Pubdate: Wed, 13 Feb 2013
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2013 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/letters.html
Website: http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Author: Clara Ho

IMPAIRED SKIERS IN RCMP'S SIGHTS

If Alberta Mounties have their way, the only kind of high you're going
to get on the slopes is from doing a double black diamond on a powder
day.

RCMP officers are hitting Lake Louise and Nakiska in full uniform on
their days off, patrolling the hills by ski and snowboard to keep an
eye out for substance abuse and other illegal behaviour.

The main thing is to act as a visual deterrence, said Cpl. Jeff
Campbell, Lake Louise RCMP detachment commander and one of eight
officers currently taking part in the volunteer patrol program.

"We were hearing a few things about people smoking marijuana, drinking
in the gondola, reckless skiing, and we wanted to be proactive in
consultation with senior management of ski hills and ski patrollers,"
said Campbell, who patrols by snowboard.

Like impaired driving, alcohol and drugs can impair people's judgment
on the hill and increase the risk of injuries to themselves or others,
he added.

RCMP officers were already doing foot patrols near the ski racks.
They've simply expanded their patrol area to the slopes, he said.

As of Dec. 15, uniformed officers started patrolling Lake Louise on
their days off, usually Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and peak holiday
times. On their first day, officers came across people smoking
marijuana, seized three joints and escorted those individuals off the
hill, he said.

This month, they also started keeping an eye on skiers and
snowboarders at Nakiska in Banff.

"It's not a new idea. Back in the 1990s, Lake Louise had officers on
the ski hill and, for whatever reason, the program fizzled out or ran
its course," he said.

The program is modelled after one in Whistler, which was introduced in
1993 and has been effective in keeping the hills safe and enjoyable.

There are currently eight officers in the pool. Campbell said he's
hoping to expand the program to Norquay, Sunshine and other ski hills,
and is looking for other Alberta Mounties who are interested.

All must pass a test and demonstrate their skiing or snowboarding
abilities before joining the program. So far, the program seems to be
"quite favourable" with most of the skiers and snowboarders who
encounter the police on the hills, he said.

Eric Reid, who has been skiing for nearly six decades, said he used to
work at Fernie Alpine Resort where there was a successful police
patrol program.

"We had a large amount of theft on the hill with our customers' ski
equipment. Once we established the program with the local RCMP, the
theft did go down," he said. "Their presence on the hill seemed to
buffer things a bit."

But Ryan Lock, who both skis and snowboards, said people will likely
continue to smoke pot or drink on the hills no matter what.

"I don't think people using and abusing will be deterred in any way,"
he said. "I don't think there's that big of a drug and alcohol use
problem on the hill. Generally, people aren't going to the mountains
to get high and drunk."

Sandy Best, director of business development at Lake Louise, said the
RCMP officers are valuable members of the community and he welcomes
them as frequent ski hill users.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Matt