Someone suggested I post this here as well as it is an important message, not just in the whistler watershed but other areas as well. It is a small number that will ride anywhere regardless of knowing better but it is a good reminder that we need to be smart where we ride and work hard at showing we can manage our group! Happy Riding everyone!!!
Look I appreciate what you are trying to say about riding in the watershed. I get that. I don't ride in there but lot's of other people don't either. So what exactly is your/Whistler district's evidence i.e. water quality samples, broken down sleds, video, eye witness accounts from for-profit companies (including the district of Whistler) working the area for their own gain.
Here's a crap article about the issue from the Pique
First over all there are tenured snowcat skiing operators, tenured snowmobile tour companies and who knows what else working Sproatt. And who exactly agreed to these riding areas??? everyday joe riders?? nope backroom deals made by snowmobile club (mostly leaders and some members) with personal/political agendas that have very little to do with riding for everyone.
It always BEGINS with one of our OWN selling us out. I used to ride Sproatt when you had to park on the highway, no tours, no cat skiing, no problems, no enforcement. Now there is going to be paid parking??? For what there is no grooming, no plowing the parking lot, no services whatsoever. Now I get to pay for your brand of scummy law enforcement. I can't wait for my first ticket.
Same crap happened to close down the Callahan Valley (spectacular place to ride)to snowmobile. NOW the are going to close Sproatt (eventually) no matter what happens this year. I was riding there for a week last year and the tour guides gave me the run down. They and the snowcat guys want the area exclusively for themselves. Of course that's not what the corporate/district mouthpieces say but that what the guides tell me.
Look I use to live in Squamish 15 years ago. Corporate interests and the town of Squamish are going to steal Brohmn Ridge from riding there too. I now live in Seattle, WA. You want to see the future of snowmobiling come down here. Parking fees, grooming fees, tabs, permits, licensing, crazy over zealous law enforcement and so many closure areas its hard to keep track of where you can ride. All of these factors result in declining ridership. I ride down here once or twice a year in the middle of the week when no ones around, otherwise not worth the hassle.
The tiny amount or riders going in the watershed do not justify the heavy handedness of the district. Snowmobiling is in direct competition with Whistler/Blackcomb for money. They will close Sproatt no matter what you say or riders do.
Someone suggested I post this here as well as it is an important message, not just in the whistler watershed but other areas as well. It is a small number that will ride anywhere regardless of knowing better but it is a good reminder that we need to be smart where we ride and work hard at showing we can manage our group! Happy Riding everyone!!!
First of all... Thank you Dave for putting this up and for being such a responsible ambassador to this sport we love!
If it's closed... it's closed... DON'T GO THERE!
If you do, more areas. will get closed down.
The "heavy hand" could not fall if there weren't those that poach places they are not supposed to be... plain and simple.
If you want to argue the point... do it off the mountain. Tracking up an area in "protest"... pretty ineffectual.
I've ridden all the areas you are talking about... including the Callaghan before the Olympics and Nordic center came.
Huge amounts of areas to ride around Whistler... and yes, there are going to be some that are off limits.
Sellout???... come on... do you even know Dave???
We DO need to self-police.
I support SAWS and BlueRibbon... as well as other groups that fight to keep more areas open... but I also believe that there are some areas that cant and shouldn't be ridden.
