Adventures today are different. The routes may be the same, but the gear has changed. Particularly when it comes to communication. What people now carry on the Great Divide Traverse, is a far-cry from the original expedition.
The 320-km route was first skied in 1967 from Jasper, Alberta to Lake Louise along the mountain tops. It follows the divide between Alberta and British Columbia. This May will mark the 50th Anniversary of its completion.
“It was one of the last traditional adventures in the Rockies,” said Chic Scott, 71, one of the original expedition members.
The next time the traverse was completed, 20 years later, gear was lighter and you could communicate via emergency beacons. The devices were invented in the early 1980’s. If you were injured, sick, or lost, you could click a button and someone would come.
“When we set off in 1967, we just told the warden service that if we aren’t out in five weeks. We’re somewhere between Jasper and Lake Louise,” said Scott.
They skied on glaciers no-one had before. Passing mountains no-one knew existed. They were alone. If they fell in a crevasse or got buried in an avalanche, they had to assist themselves.
Today, people follow GPS maps. They can send instant messages using SPOT, a satellite tracking device.
When Gerry Heacock, 31, skied the traverse in 2011, his SPOT was connected to his blog. From the comfort of an armchair, friends and family could follow his tracks, which updated four times a day.
Heacock’s dad met them along the way. He carried food, knowing from their messages they were running low.
He brought fresh fruit and Grand Marnier to help celebrate his son’s 26th birthday. The group’s meager supplies were replenished.
It was a huge leap in luxury compared to 1967 when the original party only rationed food for 17 days. And the trip was 23.
“Some days all I had for breakfast was half a peanut. I even tried hunting a squirrel with my ice ax, but I couldn’t bare to kill the little guy,” recalled Charlie Locke, 70, now the owner of the Lake Louise ski hill.
The original ski party saw no-one from start to finish.
Scott says the traverse has become safer with communication devices.
Last year, a skier on the traverse fell 30 meters. The team activated an emergency beacon and Parks Canada arrived within a few hours. They helicoptered the injured skier to Calgary. Back in 1967, it would have taken days to get help, as someone would have had to ski to the highway.
Emergency beacons make it easier for rescuers by providing an exact location and sometimes the ability to communicate with those injured. They can determine what resources are needed, such as a spine board for a back injury, or even a rifle in the case of a bear attack.
Communication devices can put nervous family members at ease.
“I don’t know if my dad would have let me go on a trip without a SPOT,” laughed Heacock. The tracking device, with the pre-set “we’re ok” messages linked to topo-maps, put his dad at ease.
We can now know if our loved ones are safe, instead of just wonder.
In the last 50 years, the Great Divide Traverse has changed little. You still ski over the largest Icefields in the Rockies. Passing Windsor-blue ice blocks, thrashing through uncut forests, seeing the same views they saw in 1967. No roads have been built. No hotels. It’s still wild country.
Yet, a palm-sized device ensures a helping hand is never far away.
*Both photos were sent to me by Chic Scott. They are from the original expedition in 1967. They are helpful because they provide the reader with a visual of the first ski party and a view of what they saw along the way. They add colour to the piece.