ATHABASCA — Alberta’s unseasonably warm winter weather has garnered a lot of attention, making headlines in the province’s major cities and raising more questions about human-driven climate change on social media.
While the warm temperatures and lack of snow have hindered several staple winter activities, others are seeing a surprising uptick as people from Athabasca and further take advantage of the mild winter.
Dave Bilsky has been involved with the Athabasca River Runners for more than 30 years. Bilsky said last year the snowmobile club, which grooms and maintains around 300 kilometres of trail west and north of Baptiste Lake, and close to 100 kilometres in the Jackfish Lake area, had over 320 members who frequented the trails.
But this year is a different story. “The whole club and all the snowmobiling world is waiting for snow,” said Bilsky in a Jan. 3 interview. “It’s way behind schedule, normally we have snow here around Christmas time, and we still haven’t had anything.”
“It’s created a lot of delays, a lot of people are looking forward to it. It’s what everybody is up against this year.”
This season, the club has about 125 members, slightly over a third of last year’s numbers. Despite the drop in membership, Bilsky said the club’s numbers are “Pretty darnn good for not having any snow yet. We get more snow, we’ll get more members.”
Bilsky estimated around a foot of snow would put the trails back in commission this winter, to the satisfaction of Athabasca-area residents as well as riders from different areas of the province.
“We get lots out of Edmonton, St. Albert, and lots of locals,” said Bilsky. “We always get a few members from Lacombe country, down in there.”
And the sport seems to be a hit for individuals of all ages. “We have lots of moms and dads with some of their kids out there riding,” said Bilsky. He said the trails see, “A lot of people in their mid-ages, and some older people — you know, there’s people in their 70s that are out there riding.”
While some riders hoping for snow may be after a casual weekend of outdoor fun before winter ends, several snowmobile enthusiasts are on a different timeline. The yearly River Runners ladies ride is scheduled for Jan. 27, and the club’s annual rally is on the books for Feb. 24.
“Right now, the ladies ride is just a little bit up in the air because we still don’t have snow,” said Bilsky. “It’s really hard to say what will happen, it could get put over to another date, or it’ll be done for next year.”
Athabasca mayor Rob Balay said the absence of the club’s special events also has an impact on other areas of the town. “That has an economic impact because people do come spend money in the region when they’re doing that.”
Cross-country concerns
Henrik Asfeldt, coach of the Athabasca Northern Nordic Ski Club, said the recent conditions have cross-country skiers in the area looking to trails other than those in Muskeg Creek.
“The weather has definitely put a damper on skiing this year,” said Asfeldt. “Some of us have been skiing on some of the local lakes like Jackfish Lake. It’s frozen over and there’s a centimetre or two of snow on the ice there.”
Asfeldt said during a typical winter, cross-country skiing is a popular pastime, and the trails in Muskeg Creek offer a number of different recreational avenues for those not inclined to the sport.
“There are lots of people who go there regularly, whether it’s going there to ski or to walk their dogs,” said Asfeldt. “They’re mostly locals, but occasionally there are people I run into, people from other places.”
Special events, like the annual Athabasca Loppet, attract both locals and skiers from across the provinces. “That draws in people from as far south as Red Deer, and then north to Fort McMurrary, and lots of people from Edmonton,” said Asfeldt.
“We’ve never had less than 50 (skiers), and our biggest has been well over 100 I think. But when people come, they’re quite impressed with the trails, and typically if we can get them here once, they come back because they really like it.”
Typically held in January, this year the loppet is scheduled for March 2. Despite the current conditions, Asfeldt said he’s not ruling out a favourable turn in weather. “If there’s no snow, there’s nothing we can do about it but … there’s still lots of time for snow between now and then.”
“It’s two months, so I’m optimistic it’ll still go ahead.”
Warm weather wins
For other sports and activities, the warm weather winter has proved to be a boon. With both outdoor rinks in the Town of Athabasca open, locals have noticed increased use of the ice surfaces as skaters enjoy the absence of bitingly cold air.
“I would say they’ve been used more this year than they ever have,” said Athabasca mayor Rob Balay. “It’s been such nice weather, but yet still good enough where we can maintain the ice, so that’s actually been a positive.”
Balay pointed out other outdoor positives the warm winter has brought to the region that aren’t typical for an Albertan winter. “You can still use your quad and your side-by-sides right now, so to me that’s where it balances out.”
Ray Kohlruss of Reel Angling Adventures, who specializes in both winter and summer fishing, said the higher winter temperatures and the lack of snow have had the opposite effect on the sport as it has on snowmobiling and cross-country skiing.
“It hasn’t slowed down at all. Actually, it’s probably helped,” said Kohlruss, who’s entering his 21st season of guiding fishing tours year-round in the Athabasca region.
Kohlruss said ice must be a minimum of four inches, which is safe to walk on, before the ice fishing season can begin every year. A total of eight inches is recommended before all-terrain vehicles or quads can be driven on a frozen body of water, and ice should be between 14 and 18 inches to support vehicles.
“(With) the lack of snow, the ice does freeze a little bit faster, even though it hasn’t been as cold,” he said. Snow acts as an insulator for the ice below, trapping heat which can slow ice formation. Without it, this year’s ice is right on track, having reached the thickness markers necessary for ice fishing.
The sport attracts its fair share of both locals and fishers from afar — with 19 fishing lakes in Athabasca County and a season that can run from early winter to end of March, Kohlruss said he’s guided everyone from Edmonton-based students to tourists from across the globe.
“We get a lot of locals from Calgary, Red Deer, of course Edmonton,” said Kohlruss. “Seems like I get a lot of people from Australia during the first part of winter, since they’re travelling here for Christmas or they’re coming for the experience of winter.”
During his recent trips out in December and early January, Kohlruss said the lakes have been busy, with groups of people taking advantage of the uncommon conditions and enjoying some adjacent winter activities while they’re at it.
“It’s very, very nice to go out in perfect temperatures … instead of sitting at home or going to a mall in Edmonton,” said Kohlruss. “It’s a great family activity.”
“I also noticed with the lack of snow on some of the lakes … people actually laced up their skates, going ice fishing with their skates on,” said Kohlruss.
