B12 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, December 30, 1997 DAVE TAYLOR SKEENA ANGLER: ROB BROWN Anscestral rights few weeks ago I was between rivers when the sight of Mike Gra- ham’s truck in his driveway reminded me I hadn’t seen him in some time. I turned on Twedle Ave., climbed out of the car then advised my dog, who had leapt out over top of me and was now bounding about the vehicle, that she could play with Mike's dog Chief and Chiefs buddy, a stubby litile black mongrel standing before us with a quizzical look on its hairy face, provided that she return at the sound of my whistle. Through- out the afternoon she did this until it was time to go. I] whistled and whistled, calling out every untethered mutt in the neighbourhood. “You lookin’ for a black and white dog with a blue colour?’’ asked a neighbour of Mike’s who was doing some Sunday garage work. Isaid I was. ‘T just chased it outa here a few minutes ago. It ran off that way.’’ He pointed in the direction of Lanfear Hill. The search began. I cruised the streets in the Uplands area whistling and calling to no avail. I drove along the foot of the bench; still no sign of my pup. Obviously she’d caught a scent and followed her nose until she’d become as lost as a small kid in a crowd at a carnival. At 1 A.M., wilh the city bedded down for the night I ven- tured out again, a search party of one, prodding the dark comers with my mega maglite, peering in the interstices between hundred-thousand dollar homes that are all different in design, but bear so many similarities the seem the same. With all the machines at home and at rest, I was struck by the incredible wealth around me, There was an armada of aluminum pleasure craft moored in the darkened driveways; there were trucks, trucks and more trucks, almost all of them big four by fours. Every house and lot had one as well as another vehicle or two bes- ides. This, I thought, is what it is like for that very small part of humanity fortunate enough to live where there are few people and lots of land. For we are rich. Compared to most of the globe even the poor amongst us are rich. We're rich enough to pay plenty of taxes, benefit from the wealth of services to which those laxes are dedicated and still complain about them as we pack for the next holiday. Cruising in the wee hours is conducive to thought. I thought about the origin of this wealth, about how, ultimately, i1 is all linked to the land via resources growing out of the ground like some giant moncy tree. | thought about how this land, this great cash generator, this economic driver — now in the process of being mined, logged, paved and covered with deeds and titles and paper gencraled by real eslate transactions — was settled. My friend Glenn Grieve once told me of returning to his ancestral haunts in Scotland to track some of his progenitors. Finding the old church in the village then leafing back a few hundred years through records contained in books there, was a moving experience accord- ing to Glenn; so was walking down the narrow cobbled streets upon which his great-great-great grandfather had once walked. First Nations peoples know this kind of spiritual experience except when the Henaaksiala return to the Kit- lope River, or when a Gitxsan goes to fish at Kitsegas, or member of the Kitselas Band retums to the Canyon of the same name, they retum to paths trodden by their ancestors thou- sands of Years ago. We live in the luxurious rooms of a first class hotel built on land that is not ours. The land that we continue to benefit from so handsomely is First Nations’ land. No amount of denial or ob- fuscation will change that fact. When setilers setiled North America, they took it. When na- tive peoples got in the way during the construc- tion of this grand hotel, they found special small rooms reserved for them. Room service, though it included child care, wasn’t very good. Now his honour Antonio Lamer, with the sup- port of his supreme court colleagues, has recog- nized that oral histories are as valid for people whose societies tumed on them for millennia as writien records are for us, The court has recog- nized that rights of First Nations Peoples are sui. generis, that is, unique and inextinguishable. Now we have to hope our First Gixsaan neigh- bours don’t get litigious. Our negotiators must now sit down and negotiate the fate of the land with the utmost of respect for aboriginal culture. Fish will be important in these talks because, for millennia, fish were central to First Nations culture and economy: Successive. federal governments effectively “destroyed the nalive fishery. A new fisheries regime is imminent. It is now up to the spokesmen for the federal and provincial governments to convince the. First Nations’ ‘side that sport. fishing is an integral part of our culture, [t will be a hard sell. THE SNOW GROANS as four riders carve into a steep tum at the tap of the run. One after another, they hit a jump, go airborne, then land and immediately have to make another turn. One doesn’t make it. He lands hard and can’t turn in time. Skidding across the track, he takes out another rider and they fly off the run into a snow bank. Sound like fun? You bet. This is the fast- growing sport of boarder- cross and it’s taking place at Shames Mtn. Jan. 2. In fact, this weekend will be a great one at Shames for snowboarders and fans of the speedy sport. The hill is hosting both a Boardercross and a Big Air competition. Snowboarding has come a long way in the past five years. In fact, this year snowboarding will be an Olympic event. It’s bound to be popular tao. And with a number of excellent snowboarders living in the northwest, the Boardercoss and Big Air competitions at Shames should be some Big ir Riders stoked over freestyle, boardercross competition SNOWBOARDERS FROM all over the northwest are heading to Shames this weekend for the Boardercross and Big Air competitions. very exciling events to watch. The boardercross takes place Friday. It involves four or six snowboarders all racing through an obstacle- filled’ course at the same lime. Those obstacles include’ slalom turns, GS tums, banked turns, speed bumps, rollers, a smali drop and maybe even a mogul sec- tion. Riders are not allowed to intentionally come into con- fact with one-another, but those who have seen this fast sport in action know that big wipe-outs are not uncommon, The top two or 638-7283 three riders in each. group will advance lo the next round. Finals will take place in the afternoon. Then on Saturday, board- ers from all over will arrive for the Big Air event, This should be another great one as competitors twist and tum in the air like a cat tossed into the wind. Big Air is a freestyle jump competition where riders are ranked by three judges on a number of categories, in- cluding: height, distance, control, style, Quidity and technical difficulty. Riders each have three jumps to qualify for the final round. The best two jump scores are added to- gether for the total qualify- ing score. The final round will use the same format. Riders competing can be of varying abilities, since there will be a couple of different-sized jumps for them to use. There are also separate male and female categories, which are each divided into four age classes, Registration for the events takes place at the mountain. The entrance fee for compe- titors is $5, plus they need to have a lift pass. Helmets are mandatory and safety will be stressed. ‘The events will start at 10 a.m. on competition days. Finals take place at 3 p.m. Far more information, call Shames Mountain at 635- 3773. Sledding isn’t just for kids Often overlooked, sledding helps keep you young at heart ‘By CRIS LEYKAUF IT’S THE forgotten winter sport. You don’t need expensive equipment, special clothing, or even a vehicle. But you do need lots of snow. That sport is sledding. Kids know all about it, but somehow as we grow older we forget about the exhilaration of speeding out of control down a sleep hill, headed for some inconvenient pine trees, Okay, maybe we purposely put it out of our heads. But few other winter sports com- bine that much excitement with such a sweat-producing workout, If you haven't climbed on a sled since you were 12 years old, there’s a few new op- tions out there, but the basics are the same. Crazy carpets still work for adull-sized bums, and cost just a few bucks. (Tip: Sit cross-legged on them and try a pre-carved run.) For around $10-15 you can pick up a plastic sled. Plastic is a wonderful thing. Spray the bottom with a can of cooking oil spray, and you'll see how fast plastic can take you, Plus you can pile two adults on those things, That same cooking oif comes in handy for in- ner tubes as well. Inner tubing down a stecp hill is an. altogether different proposition. You thought you didn’t have any control over where . the sled headed? Hah. Sleds have power stcer- ing compared to inner tubes, — That's why you don’t want to go. tubing by yourself, One of two others should be with you to share the inevitable pain. Be'sure to give plenty of warning shouts as you head down the hill. If you notice any bumps on the way down, those are probably the kids you’ve just plowed under two feet of snow. Another great one for those who think steering should be optional are plastic SRUCEIS. But if steering control is what you're after, kids swear by GT Snow Racers. Sleek litile models, they come with a steering wheel which: controls smal] runuets, plus brakes! But the steering doesn’t seem to work well when you pack two adult bodies on the Racers. > That's a problem when there’s a curve to nego- ; Hate, However, they come with steel frames, so they’l] survive many crashes, even if you don’t. STEEP AND DEEP: Sledding is a great winter vast time for children and adults. The look on this sports reporter's face says it ail ~—fun, fun, funt . At $40 some say they’re the best bet. Then there are the traditionalists who wouldn’t think of placing their snowsuited bot- toms on anything but a wooden toboggan. Whether plastic or wood, this one’s a matter of personal preference. Abandoned gravel pits often make the best spots for sledding. There’s two good spots we know of —- one in : Thomhill on the other on the bench. The one on the bench is located-at the end of:::; Mountain Vista Drive. It’s got a few great fea- tures, including one heck of steep rin —- nasty when it’s icy — and a more gentle curved run, Be sure to give plenty of warning shouts as you head down the hill. If you notice any bumps on the way down, those are probably the kids you’ve just plowed under two feet of snow. However, this spot is very popular with kids, so get there before they wear away all the snow. Gravel doesn’t do wonders for plastic runners.” Another good sledding spot has been a well- ent secret tili now. Head out ‘to Jackpine on Old Lakelse Lake Road, and turn inio the Thorhill dump on the left. There’s a bit of parking room on the side of tum off there. Head back up the highway 50 mewes or so, to the gravel pit you passed on the right. Right in front are two gentle runs, but if you’re into the steeper stuff, head up the hill to the right. That will pul you at the top of a wonderful bowl. Once you pack the runs you’ll be able to fly + down the first hill, skid across the flat section then careen down a second hill, typically ending up with a face full of powder, There’s also a great cornice run at the side of the bowl, good for i impressing your friends. And if the snow is lacking in town, try head- ing out io Shames, where where the snow is Gcep and there’s a dedicated tobaggan run. One run we don’t recommend is the arena hill. Despite the ominous presence of traffic rushing by on Kalum, the lure of the hill proves too great for some kids, Perhaps this is natural se- lection in action. The great thing about sledding — at least for adults worrled about those Christmas calories — is climbing back up the bill, The less hardy types cheat and bring snow- mobiles. Make sure to thumb your noses at them. You'll need to fuel up afier all this exertion, and Weenies roasted on an open fire are a per- feet way to wrap up the day.