Kananaskis Country

“I think beyond asking people to take travel pledges and to get excited about experiencing things in their backyard, it’s really summoning this idea we have to support local and it’s never been more important to bring back our way of life, to bring back our communities and to support our friends and families in resumption to normal work activity.”

Part four of Buried in the Aftermath looks at how the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides is undertaking a review to establish a post-critical incident response process and working to change the culture of the industry to address issues like communicating risk to clients. It also looks at how guiding companies handle these situations and explores the data around how many fatalities on guided trips have occurred in western Canada from 2000-20.

Part three of Buried in the Aftermath explores the 2019 avalanche at Massey’s Waterfall near Field, B.C. that killed one ice climber and partially buried another. Ice climbing has become an increasingly popular winter activity, and with many frozen waterfalls located in avalanche terrain, are there lessons to be learned when critical incidents occur?

As if bear 152's day wasn’t bad enough after getting hit by a truck, she was then observed later that evening fleeing down Highway 40 with a large male grizzly bear in hot pursuit.

The audited financial statements for the Bow Valley Waste Management Commission showed a fiscally healthy organization.

“When you look at the availability of landscape, it's not really this notion that we can build resorts in every corner of the province. It's about the idea that each area is geographically unique, the biodiversity within that region is worth conserving and celebrating and sharing. You enhance people's attitudes towards conservation when you experience these things.”

Part two of Buried in the Aftermath looks at how mountain guides are affected by critical incidents that occur in the backcountry. Barry Blanchard shares his experience dealing with trauma as a guide and details a new initiative – Mountain Muskox. Ken Wylie, who as an assistant guide survived an avalanche in 2003 that killed seven clients, challenges the industry with taking a look at how it handles these types of incidents.

“Given the reality the pandemic will likely continue into the summer and possibly to continue to impact schools next year, we feel it is in the best interest of our staff and students to opt-out of this process. Though we know it is important to have our contributions heard, which is normally achieved through a piloting process, we do not want to introduce any additional pressures onto our students and professional staff next year."

The government of Alberta is establishing a Kananaskis Conservation Pass that will see vehicles charged a per day, or annual fee to access the region's provincial parks and recreation areas, including those located in the Bow Valley corridor.

“I’ve got cats on my cameras before, but it's one thing to have them on your game cam and then to have them right there,” Fullerton exclaimed. “You expect a coyote, or a skunk or even a bear, but never a cat."