WADDINGTON RANGE HELI PROPOSAL -

WADDINGTON RANGE HELI PROPOSAL

From Clubtread.com

http://www.clubtread.com/sforum/topi...TOPIC_ID=20782


and from the ACC

Heli-skiing proposal for Waddington Range, BC
Knight Inlet Heli Sports is applying for heli-skiing tenure in the entire Mt. Waddington area. Letters are needed to express your views on this. For more detail, go to http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/news/news.html

Please write to express your opinion on this proposal. I understand and accept that some posters on TGR may believe that heli - skiing access to this area would be a good thing.

Opinions from all users from all geographic areas appreciated.

This would be an absolute shame to have a heli skiing operation in the waddington range. I've climbed waddington, and the range is one of the most spectacular and remote places in NA. I would hate to see/hear helicopters flying on a daily basis through there.

I flew a heli into the Waddington area in 1993, landed, and then spent a month on the S. Face of Wadd. Not sure if it's hypocritical, but I wouldn't want to spend a month there if active heli skiing was taking place.

We enjoyed total isolation and silence after our heli drop. I would like to see it stay that way, regardless if it's hypocritical.

Agreed, heli access is almost essential to get into the range because its so remote, unless you want to go on a week long buschwack through forests and river systems. I flew in with White Saddle air on a bird as well. However, daily heli ops would ruin what draws people to the Waddington range in the first place

Please feel free to crib from my email to Ms Tetarenko who is the contact person for this application. I'll try to update this as and when more information is released

To: Diane.Tetarenko@gov.bc.ca

Dear Ms. Tetarenko,

The above - mentioned tenure application - further details of which are located at http://www2.lwbc.bc.ca/ApplicationPo...sp?PostID=7262 - was brought to my attention.

There is a paucity of details concerning this application. Will further details be forthcoming?

I understand the deadline for comments is March 9th. Can you confirm?

I write to express my concern about this proposal and my opposition to said application.

The area in question is one where self-reliance, wilderness experience and the relative lack of motorized transport is very prized. Allowing heli-skiing in this area would destroy these virtues.

There are already companies which provide a taxi and drop-off service for mountaineering and ski-touring groups who use this area. I contrast this very limited taxi transportation service with the much more extensive use typically contemplated by traditional heli-skiing activities.\

Yours truly,

Lee Lau

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by coolstine

Agreed, heli access is almost essential to get into the range because its so remote, unless you want to go on a week long buschwack through forests and river systems. I flew in with White Saddle air on a bird as well. However, daily heli ops would ruin what draws people to the Waddington range in the first place

---

I spent a month climbing there and traversing parts of it on a NOLS course. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I can't imagine what it would have been like with helicopters flying around on a daily basis. It is a pretty huge area but it would still be a great loss if this goes through

"Dear Ms. Tetarenko,

I write to express my concern regarding the Knight Inlet Helisport application (http://www2.lwbc.bc.ca/ApplicationPo...p?PostID=7262). I have a particular opposition to “zone 1” and “zone 2” of the said application.

Although there is currently heli-supported ski/mountaineering "drop-off" services in the area, I feel that a commercial recreation/heli ski license to Knight Inlet Helisport would destroy the nature of the environment that currently exists in this mountain range.

The cliental that use the current "drop-off"/"limited helicopter access" services are quite different than the mass market, "weekend warriors" as many refer to the latter. I have run into many "mass market" helicopter operations in the backcountry while exploring the Fitzsimmons and Spearhead ranges in the Whistler backcountry and although the cliental that use these operations generally stick to slopes that I have no interest in skiing, the mentality of the individuals is quite different than that of ski mountaineers and climbers. A heli-skier who is looking to maximize the vertical skiing that he or she can achieve in a day does not have the respect for the mountains that the average ski mountaineer possesses. A respect extends to both the beauty of the environment and the dangers that the mountains possess. This mentality of the ski mountaineer is gained from research of a particular range before attempting an expedition, the knowledge of dangers and boundaries from previous expeditions, and a respect for the state of the environment gained from spending many days traveling in an area.

The Waddington range is heavily glaciated and contains some of the best ski mountaineering in the Coast Mountains. This range is the is the "birthplace of ski mountaineering in the Coast Mountains" (Baldwin, 2003) and is not a place for the weekend warrior. There are plenty of mountain ranges for the low-angle heli-skier, they have no business hanging around the highest summit in Southern British Columbia. There are people who spend months planning expeditions in this area, and it's integrity would be jeopardized with the approval of this application. In particular “zone 1” and “zone 2” of the site-specific map bother me. These areas have historic significance to the mountaineering community and should be respected.


Yours truly,

Brad Panton
Concerned UBC Geological Engineering Student,
Skier/Outdoorist/Mountaineer "


Send Ms. Tetarenko an email and support the cause!
Diane.Tetarenko@gov.bc.ca

This would be akin to someone starting a heliskiing operation on Grand Teton.

There's a real danger that this is going to get rubber-stamped, because the provincial government has opened up the floodgates for operators in the backcountry in recent years.

If you wish to comment, send in a letter or fax if you can. That will have much greater impact than an email.

Discussion - http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/forum...page/1/fpart/1

bump for weekday crowd. I left a voicemail for the government contact to check on response deadlines.

so with this kinda thing, and the continued build out in the eastern BC resorts, we're starting to see the dark side of the new, tourism-driven economy.

Message from Diane T received today - person responsible for application of Knight Inlet for heliskiing

Lots of people have already commented on the heliskiing tenure application

Application was posted in December so "ample time for public comment"

Cutoff for comments will be made quite "shortly"

If any further comments please submit quickly

Thanks for the heads up Lee. Opposition sent.

thanks, lee. Sent.

Thanks for the heads up Lee. I'll definitely be emailing Ms Tetarenko to voice my concerns and opposition to this tenure application.