Fresh snow is best cold
Fresh snow can be spectacular. It can also be challenging. The major factor is temperature. If it’s well below the freezing point, there is nothing better than what the Okanagan ski hills like to call “champagne powder”— the lightest fluffiest snow that flies into your face and makes you feel like you are diving into the softest, most forgiving pillow you have ever known.
If the temperature hovers around the freezing point, you can get slush or ice when on a downhill slope. If you are a cross-country skier using classic skis, you are better off digging out the fishscale or waxless skis, which are usually at their best at the beginning and end of the season.
On Monday, the Ski Sheriff and Constant Companion Carmen checked out the conditions at Kelowna Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Club north of McCulloch Lake (off Highway 33 south of Big White Road).
As we snapped on our classic skis, groomer (and club president) Ryland Garton pulled up in his Pisten Bully groomer. The Sheriff always says there’s nothing like local knowledge so, of course, we asked him about trail conditions. He not only told us what he had groomed, but still planned to groom.
And we also asked skiers coming off the trails about conditions. There were soft spots from warmer temperatures even at the higher elevations where it would normally be colder, one skier warned us.
That proved accurate as we headed up Riverside. When we reached the junction of Riverside and Backcountry, Backcountry was groomed but Riverside to the left wasn’t. But within a couple of minutes, the groomer roared around the corner and Garton headed up Riverside.
There were soft spots, so you had to ski with caution in case the skis suddenly slowed, but there is nothing like a virgin groomed and track-set trail.
On Tuesday, we headed up to Big White Ski Resort in glorious sunshine and reports of fresh powder.
As soon as we arrived, the Sheriff spotted the perfect winter photo just waiting to be taken: a Zamboni preparing the outdoor skating rink (the highest rink in Canada apparently) for a game of shinny hockey. With a snow-covered picnic table, a firepit and pretty girl wielding an ice scraper, it was a photographer’s dream.
Then, the horse-drawn sleigh came into view and headed for the front of the Happy Valley Daylodge. More photographic perfection.
Now, about that new snow. It must have snowed during and after the extensive grooming. The snow was so soft that it only took a few skiers to start piling it up on the groomers. By late morning, the groomed green runs were lumpy-bumpy and more like green-blues, and the blues were more like blue-blacks. A challenge and a real workout for the legs.
The Sheriff’s older 183-centimetre Elan MXFour skis have crucial measurements of 103/71/100 (millimetres). That narrow 71 mid-section means they are excellent for long giant slalom turns on groomed runs, but not so great on deep powder.
Constant Companion Carmen’s 162-cm Roxy skis have measurements of 121-72-100. That shorter ski length and 121 shovel means they cut through crud easier as well as float her tips through powder. Those skis also list an R or radius turning ability of 15 (metres) for short turns. The Elans don’t list an R factor but it’s certainly more than 15.
Carving skis generally measure under 75 underfoot. Versatile allmountain models range from 75 to 95. The 95 to 120 category suits skiers who spend most of their time off-piste.
Skis above 120 provide lots of float for big-mountain powder skiing (blog.liftopia.com/buyingskis-sidecut-turn-radius-explained/). composed of the top 10 ski instructors in the country. Foster was previously on the CSIA team for Interski 2007 in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Every four years, the Interski Congress brings together delegations from ski-teaching nations around the world to share technical and teaching approaches through demonstrations and workshops.
They also discuss industry issues and business priorities of snow sports instruction, and check up on research and development.
The two-year tryout process to make the top 10 began last year with the Interski team ski trials. From these trials, the field was narrowed to the top 24 in the west and top 24 in the east with the final teaching trials taking place in January. A combined score between the two trials is used to pick the top 10: five instructors from the east and five from the west.
The latest Ski Tips with Josh Foster are posted at: bigwhite.com/ski-tips-josh-foster
————— The Central Okanagan Regional District board has given conditional support to an application made to FrontCounter BC from a trail-riding operator.
Broken Rail Ranch Ltd., which is located on Petterson Road in West Kelowna, has applied to the province for a five- to 10-year licence of occupation to permit guided trail riding along existing trails within a 2.4-hectare area of Crown land in the Central Okanagan West electoral area and City of West Kelowna.
The board asked that should the tenure be approved by the province, the applicant be required to meet several conditions including protecting drinking water sources, environmental protections along Lambly Creek and adherence to Best Management Practices in trail-building, maintenance and expansion.
————— Construction is underway on a $3.5-million project at the Westside Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant to expand the outfall into Okanagan Lake.
The new outfall line will go from the plant, crossing Whitworth Road and through West Kelowna’s Pebble Beach Park, extending offshore approximately 440 metres into Okanagan Lake.
Construction will run through the end of March between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily and requires the closure of Pebble Beach Park.
Area neighbours have been advised of the park closure and traffic control measures.
————— Two sides are now fighting for and against a proposal for the South Okanagan National Park Reserve.
Members of the Central Okanagan Naturalists' Club were recently presented with a summary prepared by Doreen Olson from the South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park Network (SOSNPN).
Park advocates in the South Okanagan Similkameen welcomed Oct. 27 announcement that the provincial, federal and First Nation governments had agreed to work together to establish a national park reserve, she said.
Park opponents have banded together to form the South Okanagan Similkameen Preservation Society (SOSPS). Their first order of business is “to stop the implementation of a National Park in the South Okanagan,” Olson said.
They’ve launched a Facebook page and Parliamentary petition.
The park advocates have also launched a parliamentary petition. Theirs calls on the federal government to expedite the creation of the national park reserve.
“This petition is doing well, but we need everyone who supports the park to add their name and to share the link to the petition with like-minded friends. The petition is open for signatures until the end of March, but the earlier you sign it the better,” she said.
The link is: petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Peti tion=e-1390
The SOSNPN website (sosnationalpark.com) also has a link to the petition, which can only be signed once and will be verified by the Parliamentary Clerk of Petitions.
“As for letters, it would be best to write to (B.C. Environment and Climate Change ) Minister (George) Heyman and (federal Environment and Climate Change) Minister (Catherine) McKenna.
“We find that there is faster response to an email. Please ask that responses be cc’d to your MP and MLA especially if Stephen Fuhr is your representative,” as he is very supportive," she said. Olson suggests emailing: Heyman: env.minister@ gov.bc.ca
McKenna: Ec.ministre-minister.ec@Canada.ca
Kelowna-Lake Country MP Fuhr: Stephen.Fuhr@parl.gc.ca
South Okanagan-West Kootenay MP Richard Cannings: Richard.Cannings@parl.gc.ca
Central OkanaganSimilkameen-Nicola MP Dan Albas: Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca
Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson: steve.thomson.mla@ leg.bc.ca
Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick: norm.letnick.mla @leg.bc.ca
Kevin McNamee (director, parks establishment, Parks Canada): kevin.mcnamee@ pc.gc.ca
J.P. Squire, aka the Ski Sheriff, is a retired Okanagan Weekend reporter and an avid outdoors enthusiast. Email: jp.squire@telus.net.