Snowmobilers worried heli-skiing proposal will cut off access to safe areas

Snowmobilers in B.C.'s Interior are worried that changes to aland use proposal from a local heli-skiing company will cut off access to safe snowmobiling areas.

The Eight Peaks Sustainable Resource Management Plan for the eight mountains visible from Blue River located between Kamloops and Jasper was put forwardin 2003.

Albert Venor, president of the Blue River Powder Packers Society, said part of the plan included cuttingski runs on all eight of the mountains visible from the town.At the time, there was no indication it would compromise access to public land that is used for other recreational activities.

"The proposal was never supposed to restrict access to public areas," Venor said.

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Proposed ski runs would be private

In 2017, meetings with Mike WiegeleHelicopter Skiing and the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resourcesrevealed some changes would be made to the plan.

Those changesincludedthe possibility of giving the heli-skiing company the opportunity to lease Crown land, making the ski runs they plan to cut down themountains private.

"It's important to note that the area under application is currently not used by snowmobilers," the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources said in an email to CBC after this story was originally published. But according to Venor, it is.

Because snowmobilers and skiers use the same areas of the mountains, this means only skiers would be able to access those preferred areas, leaving snowmobilersto use areas that areless desirable.

"Some of those mountains have snowmobile areas on them and some really safe and close ones for locals and tourists to enjoy," Venor said.

"Over time,snowmobilers have been forced to the more dangerous areas of the valley."

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Heli-skiingattracts tourists

Venorsaid Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing is the largest employer in Blue River in the winter. He said it bringsa lot of tourism money to the community, but because the resort offers its own meal services, there isn't a lot of spill-over into local businesses.

"We think the heli-skiing company is a real vital part of our community, it provides jobs and everything else, but we also think this kind of project is blocking the growth of our snowmobilingtourism economy as well," Venor said.

Venor moved to Blue Riverspecifically to take advantage of the region's snowmobiling and sledding, but he saidthose opportunities are dwindling.

"Over the years we've seen more and more closures to snowmobiling," he said, citingCaribou conservation efforts and provincial government land use changes.

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The ministry confirmed by email that Mike WiegeleHelicopter Skiinghas applied for a lease to create new heli-ski trails, and that it is considering that application.

"If they do become private leases, that will allow the heli-ski operation to issue trespassing notices to the people that visit those areas," Venor said.

Emotional issue

The issue has become emotional for the Blue River snowmobiling community, sparking heated debates online and even apetition to stop the project from going forward.

"When I look out my window in themorning and I look at every mountain around my house and when I start thinking about that I'm not allowed to go to those anymore, but wealthy foreigners are, I feel a deep sense of wrongness,"Venorsaid.

The ministry said it is working with the heli-skiing companyto figure out how snowmobiling areas can be designated.

A representative from Mike WiegeleHelicopter Skiing said the companyhasbeen in discussion with snowmobilers regarding this planand believe there will be another chance to talk about it at a meeting later this winter.

"[We] remain fully committed to working with the snowmobile community and other stakeholders in the area on this and all other issues of shared interest," said marketing coordinator Deanna Kristensen.