news bashing our sport... red deer advocate

[tex78]

hey just read a report in the paper last night int the central alberta life- red deer advocate.... page b10... this is bull crap........................
tree huggers need to worry about trees and other people that talk crap about snowmobiling in the mountains that never have need to before they have a even small opinion....... when the b.i.s avey happened my wife said that i could not go to the mountains anymore..... so i sat here down and explained to her that anything that u do out side of your house door has risks.... driving to work, anything in the back country summer or winter..... even if u sit on the couch ur hole life u will probably have a early stroke or hartatack...... every one here needs to read what this dough head said and e mail pissed off crap back to him..........

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/red.../Snowmobilers_courting_disaster_89631037.html

 

[Summitric]

Can you copy it and paste it on this site for all to read? Anyone have a copy?

 

[tex78]

ive got a copy of the paper and am just trying to find it in the advocate on line to link it...

here it is...

http://www.albertalocalnews.com/red.../Snowmobilers_courting_disaster_89631037.html

 

[DaveB]

Easy target for "reporters" looking for sensationalism instead of doing actual research. "Award winning outdoors writer" HAHAHAHAHAHA what a joke.

 

[tex78]

ya i think all the people that don't get to see what we do should try going to the toby creek outfiters by panorama ski hill and go up to there cabin on the groomed trail to the top and see it.... even that guy says hes an outdoors man so what better than that out side in the winter looking at the vistas???

 

[DRD]

Red Deer Advocate
Snowmobilers courting disaster

Email Print Letter to Editor Share
Text By Bob Scammell - Red Deer Advocate


Published: April 01, 2010 5:00 AM
This year’s avalanche season and the usual litany of death, maimings, destruction and wailing of the widows and orphans seem to have numbed the commentators, particularly outdoors writers, into a deathly silence.

But the recent news that the B.C. — based Canadian Avalanche Centre is in financial trouble has in itself triggered an avalanche of comment about the dolts among us who routinely ignore snow pack condition bulletins — including warnings of severe avalanche risk warnings — and head anyway into the at-risk areas, to pursue their intrusive and dangerous alleged recreations.

Thus far this season, the death toll is five in two incidents, three from an “extreme” snowmobiling event at Boulder Mountain and two back-country skiers, not even close to last year’s 19 dead in several incidents. But in avalanche country they’re never over until they’re over, and the extreme skiers and snowmobilers never seem even to listen, let alone heed and learn.

Once again in this year’s snowmobiling tragedy, “highmarking” snowmobilers triggered an avalanche which surged down on spectators near the bottom of the steep slope. Highmarking is a competition among operators of high-tech, high powered machines to see which of their Kamikaze 500s can roar the highest straight up a steep slope; it is a sure recipe for triggering an avalanche in which you and innocent bystanders, along with the suffocating tide of snow, become a principal ingredient, like so many currants in a bun batter.

Then, at great public expense, instant and massive efforts must be made to locate and dig out any possible survivors, evacuate them to hospitals, then recover the remains of the dead.

What really grates on the ears of real outdoors people is to read or hear the inevitable eulogies of the dead men (this is a man thing) about how they so loved nature, the outdoors and their families. It boggles the minds of most of us to understand how roaring around in a pristine, nearly silent wilderness on a snarling and stinking machine equates to a love of the outdoors and how insisting on engaging in life-threatening activities in those outdoors shows how much you love your family.

A sad but revealing aftermath of the recent snowmobile event was a totally unique interview with the widow of one of the operators and mother of a very young son seriously injured in the same avalanche, agonizingly telling it like it was and is likely to be in the future for widow, injured orphan and the rest of the deceased’s family.

A report by B.C. Coroner Service on last year’s 19 deaths praised the bulletins of the Canadian Avalanche Centre as accurate and effective. But the demand grows for the centre’s services as skiers and snowmobilers ask for more avalanche warnings, posted near the hills and in hotels. Why? I am not a participant, but know that March, generally, is avalanche season and am routinely aware, just by listening to the radio, when avalanche hazards are high.

The centre does its excellent work on an annual budget of only about $1 million. At this point the shortfall is about $25,000, much of it owing to overtime and operations caused by the Boulder Mountain slide. Much of the funding comes from we, the taxpayers: $175,000 from the federal government, $150,000 from B.C., and $100,000 from Alberta, the rest from charitable and corporate sponsorship.

What really shocks is that private donations from sledders total only $2,000 and the snowmobile industry contributes only $10,000 a year, split between Bombardier and Yamaha. John Kelly, operations manager for the centre, has noted that “it is a little ironic” that the snowmobiling industry is so lucrative . . . “I’ve heard it may even be in the billions, and almost nothing is invested into public safety.”

What’s to be done?

First, it is long past time in the provinces and Alberta for a tax on “sporting” equipment, such as exists in the USA — particularly on the high-ticket, high tech toys such as the ATVs and snowmobiles that do so much environmental damage and cause so much public expense — the proceeds to be used for such essentials as fish and wildlife conservation, habitat maintenance and repair, and human rescue and body recovery, when necessary.

Then B.C. and Alberta are going to have to consider imposing closures on entry or travel into the high country, perhaps for the whole month of March, and certainly when the avalanche hazard is high. I know, I know: it is a big playpen out there and so

me idiots will always sneak in somewhere. Penalties for ban violation must be very high, including forfeiture of snow machines, trailers and trucks.

If you violate the ban and get incorporated in an avalanche, you should understand there will be no public rescue, or body recovery, should Mother Nature herself impose the death penalty. If your beloved family will not pay to recover your remains, then the bears, cougars, wolves, coyotes, eagles, ravens, rodents, then worms and maggots will appreciate them, and any true outdoors and nature lover should appreciate that.


Bob Scammell is an award-winning outdoors writer living in Red Deer.

Umm, I think Bob Scammell is an ahole who should move to Toronto

 

[femme.fatale.]

Umm, I think Bob Scammell is an ahole who should move to Toronto

I'll second that... what a DOUCHE! Wow.... he just spewed crap, and the newspaper is just as much to blame for publishing that CRAP!

 

[tex78]

i totaly agree drd and im so pissed at all this chit that im going to e mail a nasty note to bob and tell him to go piss off some other group.... mabe get a story about all the crack heads and thefts..... or mabe thefts of snowmobiles in alberta and b/c......

 

[Free Rider]

Here is the Article:


Published: April 01, 2010 5:00 AM
This year’s avalanche season and the usual litany of death, maimings, destruction and wailing of the widows and orphans seem to have numbed the commentators, particularly outdoors writers, into a deathly silence.

But the recent news that the B.C. — based Canadian Avalanche Centre is in financial trouble has in itself triggered an avalanche of comment about the dolts among us who routinely ignore snow pack condition bulletins — including warnings of severe avalanche risk warnings — and head anyway into the at-risk areas, to pursue their intrusive and dangerous alleged recreations.

Thus far this season, the death toll is five in two incidents, three from an “extreme” snowmobiling event at Boulder Mountain and two back-country skiers, not even close to last year’s 19 dead in several incidents. But in avalanche country they’re never over until they’re over, and the extreme skiers and snowmobilers never seem even to listen, let alone heed and learn.

Once again in this year’s snowmobiling tragedy, “highmarking” snowmobilers triggered an avalanche which surged down on spectators near the bottom of the steep slope. Highmarking is a competition among operators of high-tech, high powered machines to see which of their Kamikaze 500s can roar the highest straight up a steep slope; it is a sure recipe for triggering an avalanche in which you and innocent bystanders, along with the suffocating tide of snow, become a principal ingredient, like so many currants in a bun batter.

Then, at great public expense, instant and massive efforts must be made to locate and dig out any possible survivors, evacuate them to hospitals, then recover the remains of the dead.

What really grates on the ears of real outdoors people is to read or hear the inevitable eulogies of the dead men (this is a man thing) about how they so loved nature, the outdoors and their families. It boggles the minds of most of us to understand how roaring around in a pristine, nearly silent wilderness on a snarling and stinking machine equates to a love of the outdoors and how insisting on engaging in life-threatening activities in those outdoors shows how much you love your family.

A sad but revealing aftermath of the recent snowmobile event was a totally unique interview with the widow of one of the operators and mother of a very young son seriously injured in the same avalanche, agonizingly telling it like it was and is likely to be in the future for widow, injured orphan and the rest of the deceased’s family.

A report by B.C. Coroner Service on last year’s 19 deaths praised the bulletins of the Canadian Avalanche Centre as accurate and effective. But the demand grows for the centre’s services as skiers and snowmobilers ask for more avalanche warnings, posted near the hills and in hotels. Why? I am not a participant, but know that March, generally, is avalanche season and am routinely aware, just by listening to the radio, when avalanche hazards are high.

The centre does its excellent work on an annual budget of only about $1 million. At this point the shortfall is about $25,000, much of it owing to overtime and operations caused by the Boulder Mountain slide. Much of the funding comes from we, the taxpayers: $175,000 from the federal government, $150,000 from B.C., and $100,000 from Alberta, the rest from charitable and corporate sponsorship.

What really shocks is that private donations from sledders total only $2,000 and the snowmobile industry contributes only $10,000 a year, split between Bombardier and Yamaha. John Kelly, operations manager for the centre, has noted that “it is a little ironic” that the snowmobiling industry is so lucrative . . . “I’ve heard it may even be in the billions, and almost nothing is invested into public safety.”

What’s to be done?

First, it is long past time in the provinces and Alberta for a tax on “sporting” equipment, such as exists in the USA — particularly on the high-ticket, high tech toys such as the ATVs and snowmobiles that do so much environmental damage and cause so much public expense — the proceeds to be used for such essentials as fish and wildlife conservation, habitat maintenance and repair, and human rescue and body recovery, when necessary.

Then B.C. and Alberta are going to have to consider imposing closures on entry or travel into the high country, perhaps for the whole month of March, and certainly when the avalanche hazard is high. I know, I know: it is a big playpen out there and so

me idiots will always sneak in somewhere. Penalties for ban violation must be very high, including forfeiture of snow machines, trailers and trucks.

If you violate the ban and get incorporated in an avalanche, you should understand there will be no public rescue, or body recovery, should Mother Nature herself impose the death penalty. If your beloved family will not pay to recover your remains, then the bears, cougars, wolves, coyotes, eagles, ravens, rodents, then worms and maggots will appreciate them, and any true outdoors and nature lover should appreciate that.


Bob Scammell is an award-winning outdoors writer living in Red Deer.

 

[Fatdaddy]

As he states --- Maybe the backcountry should be shut down for the month of march.
What about icy road conditions --- Should we shut the highways down also for the month of march? Please!
As with all other sports "summer & winter" there are risks.

 

[NM]

Unbelievable!. This idiot can't even get his facts straight about who and how many died when and where. I am so sick of reading articles that are pretty much written on the "opinion" of the author rather than some hard facts.
My business gave the Advocate almost 15000.00 in advertising last year, and was going to do the same this year...guess what, not anymore. I am cancelling all my advertising and moving most of it. I am also sending the CAC a nice cheque. Maybe this moron can write about that.

 

[Zig Zag]

This guy is an ahole. Kamakazie 500's is one of the statements he makes clearly he's a fool. This is an uneducated reporter reporting badly. To many of these kinda loosers out there reporting on an issue they have no clue about.

 

[Stg2Suby]

Dug up some info if anyone wants to contact Bob and offer him a counterpoint to his article. Please keep it clean and politically correct, a tirade of F sharps won't help our cause.

Books By Bob Scammell
Bob Scammell has been fishing and hunting for more than forty years and writing about the sports for more than twenty years in and award-winning weekly outdoors column in various Alberta newspapers. He also is a frequent contributor to fishing magazines throughout the West. His first book, The Outside Story, was selected the outstanding outdoors book of the year in 1983 by the Outdoor Writers of Canada. He also is the author of the Phenological Fly: A Method for Meeting and Matching Super Hatches of the West. Bob Scammell has server as President of the Alberta Fish and Game Association and as a Director of the Canadian Wildlife Federation.

His newest book, Good Old Guys, Alibis and Outright Lies offers stories that are even funnier than the titles, and that's quite a stretch.

Books Available from Bob Scammell

Good Old Guys, Alibis and Outright Lies: a lifetime of funny excuses
The Phenological Fly: Bob Scammell's revolutionary hatch to blossom book.
Scammell's day job is practicing Family and Matrimonial law in Red Deer, Alberta, but he spends a great deal of time at his Stump Ranch sixty miles west of that city, fishing and doing the entomological "research" that has resulted in his most recent book The Phenological Fly, published in May this year.

In 1987, Scammel went to England as a member of the first Canadian team ever to compete in the World Fly Fishing Championship. He has fished coast to coast in Canada and extensively in the U.S. West.

Scammell's writing has frequently been recognized in the annual awards competition of The Outdoor Writers of Canada. In 1983, his first book, The Outside Story, won the O.W.C. award as the outstanding outdoors book published that year in Canada. The book is now out of print, but Scammell says he still has a few copies that he sells, autographed, all mailing, postage and tax included, for $20.00 U.S. or $25.00 Canadian. Phone (403) 346-6264 or fax (403) 343-0609 or write to 68 Aikman Close, Red Deer, Alberta, T4R 1G2.

 

[Al "ley Cat"]

Its sad to say but Bob is doing his job , selling papers.Dodnt get me wrong im not sticking up for his point of view ! We sleders are just like a bunch of jack fish.He dropped down the hook and we will swallow it by sending peeed off e-mails. Just giveing him more fuel for his point of view! I would like for him to explain who real outdoors people are? Hes done his {sick} job,hes got us talking,later on arguing with people we dont even know.like MODMAN said its all about preception! How can we change OUR PRECEPTION to non sleders??? thats the big ? I hate to say it but its not going to get better in the near future.Big changes will have to happen what they are i dont know.

 

[The Arborist]

Unbelievable!. This idiot can't even get his facts straight about who and how many died when and where. I am so sick of reading articles that are pretty much written on the "opinion" of the author rather than some hard facts.
My business gave the Advocate almost 15000.00 in advertising last year, and was going to do the same this year...guess what, not anymore. I am cancelling all my advertising and moving most of it. I am also sending the CAC a nice cheque. Maybe this moron can write about that.

No can do, that would involve knowing the whole story. Besides fiction is easier to write, you don't have to do any research you can just write a bunch of crap and get paid for it

 

[Mongrol]

Can't say I disagree with this article, at least the portion above "Whats to be done?"

We, as a group of back country users, keep doing stuff that negatively attracks attention to our sport and then we complain that the media is "Trashing" us.

Change the negative behavior & maybe the negative reporting will change.

 

[Powder Puff]

The RSC is doing a "Support the CAC Drive" if anyone wants to jump on board. :d
https://www.snowandmud.com/forum/f4/rsc-s-support-cac-fund-drive-29525.html
The donation will be made to the Canadian Avalalanche Foundation, tax receipts can be issued this way and we can specify that the funds be directed towards the CAC here in Revy for bulletins. Donations to the CAC will not get you a receipt.
You will also get a cool sticker for you to display to show that you as a snowmobiler support the CAC.
When the presentation is done all the media will be invited to be there.

I also heard there was another not so sledder friendly article in this paper shortly after the incident.

 

[tex78]

hey got a question ...... what about all the ice wall climbers that die - or have s/r have to get them out..... like every year between canmore and banff??? or hikers that have the same thing happen???

 

[gforce]

he deffinetly has an opinion..but really lacks on education..to bad when someone has the power to speak and be heard..but doesent have a friggin clue what he is talking about..

 

[glacier mt lodge]

Unbelievable!. This idiot can't even get his facts straight about who and how many died when and where. I am so sick of reading articles that are pretty much written on the "opinion" of the author rather than some hard facts.
My business gave the Advocate almost 15000.00 in advertising last year, and was going to do the same this year...guess what, not anymore. I am cancelling all my advertising and moving most of it. I am also sending the CAC a nice cheque. Maybe this moron can write about that.

If they shut the back country it needs to be shut to ALL including Heli Skiers.

One good point he made is that sledders only contributed $2000.00 to the CAC I think that needs to change! Can we not set something up here on S&M to donate funds for the CAC I belive it's not that we don't want to support them it's just we need an easy way to donate ( Out of site out of mind).