More heading outdoors, but winter dangers lurk
WINTER RESCUES ON THE INCREASE AS PANDEMIC BOREDOM PUSHES NEWCOMERS INTO GREAT OUTDOORS
As Canadians attempt to make the best of our pandemic winter, with travel curtailed and COVID restrictions the norm in most parts of the country, more people are venturing out into the great outdoors.
Outdoor gear stores are experiencing shortages of hot-ticket items like cross-country skis and snowshoes as demand increases from newcomers to the winter sport scene. But the get-outside trend has also led to a number of tragedies and near-tragedies across the country: skaters falling through the ice, snowmobilers stranded in the backcountry and people killed in avalanches.
It highlights the risks inherent in outdoor activities that, while always a mainstay of Canadian winter life, are more apparent as people not accustomed, not prepared or not properly trained get out and explore.
In British Columbia, 2020 saw a large spike — around 30 per cent more — in search and rescue calls. “A major reason for the increase appears to be increased use of the backcountry ... but also an increase in the number of people who are out there and are inexperienced, unprepared to deal with either getting lost or getting injured,” said Jim Mcallister, treasurer with B.C. Search and Rescue Association.
Over the past weekend, four people fell through the ice at Lake Minnewanka, a glacial lake about five kilometres outside the Banff townsite. None died, but one of them, a woman in her 20s, was in the water for a half-hour before firefighters pulled her free, according to the Banff fire department. A man who tried to help her got stranded on the ice, and also needed rescuing.
“Ice skaters are reminded to check the lake ice thickness very carefully and understand that ice thickness may vary considerably over short distances,” said Parks Canada in a social media post over the weekend.
A handful of people, including an 11-year-old boy, have died in Ontario this winter after falling through ice, prompting the Ontario Provincial Police to issue a warning that wildly varying temperatures mean the ice isn't thick enough to be safe.
The Canadian Red Cross says for skating or walking by yourself, ice must be at least 15 centimetres thick, 20 cm if you're with other people. For snowmobiling, it must be at least 25 cm thick.
Those heading into the backcountry, for snowmobiling, skiing or hiking, should have proper training specific to avalanches if they are in the mountains, and basic knowledge that can help them from getting lost.
Already, 2021 has been a busy year for some search and rescue teams. In Vernon, B.C., the local search and rescue team was out four times in the first eight days of the month, according to local media reports.
Last week, search and rescue crews near 100 Mile House, B.C., found a 17-yearold who'd become lost and separated from his friends while snowmobiling and burrowed into a snow cave to survive. Earlier this month, two people were killed in an avalanche near Pemberton, B.C., and, two weeks ago, a 21-year-old Instagram influencer from Toronto died while hiking B.C.'S Cypress Provincial Park, which can be treacherous in the winter.
Karl Klassen is the warning service manager with Avalanche Canada, which offers an online starting point for training programs. He said avalanche training providers are reporting a lot of interest in courses this winter. “It sounds like it's pretty busy,” Klassen said.
Outdoor outfitters are also reporting high demand for winter sports equipment. A number of hot-ticket items, such as cross-country skis and snowshoes, for example, have been tough to find.
“Whether you're talking about water ski boats, or Skidoos, backcountry skiing, kayaking, paddling, hiking — all those sports have seen people reconnecting and rediscovering and reinvesting in those areas,” said David Harley, president of Valhalla Pure Outfitters, which has a dozen stores in British Columbia and Alberta.
Harley said it's difficult to determine how the demand is breaking down — whether it's newcomers or experienced outdoors people — but he guesses when it comes to more expensive equipment and significant know-how, such as ski touring, it's probably 80 per cent experienced people versus 20 per cent newcomers.
Easier and less-expensive sports, such as snowshoeing, have greater appeal to the newcomers, he said.
Matt Mosteller, a spokesperson for Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, which owns several ski hills across Canada, said hills are seeing a lot of people this year because of limited recreational options, although they're asking people to follow health guidelines and stay local.
“It's unbelievable the amount of interest, locally, that skiing and snowboarding have this winter,” Mosteller said. “Skiing and snowboarding have provided that health benefit and also that feeling of freedom, a bit of an escape, that is badly needed during our COVID times.”
James Schutz, director of marketing with Camper's Village, an outdoor gear retailer with stores in Edmonton and Calgary, said cross-country skiing has been “one of the huge trends this year.” Equipment orders are put in months in advance, and back in May, when stores in Alberta were able to open, many items sold out.
“I think because of COVID, because of everything that we can't do, outdoor activities are one of the things that are relatively safer and easier to do,” said Schutz.