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2023-02-07 at 21:10 - comment by Old L.E. Phant

Please add my voice to other comments regarding "Democratize Ab." posts. I STRONGLY agree with most comments made by Bob Mlko on Feb.5th. I feel that this website is totally the wrong place for political propaganda by any one. I find the inclusion of those comments to be arrogant, rude, obnoxious and unwelcome. A parallel would be if I was going for a walk in the city and happened upon a big pile of something most unappealing smack in the middle the sidewalk. True, I don't have to step in it. I can (as suggested) detour around it. BUT- the stench and the sight and the unpleasant memory lingers on...Who needs that? Not me!! I feel I should be allowed to navigate this awesome website without having to sidestep a bunch of crap.
My defense is; these days, whenever I see the word "democratize" in a title ,to skip right past it.
Here is a thought about "democracy"....Maybe all participants on this site should be invited to vote on whether or not to ban all political comments ???





2023-02-06 at 20:21 - comment by Cooper

I read that Goat Creek trailhead is closed on Canmore side? Can you still ski from Canmore to Banff Springs using Goat Creek? Planning on getting dropped at the trail head in Canmore this weekend, and want to make sure I can ski to the Banff Springs.







2023-02-05 at 21:14 - comment by Chuck

Bob,
Actually, I totally agree with you, but we all have our side interests.
Thankfully, Skier Roger deletes anything totally beyond the pale.
But we all know that we need reporters...
Looking forward to your report.





2023-02-05 at 19:48 - comment by bob milko

for sure Chuck but I don’t think this is the place for political commentary





2023-02-05 at 19:17 - comment by Chuck

Hey Bob,
If you don't want to read someone's report,
Don't read it.
That is your choice... Easy!





2023-02-05 at 18:28 - comment by Bob Milko

Hello MR. Demonize Alberta
I do appreciate your reports on ski and trail conditions. I DO NOT appreciate your hyperbolic political whining. It does nothing to further the positive aspects of this fantastic website or your reports. I would prefer not to have your reports if you continue your nonsensical blathering as if you have all the right answers to everything. And recently you criticized Parks for changing slightly their URL to grooming conditions saying perhaps they don't want us to know what is real":)" .. What utter nonsense - you should be thankful they groom trails at all. Speaking of afraid to be real .. Who are you hiding behind a pseudonym?





SPRAY RIVER FROM BANFF TO GOAT CREEK PARKING LOT AND BACK

Report Submitted by DEMOCRATIZE AB
(trip) Date: Thursday Feb 02, 2023

Submitted: Friday Feb 03, 2023 at 00:17

Participants:

A champion to legalize your right to introduce and vote on government bills skiing on 210 Madshus Voss metal edge long narrow light boards.

Discussion:

The chinook winds were blowing today which dumped some mixed dead tree debris into the tracks slowing things down a tad. The Spray River West Trail was generally fast with a few sections that were slower due to detritus in the tracks at night. Judging by the feel of the skis under the diffused moon light, it felt like low to low moderate amounts of track debris with moderate levels under some trees on the out track. A good 1 cm of new snow should cover most of it up. There are no rocks on the trail that I saw. Skate skiing was my preferred method to ski much of the trail as it was faster than classic in most areas.

The Goat Creek Trail had somewhat different conditions. My Green Swix wax was not very effective for grip. The snow was Lightening Hopkins fast on the lower part of the trail which was sweet. Skiers had skied off some of the new snow on the trail leaving firm snow in the middle of the track. As I climbed up the trail I side stepped some of the hills wider. This came in handy skiing down to reduce speed on some corners and at the Goat Creek death bridge at night.

The upper 2/3 of the Goat Creek trail to the parking lot was generally moderate speed skiing only. The snow blowing from the trees was somewhat slower to ski on. Also there was low to moderate levels of tree debris in the tracks which slowed things down a bit as well. Skiing up one fairly steep hill the wind was so good it actually blew me up the hill which was nice. I was blowing in the wind (uphill) as Bob Dylan would say.

I was surprised that the Goat Creek Parking Lot seemed to have disappeared, unless it was buried in snow but I don't think so. I skied through it checking out all the crazy gates and signs that the UCP wasted money on along with piling up of rocks in areas to, what appears, eliminate car parking. Sign sign everywhere a sign in the old parking lot now. Don't do this and don't do that as the great Five Man Electric Band song goes. One gate was open for bus parking only. It appears that car parking may be eliminated and that people will have to take some drag bus to be unloaded for skiing down the Goat Creek Trail. Some bus company will be raking in the cash with the elimination of parking as it appears. This will reduce the winter skiing popularity of the trail. With the United Conservative Party undemocratically eliminating ski parking access up there, they must be pissing a lot of people off. This is just the start of such undemocratic car access closures in Kananaskis Country. Less freedom is what happens when the Conservatives unsustainably over grow the economy which is also political code word for over growing the population. They are mutually inclusive pretty much.

Skiing down the upper 2/3 of the Goat Creek trail was also slower than I liked because of the wind I was skiing into. The trees were blowing into each other and swaying at least 15 feet at the tops. The forest was alive with the sounds of creaking and cracking trees. Once I skied down further, the bottom 1/3 of the trail was as fast as a Tesla on steroids or perhaps lightening. The wind did not matter at that point.

I was hoping to get some comet viewing but it was too cloudy at night. When I skied around one corner on the Spray Trail for a fraction of a second I thought I was seeing interesting colored lights in the sky. It turned out to be the unsightly light pollution of the foreign corporate owned Banff Sulphur Mountain Gondola station lights at the top of the mountain which have no place in a national park, just like all the clearcutting and burning going on in Banff.

Overall a good day of skiing today but if the chinook winds keep dumping debris in the tracksets, things will significantly worsen in the coming days without new snow.



Total distance: 37.00 Km

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