I didn’t go skiing today, so I was thrilled to receive this from Cheryl B.
Cheryl B on Whiskey Jack
OK, I had to finally put my 2 cents on this. A lot of the time, it seems that conditions are likely a matter of opinion and in the eye of the beholder, so the reports are indeed just a guideline.
The trip reports found here from those who have been there are way more helpful to make an informed decision of where to go if you can’t handle a bit of the ‘less than ideal’. For me, as long as it’s not ‘ice-flow’-like icy, there’s still enough snow to cover the dirt and rocks, and I don’t fall on my face constantly due to wet sticky clumping snow on my wax, personally, I consider the conditions excellent.
Any day I get to ski is a good day, and I am extremely appreciative of the chance to do so without paying daily fees for it (like they have to do in BC and many other groomed trails):)
“Any day I get to ski is a good day”
I can cut the Parks people some slack on their website reports – they probably need to be very conservative in their descriptions since there can be such a vast range of opinions on what can be considered ‘Excellent’, and sometimes people feel the need to lay blame somewhere when they don’t have a good time in the parks (I’m certain the staff could tell some unbelievable stories about complaints they’ve fielded over the years).
Sometimes, you just have to take the risk and hope for the best. The way I see it, a day out in our mountains is never wasted, and I thank the Parks staff for doing what they do with so little (remember, their budgets are certainly not huge compared to other government departments).
On that note, I wish you all happy skiing! (with emphasis on the ‘Happy’ part – we are very lucky to have access to these amazing places).”
Agree on a good day of skiing being better than a long list of other options. Also on need for people to cut others a bit of slack. But something else in the post really struck me “to do so without paying daily fees for it (like they have to do in BC and many other groomed trails)”. Given the Pemier’s recent speech, that will likely change. And that’s a good thing, imo. Those of us who enjoy skiing in the parks should pay for it – and no our taxes don’t cover it. Most places I’ve been the government, local our federal, charge. Granted that is personal recollection, I haven’t find a survey. But, I bring all of this up because when AB does begin to charge I hope we remain as kind to the park staff.
Thanks Cheryl. Even a bad day of skiing is better than a good day at the office!
AMEN!! (As I sit here at the office checking Bob’s report from yesterday instead of working and lamenting not being able to get out there again until the weekend – ha ha). Well, perhaps someday I too will have the freedom to ski more and work less, but until then, I will live vicariously through the lovely retirees who post all those wonderful pictures and reports during the week. It gets me through until I can get out there again myself 🙂
Right on, Cheryl. We have so much to be grateful for with the beautiful Canadian Rockies in our backyard for skiing, showshoeing, hiking, critters, nature-loving, etc. etc.
But the whiners gonna whine…sucks to be them.
Well said Cheryl I couldn’t agree with you more.????
Like!
Couldn’t agree with you more, Cheryl. When you choose to travel in the mountains, in whatever way that may be, you take your chances. Yes, resources like this blog, the weather reports, info from the parks, etc. are really helpful. But in the end, even if it isn’t ‘epic’, hopefully you have had a great day in the mountains or the woods, and end it with a smile on your face and some ache in your muscles! Can’t do much better than that.
Something relevant to this topic which I posted back in Nov 2012:
“It’s been my pleasure to get to know many of the hard-working people who do their best to give us relevant and timely information from the government-run websites. They all love this blog because we can say the things which they can’t. In any case, I’ve noticed a significant improvement in the trail reports over the past four years from the various sources.”