Well, as wishy washy as the paper may be, at least they published some responses, including mine. Though I must say Newtrout's is probably the best written response I've read in quite sometime to this kind of BS.:beer;
http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/pique/index.php?cat=C_LTE&content=Letters+1618
Give your heads a shake
The three individuals who signed their names to this "Appeal to give up sleds" have really got to step back and give their heads a shake. The ignorance put forth by these folks, is highlighted by the following statement in their letter: "...the day-skiers' pollution is minimized when he starts recreating (electrically driven lifts have a pretty low carbon footprint)..."
Whistler Blackcomb is one of the largest ski resort developments on the planet. To say that the carbon footprint of the day-skier is restricted to energy use of the chairlifts is just plain wrong and could not be further from the truth. Resort skiing is far from a "green" activity. The trail cutting, land and infrastructure development that has occurred in the valley over the last 25 years far exceeds the impact of the snowmobile population active in the area over the same time period.
These are individuals who simply have a vendetta against motorized recreation for whatever reason. Attacking a minority user group in the Sea to Sky corridor who have long been active in the area (and who have already made great concessions in giving up much of their historical riding area(s)), while at the same time making the ridiculous claim that their favored past-time of resort skiing is somehow more environmentally friendly than snowmobiling is just absolute garbage.
I will never understand why so many of today's backcountry users feel that everything must be regulated, and all areas divided up amongst recreational user groups. I also fail to understand why some people think they have the right to tell others how to recreate and live their lives. B.C.'s backcountry, to many, represents the ultimate in freedom, yet these days it seems to be a constant battle between those who wish to see additional restrictions and regulations enforced on others to benefit themselves and their chosen past-time, and those of us who just want to live our lives and enjoy our hobbies.
Mason Hecky
Coquitlam, B.C.
Don't stop; do it better
RE: An appeal to give up sleds (Pique letters April 23)
I can't believe you decided to print the letter from Bryce Leigh, Al Whitney and Charlotte Whitney. It borders on hate mail. Singling out one group of people who they personally feel impacts the environment more than others. I can't imagine you would print a letter that singled out other groups or organizations in such a manner.
We all impact the environment. Living on the planet affects the environment and whether or not they want to accept the fact that resort riding affects the environment, it certainly does. Maybe the ski lifts are electric; electricity certainly has an impact on our environment, so did campfires before we had electricity. How much diesel is used every year on the mountain? How many sleds are used there? Groomers? The list is endless.
Millions of tourists flock to our beautiful country every year, driving, flying, impacting the environment. We flock to other countries and become tourists ourselves. We fly, we drive, we ZipTrek through rain forests. Should we be there?
I don't plan on giving up resort riding or sledding. I believe that with increased demand the pressure is there to create better and cleaner ways to do the things we love in life. The answer isn't to stop doing it; do it better!
Another thing I was thinking of when I was reading the letter is that really, do we need newspapers anymore? We have the Internet; we could all read our news online and save millions, if not trillions, of trees! I appeal to everyone to give up newspapers! You can do it!
Amanda Lee-Dempsey
No Limits Motorsports
Squamish
