm haul rope (the cable which propels the tramcar), as well as the 44mm track rope (the cable to which the tramcar is attached). After those jobs are done, the brain surgery will begin. Eventually, the Swiss-designed controls— with its retro buttons, switches, gauges and lights—will be replaced.

The Jasper SKYTRAM is replacing the brains of its operation. Not General Manager Todd Noble (he’s more like the heart and soul); what’s being surgically removed is the tram’s control system, the computer which makes the entire operation work. The last time the controls were switched out was more than 20 years ago. “Basically we’re ripping the brains out,” Noble said. “Everything connected to what’s there now, will be reconnected.” The lobotomy is worth approximately $1.3 million. The new operating system will make the Skytram’s operation more automated. Last year, the Jasper Skytram ferried upwards of 159,000 guests to the tram’s 2,277m upper terminal. As well as installing a new

JASPER TRAMWAY’S GENERAL MANAGER TODD NOBLE STANDS BY “THE BRAINS” OF THE JASPER SKYTRAM. THE CONTROL SYSTEM IS MORE THAN 20 YEARS OLD AND DUE TO BE REPLACED THIS WINTER. // B COVEY

“People often don’t realize that all the work occurs in the winter,” Noble says. “But you can tell how much work was done in the off-season by how smooth the summer goes.” bob covey //

bob@thejasperlocal.com

Former Jasper grad helps bring prestigious business school competition to town A unique collaboration between the University of Alberta’s business school and a former Jasper Jr./Sr. High School student has culminated in a new suite of competitive ideas for a local business. Together with a small executive committee of fellow UAlberta students, last month Alexandra

Thailand. After learning all they could about SunDog Tours from Hardy and his business par tners, and after conducting their own in-depth research on tourism, transpor tation and working in a seasonal economy, the group from Bangkok wowed the judges with 88 engaging slides and 130 pages of detailed notes to suppor t their recommendations. SunDog Tours owner Paul Hardy said he was impressed by the deep dive the students were able to perform in such a shor t timeframe.

and challenges. Hardy said although he was grateful for the new perspectives, the frank assessments of his business stung a little. “We had to be a bit thick-skinned,” he admitted. “[The students] are smart, switched-on and really tech-savvy. They’re able to tell you things you don’t necessarily want to hear, but that you should hear.” Much of the business information SunDog shared with the students is confidential, but broadly speaking, Hardy said the 12 teams offered SunDog creative solutions for marketing, hiring and collaborating with the local business community. “The better teams identified how the community

“It meant a lot for me to do this in my hometown and engage the business community here” generally has to pull together to create Jasper as a compelling product,” Hardy said. ALEXANDRA BOSSIO FACILITATED A BUSINESS CASE STUDY COMPEITION BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TEAMS.// SUPPLIED

Bossio staged a four-day case study competition in Jasper, pitting international student teams against one another to do business battle on her home turf. As part of the Alberta International Case Competition, teams from all over the world were introduced to Jasper’s SunDog Tours. After learning about the company’s challenges, successes and general business history, the students were given 30 hours to come back with a presentation on moving the company forward. “Creativity and feasibility of solutions were rewarded,” Bossio said. “Business school is more about the soft skills than the hard skills.” Twelve teams from across Canada, the U.S. and Asia took park. The team that eventually earned top marks was from Thammasat University,

“ We would have expected that kind of information and research after three months, not 30 hours,” he said. SunDog Tours wasn’t originally slated to take such an active par t in the competition. Hardy had signed up as a sponsor (SunDog agreed to transpor t the students back and for th to Edmonton) but the company had no plans to go under the microscope, he said. However, when Bossio and her peers suggested the shuttle sponsor could in fact be a perfect fit for the case study, Hardy got on board. To par ticipate, he had to reveal to Bossio and the rest of the executive board the finer details of SunDog’s business model and identify some of the company ’s hurdles

The students were beneficiaries of the exercise, too. Adam Danyleyko, an HR-major who has helped organize previous business case competitions, said the real world experience is invaluable for young people. “These students are providing recommendations to companies that actually exist,” he said. Bossio grew up watching her parents, Kelly and Noella Bossio, work the front lines of their small businesses. Bossio said it was exciting for her to journey back to where she was first inspired to pursue business school. “It meant a lot for me to do this in my hometown and engage the business community here,” she said. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

thursday, december 1, 2016 // issue 86 // the jasper local// page B6

Local HEALTH //

Sport + HYDRATION When you sweat, your body loses water and electrolytes (mainly sodium) that need to be replaced in order to replenish blood volume and prevent dehydration. Even minor dehydration can cause fatigue, nausea, headaches, muscle cramps, decreased ability to concentrate, and ultimately impair performance and health.

HOW MUCH should I drink? A) BEFORE SPORT: • 4 hours before: drink 250-500ml (1-2 cups). More specifically: 5-7ml for every kg of body weight. Ex., if you weigh 70kg, that would be 350-490ml. • 2 hours before: if you have not yet urinated (or if your urine was concentrated), drink an extra 125375ml (0.5 – 1.5 cups). More specifically: 3-5ml for every kg of body weight. Ex., if you weigh 70kg, that would be 210-350ml. Remember to allow enough time for a bathroom break before you start exercising. No one wants to be jumping around with a full bladder!

B) DURING SPORT: Sweat rates are very individual and can range from ~300-2400mL/hour. You will sweat more in high temperatures/humidity and during more intense activity. The goal is to drink enough fluid to replace sweat losses. Because sweat rates are so variable, a good starting point is to drink 400-800ml per hour of activity (0.5 - 1 cup every 20 minutes) and make adjustments from there. To personalize fluid replacement during sport, you can estimate your hourly sweat rate by measuring your weight before and after activity to see how much fluid weight you’ve lost. Then add on the fluid you drank and subtract any urine losses. Note that 1lb (0.5kg) of body weight is equivalent to ~500ml (2 cups) of fluid.

C) AFTER SPORT: After activity the goal is to drink enough fluid to replace any excess sweat losses that are still remaining. This is especially important if you have limited recovery time before your next training session or sporting event. If you were able to drink

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enough during activity to keep up with your sweat rate, you may not need to drink much extra fluid afterwards. You can weigh yourself before and after activity, and drink 500-750ml (2-3 cups) per 1lb (0.5kg) of body weight lost. Aim to do this within about 4 hours of your activity.

WHAT should I drink during activity?

Plain water works great most of the time, especially for activities lasting an hour or less, or for low intensity activities. However, once you hit about the 1 hour mark of high intensity activity, you’re going to need some carbohydrates (sugar) to help fuel your sport. This can either be from food or drink. If you prefer to drink your carbs, you can try watered down juice (50%). Full strength juice (and/or pop for that matter) should be avoided because it contains too much free sugar and may cause stomach upset, diarrhea, and even impair fluid absorption. Then, once you hit about the 2 hour mark of high intensity activity, or for activities in warmer climates when you are sweating more than usual, you will also need a source of electrolytes (especially sodium). You can try water with added electrolyte tabs/powders, a commercial sport drink, or a homemade sport drink (recipe below).

How do I know if I’m getting enough?

Check out your pee. Aim for lots of pale yellow urine (lemonade color) versus a small amount of concentrated urine (apple juice color). Be aware that vitamin supplements can produce bright yellow urine even if you are well hydrated. Weigh yourself before and after activity. If you lose more than 2% of your body weight during exercise, you are likely not drinking enough during activity. For example, if you weigh 135lb and lose more than 3lb, you need to drink more.

Is it possible to drink too much?

Yes. More is not always better. Drinking too much fluid can cause hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels) or water intoxication, which can be quite dangerous. Signs of hyponatremia include bloating/puffiness, weight gain, nausea/vomiting, headaches, confusion/delirium, and even seizures or loss of consciousness in extreme situations.

// KIRSTEN OILUND // JASPER-NUTRITION.COM

DIY WATERMELON SPORT DRINK Blend together the following:

• 2 cups coconut water

• 2 cups diced frozen watermelon

• 4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

• 4 tsp. maple syrup

• ½ tsp. sea salt

Recipe makes 1.0L and provides approximately 60g available carbohydrates, 1250mg sodium, 1260mg potassium, 70mg magnesium, and 90mg calcium.

Drinking too much is more common in cool weather or during low-intensity exercise, when the opportunity to drink is more frequent and your sweat rate is low. Avoid drinking in excess of your hourly sweat rate. You should not weigh more after your activity than you did before you started.

Kirsten Oilund is a registered dietitian and the owner of Jasper Nutrition Counselling. She is an avid runner, boot-camper and adventurer. She has been known to plan an elaborate campfire spread. Email her at kirsten@jasper-nutrition.com