Rogers Pass – one of the snowiest places on earth!!!! Just east of Revelstoke, BC Canada. Close to the peaks of the Rocky Mountains.
Upon my return to Canada from California in 2007, I was offered a job driving snowplow trucks for Parks Canada at Rogers Pass. I had not driven large vehicles since 1978 in Alberta so it was a little daunting to say the least.
Even though I had a drivers license from back in the late 70s, I decided that caution was the better part of valour and signed up for a few driving lessons ….. sooooo unlike me …… normally I would just say “GO FOR IT” ….. but like really …… driving a snowplow …… the Trans Canada Highway ….. the Rocky Mountains ….. the choice was relatively straight forward ….. SAFETY FIRST!!!!
My driving lessons were in a semi-trailer rig that was more than I had ever driven …… back in Alberta I had driven double axle trucks with 13 speed transmissions much like the snowplows but the truck and trailer combination was something else ….. anyway ….. a few hours of driving ….. got the feel again for shifting and ….. bonus …… got the experience of driving a rig 53 foot trailer.
OK …… so then I passed the driving test at Parks Canada and VOILA!!! I am a snowplow driver …… no training whatsoever in that last skill …… JUST DO IT!!!! …. as Nike might say!!!
I mentioned that Rogers Pass gets lots of snow …… well it does ….. and within our 50 kilometers ….. you might imagine that the mountains are very steep ….. I believe there are 27 active avalanche shoots along that 50 km section of road.
My only direct experience with avalanches came when one day we were cleaning reflectors inside this snow shed. At first we heard to rumbling of avalanche ….. then TOTAL silence ……. as we stood there wondering what might be next …….. in the air, a cold ……. surrounding us …… the air became filled with the tiniest ice crystals ….. barely visible ….. but clearly the solid ice crystals were literally chilling us as we breathed them in!!
Anyway ….. I digress ….. the motorcycle ride!!! ….. Let’s be clear ….. I was not riding the motorcycle …… I was in my snowplow! I was east of the Pass in one of the more flat sections heading west.
It was one of the most serious snow storms of the whole winter ….. the temperature and the moisture in the air were perfect for creating the most beautiful, extremely large snow flakes …… perfect for powder snow …… if you have ever seen snow like like this you will always remember it. The following Youtube video gives a sense of what it feels like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjXZyX_Xna4
So imagine you are in the cab of a big snowplow truck …… under normal plowing conditions the sound of the steel plow on the ashphalt road is loud ….. but when there is lots of snow, it all becomes very quiet as the plow glides over the new snow …… not quite as serene as the sound of that piano playing “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” ….. but it feels kinda like that ….
Now imagine its dark ….. snowing just like that video …… there is so much snow that the snowbanks and the road are completely covered and WHITE AS THE PURE DRIVEN SNOW …… the only thing you can see is the light from the truck’s headlights ……. because of the new snow there is ZERO contrast …… everything is white ….. it is sooooo white that you need to guess where the center of the road is ….. you need to guess where you are along your route ….. you need to anticipate the next curve ……. you are driving maybe 40 km/hour (25 MPH) …… those very large snow flakes are coming straight at your windshield …… YES ….. I know where I am (are your thoughts) …… BUT!!!!! …… all of a sudden you realize ……. YOU ARE WRONG!
All of a sudden ….. out of the corner of my eye ….. I see another snowplow truck …… pulled over in one of the pull outs ….. HEY!!!! …… he shouldn’t be there (is your first thought) ….. OH ???? (is thought #2) ….. I realize that I am much further along then I thought I was …… before I could do anything about it ….. my snowplow begins climbing the mountain toward the Pass.
Remember that it is dark ……. it is snowing …… it is one big sheet of white ….. it is a mountain road snaking up a steep highway and …….
…… all of a sudden …… what? ….. was that a motorcycle? …… it can’t be …… and yes …… driving eastbound …… maybe 10 or 11 PM at night …… a motorcycle passed me ….. in the middle of this …… the worst snowstorm of the year.
Here is what the Canada MotoGuide suggests for riding a motorcycle in winter:
“There are three basic rules to riding a bike in winter: Only venture out if the roads are clear of snow and ice; never, ever ride after dark; and dress warmly in layers. The first is obvious. If a two-wheeled vehicle hits snow or ice, it won’t just skid, like a car – it’ll slide out or flip over” Dec 19, 2018 ( (https://canadamotoguide.com/2018/12/19)
Well ….. the guy riding this bike was likely wearing warm layers ….. LOL!!!
So ……. mountain men/women do some crazy stuff …… this was one of the craziest I have ever experienced ….. and all in the blink of an eye!!! I hope is he made it wherever he was headed!!
