Pocaterra on Dec 24, 2012
Back when it was announced that grooming would cease in Kananaskis, one of the reasons given by the government, besides cost, was that the trails weren’t well-used. Luckily I have an extensive catalog of archived photos which indicates otherwise.
I was going to post photos from the past 12 years but I figured 40,000 pictures would be too overwhelming. The 36 photos I’m posting are gleaned from one season of skiing, 2011-2012, in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. These are about 1% of the photos I have on file for PLPP in 2011-2012.
We are waiting for an announcement from the government regarding grooming in Kananaskis for this winter. A number of attractive proposals are on the table and I am optimistic that we will be skiing on groomed trails.
Can you identify any of the trails in these photos? They are all from PLPP.
PLPP 2011-2012
If the effort to preserve trail grooming in Kananaskis is successful I certainly hope it will not be limited to PLPP. This summer and fall’s huge spike in trail use would suggest that grooming at Ribbon Creek and Mt. Shark – in addition to PLPP – will be vital to meeting demand.
More than any previous year, access to abundant, reliable and safe winter trails will be essential to the health and well being of Albertans.
I love you man. Thanks for advocating for all of us! What more can I do to help?
Thanks, natalie. There’s not much to do except “hurry up and wait” for the announcement. Oh, and get your money ready. I expect we’ll be paying a user fee to ski in PLPP.
Hmm, I hope you’re right Bob, although I’m afraid it’s not about money as the government just gave 43 million to Fish Creek Park….they claim they can’t afford it or afford 5 million to keep our Provincial Parks protected yet they can throw money around in other places. If they turn down a user fee system then you know it’s not about the money.
The $43 million was for capital projects and infrastructure in parks all across Alberta… not just Fish Creek Park.
The difference between investing in infrastructure and spending on operating costs like ski grooming can be compared to taking out a mortgage to buy a house, vs maxing out your credit card to pay for a vacation. They are not the same thing,
That said, I am anxiously awaiting a decision from the government that will allow XC grooming to continue this winter. This has been figured out all over the world… it can’t be that hard.