B.C. backcountry snowmobile ban

[pipes]

Ron can you set up a petion that people can post in on this site. Just a thought.

 

[RETODD]

Check out today's Edmonton Journal page A5...more bad news.

 

[HagmanMod1]

we had a sled choppered out this winter by yellow head and it cost about a $1000 so how would it cost $20000 for a rescue when like ron said the sleddder do most of the work anyways dont sound quite right to me

 

[Summiteer]

we had a sled choppered out this winter by yellow head and it cost about a $1000 so how would it cost $20000 for a rescue when like ron said the sleddder do most of the work anyways dont sound quite right to me

He's just a good businessman, capitalizing on an unfortunate situation to increase his profitibility.

 

[rknight111]

Check out today's Edmonton Journal page A5...more bad news.

Is there a weblink to this page.

 

[Summit X]

Check out today's Edmonton Journal page A5...more bad news.

any chance you can post a link to the article as we don't all live in edmonton??

 

[Summiteer]

any chance you can post a link to the article as we don't all live in edmonton??

It's just a little blurb saying that Mike Weigle is calling for a ban

 

[sledbunny]

Here is the link to the article in the Edmonton Journal

Deaths bring call for snowmobile ban

 

[ZRrrr]

That little "face chewed off" bit is going to be the end of it all. That's just what the media loves....a lasting image in the publics mind. Anyone think Mr. Wiegele has taken a few public relations/dealing with the media courses.

 

[pirate01]

Mike is just pissed because he has to share with us sledders. His guests pay large sums of money to ski untouched powder, When they are staging out of the parking lot us sledders are unloading and racing up the mtn to the same places they ski , The avalanche conditions were bad yes people died. but they died doing what they loved thats the risk we take .We never hear about the skiiers that die . So Mike wiegle, piss off and go back home.

 

[Zar]

i hate mike with all my heart, i think he is one realy inconisiderite bastage, this a hole one called me a community wrecker for dirtbiking on private property that i got premission from (local fire hall yard ), he chases us in his helis, and where he says he didnt get payed for those resucues he did, he did get payed, by pep. And not once does he mention that he lost a guest of his in a tree hole skiing while with a certified guide. If he can enjoy the back country, why cant we?And not once does he give back to the community, his guests eat at his restraunt, buy his liquir that he sells way overpriced at his lounge and he wont even let sledds stay at his chalets, WTF is up with that? money is money doesnt matter who its from (not like we would want to stay there if we arnt welcome) sorry if its off topic, had to rant

dooryder
don't hold back - its good to hear what kind of person he really is - newspapers don't print the whole story.

 

[Thunderr]

Up to $20,000 for a rescue? The going rate give or take for a chopper is and should be something like this.

Looking at Pineapple's website he's using 3 helicopters.

Bell 212 which goes for roughly $3000.00 an hour + - fuel which is 386 l/hr
The way the economy is right now fuel would be in at the price.
Not a very likely machine but possible to do rescue's in.

Eurocopter A-star B2 $1500-1600.00 an hour. 173 l/hr.
Probable machine for rescues.

Bell 407 very similar to the A star.

Flight time is calculated from skids up to skids down.
There are mins but that usually equates to .2 or .3 per start on the machine.

Do the math, Pineapple is full of sh1t !!!

 

[Pistonbroke]

This Mike guy sure sounds like a piece of work! Very thinly disguised attempt to get all the terrain for heli-skiing.

DING DING DING!!! This is exactly what he's after.

 

[Pistonbroke]

I call total BS on the $20,000 rescues. We loaded a fellow S&M'er into a heli in Nov 2008 in Golden. Speaking with the operator, he does get paid, and that particular flight from Quartz into Golden ran the BC taxpayers around $3800, all in.

 

[Billy Boy]

I think it is time to put pressure on our respective snowmobile associtations to rebutal this Heli-Ski operators claims and it should be done by the BCSF and the ASA. These comments cannot not go unchallenged!!!!! Unfortunately this years fatalities have added fuel to his cause, he has been waiting for something like this to happen so he can go running to the media and the goverenment to get support for his ban on snowmobiling in B.C.'s back country. I wonder what the story would be if there were 19 skier fatalities???

Billy Boy

 

[xrsrev]

U hit that one on the nose BB! Lets start by rallying our own troops with the local clubs and then take it to the asa and see if there are any politically correct ways to deal with this garbage! We all must be professional about this because he will use that against us next! Im sure there must be quite a few well educated people belonging to quite a few snowmobile clubs that would be willing to point us in the right direction, so we dont hurt ourselves anymore by burning down weigles operation! Remember all eyes are on US SNOWMOBILERS AND NOT HIM! AND NO MATTER HOW U RIDE, WHERE U RIDE AND HOW OFTEN U RIDE........ ALL OF US WILL BE AFFECTED BY THESE ACUSATIONS!

 

[Billy Boy]

Like I said previously our provincial sled associations have to step up to the plate on this one.

Billy Boy

 

[retiredpop]

Here is the letter I sent to K Spencer of the Province. I felt compelled to write to him because of the biased nature of his article.

Sir:

First of all, I am a snowmobiler that lives in Alberta. I read your article concerning the heli skiing operator that wants to limit snowmobiling in BC. You have written a very slanted article to support the closure of lands to the public. One of the statements you wrote that was attributed to Mike Wiegele insinuated that the avalanche deaths are a result of riding in closed areas. I suppose you could argue that you were quoting him so that is why you included it in your article. However you should check your facts before you just throw something out there. In all of the tragedies the snowmobilers were in open areas. Should they have been there? Obviously not, but there are risks to any sport that takes place in the backcountry. In another statement you state that Mike Wiegele's company spent $20,000 out of his own pocket for each rescue he was involved in. Did you actually see the books? I doubt very much the cost was that much and I doubt very much he was not reimbursed.

Education is the key to avoid deaths, not closures so that a handful of businesses lock up the backcountry so the very wealthy can have it to themselves. That is the true "unacceptable selfishness" of this whole debate.

Irvine Bobye
Calgary, Alberta

 

[ferniesnow]

To contact the BCSF here is a link... office@bcsf.org

IMO, Ed Klim would be a perfect spokesperson for our cause. He is articulate and well spoken and as a bonus he is a very passionate person regarding snowmobiling.

 

[ferniesnow]

Here is the letter I sent to K Spencer of the Province. I felt compelled to write to him because of the biased nature of his article.

Sir:

First of all, I am a snowmobiler that lives in Alberta. I read your article concerning the heli skiing operator that wants to limit snowmobiling in BC. You have written a very slanted article to support the closure of lands to the public. One of the statements you wrote that was attributed to Mike Wiegele insinuated that the avalanche deaths are a result of riding in closed areas. I suppose you could argue that you were quoting him so that is why you included it in your article. However you should check your facts before you just throw something out there. In all of the tragedies the snowmobilers were in open areas. Should they have been there? Obviously not, but there are risks to any sport that takes place in the backcountry. In another statement you state that Mike Wiegele's company spent $20,000 out of his own pocket for each rescue he was involved in. Did you actually see the books? I doubt very much the cost was that much and I doubt very much he was not reimbursed.

Education is the key to avoid deaths, not closures so that a handful of businesses lock up the backcountry so the very wealthy can have it to themselves. That is the true "unacceptable selfishness" of this whole debate.

Irvine Bobye
Calgary, Alberta

Well written and informative. Can you put a link or email address in for K. Spencer. Thanks, fs