Vandals ravage ski trails, intimidate woman
A couple of vandals driving trucks Tuesday night left the Mount McIntyre ski trails in a mess and one woman frightened.
A couple of vandals driving trucks Tuesday night left the Mount McIntyre ski trails in a mess and one woman frightened.
Operations manager Jan Polivka of the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club said today the RCMP are investigating the matter.
As well, the club is asking skiers to share any information they may have about the rogue trucks that tore up the trails.
There was damage to about 15 kilometres.
While most of the network has been restored to good shape, a couple of spots where the trucks obviously spun out and got stuck were pretty messed up and are still a bit rough, he said.
Polivka said he spoke with one woman who was out skiing and came across the vehicles at about 9 p.m.
“She said the driver tried to scare her,” he said. “She said they revved up their engines and they turned their large lights on her and she said she felt scared.
“She wanted to talk to them, but she skied away because she was really scared.”
Polivka said they’ve been able to put together a rough description of at least one vehicle but didn’t get a licence plate number or colour because it was dark.
They weren’t monster trucks, but more in line with a 4x4 Land Cruiser tricked out with a battery of flood lights, he said.
“We are hoping some members will get back to us with a licence plate or at least more information about the description of the vehicle.”
Polivka said he spoke with one skier who told him he’d seen vehicle ruts on the trails at about 4 p.m. Tuesday.
It appears the truck or trucks were there briefly in the afternoon and returned sometime after 7:30 p.m., he said.
Some 15 kilometres of set tracks on the Copper, Dog and World Cup trails were damaged.
The flatter Copper and Dog trails saw the least damage but the hillier and more challenging World Cup trail saw some ground pretty chewed up, he said.
Polivka said he was initially worried the general lack of snow would hamper repair work.
The groomer and its automated ability to pull in snow from the sides was able to do most of it, though some shovelling was required.
It took the two volunteers seven hours to make the repairs and reset the tracks Wednesday, said the operations manager. He puts the damage at $700, considering the time, labour, gas and so on.
Polivka said he doesn’t know if the vandals purposely ripped around the full 15 kilometres, or if they got lost.
“It’s hard to say if they were driving around for fun or if they were trying to find a way out, because once you are in the trails, it’s not easy to find your way out.”
Comments (11)
Up 3 Down 0
north_of_60 on Dec 15, 2015 at 8:00 pm
@Mafdet "in Mary Lake, there are morons who wreck the trails with their trucks. .... Why can't the City of Whitehorse do more....."
What exactly are you suggesting the CoW should DO about the " morons who wreck the trails with their trucks" in Mary Lake sub?
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Mr. Studz on Dec 15, 2015 at 4:44 pm
Pfff...first of all, a woman wasn't terrorized, no one was trying to run her over.
Second, it's a bunch of punk kids like smoking weed, 4x4ing with dads truck on the ski trails. Word of warning to these kids:
I'm carrying a small steel club on the trails with me now now.
Not to hurt you. Just to smash every piece of glass I can find on your truck...vandalism for vandalism sounds perfectly fair. No RCMP needed on this one folks.
Up 3 Down 6
Mafdet on Dec 14, 2015 at 8:30 pm
The same problem all over. Just when the trails are nicely groomed for skiing and dog sledding in Mary Lake, there are morons who wreck the trails with their trucks. They are oblivious to the fact that the trails are groomed at a cost. Why can't the City of Whitehorse do more.....
Up 4 Down 6
n0rth_of_60 on Dec 13, 2015 at 5:52 pm
@BnR
Don't infer what isn't implied. Just try to state your own views clearly and concisely, and refrain from posting your misunderstood interpretations of what others write.
Up 11 Down 7
BnR on Dec 12, 2015 at 7:02 pm
North_of
Where did it say that the WCCSC expected bylaw to patrol trails? It is reasonable for the club to expect that bylaw services will make an effort to find the vehicles based on a description given that the vehicle operators did indeed CoW bylaws. Please read bylaw 2012-21 to become familiar with motorized/non motorized trail designations. Designated ski trails have their own sets of rules. Now given that no license plate numbers were obtained, bylaw will have little to go on, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't make an effort, and I expect they will.
I'm curious what your comment would have been if the vehicle operators had been met by a different sort of WCCS member rather than a rather petite woman. The tone of your letter suggests some sort of vigilante action would be more palatable to yourself.
Up 26 Down 10
north_of_60 on Dec 11, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Do the skiers really expect someone else to solve this problem for them?
The RCMP or Bylaw is not going to patrol those trails, so if the skiers don't show some initiative and get tag numbers, then the criminals won't be caught.
Up 28 Down 25
Atom on Dec 11, 2015 at 1:47 pm
Once again a tree falls in the forest and Atvers and sledders get railroaded.....grow up commenters and stick to the topic
Up 23 Down 14
My daughter says…. on Dec 10, 2015 at 9:05 pm
My daughter, who is on the ski team hopes these brat face vandals get back what they dished out to the trails….jerks.
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right to be scared on Dec 10, 2015 at 8:46 pm
She was right to be scared. Bunch of idiots…one time I was out there skiing and some kids on a ratty skidoo were on the ski trails. Trails are very clearly marked…I guess more barricades are needed. It is a clearly marked non motorized zone.
Up 33 Down 16
Stu Whatman on Dec 10, 2015 at 7:54 pm
There are so many trails in the Whitehorse area, difficulties associated with providing adequate bylaw enforcement, and antipathy by many people who drive trucks and ATVs and sleds; this type of thing will continue for awhile until we stand up and deal with it.
People should take a smart phone with them on walks or when skiing and take photos (at perhaps some risk) so they can report what is taking place and direct bylaw to deal with it.
Up 37 Down 19
Beyond Disgusted! on Dec 10, 2015 at 5:17 pm
As a responsible daily driver of a 4x4 truck, reading about this ticks me right off. What kind of low life morons out there would do such a thing? Whoever you are, you had better thank your lucky stars you didn't run into me while out joyriding on these trails or you would have suddenly have a bunch of very smashed driving lights to replace at a minimum. Hopefully the RCMP catch up with you and throw the book at you. Whitehorse is a small town when it comes to these kind of things, word gets around and your actions are going to catch up with you big time!