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The Spearhead Traverse is a classic winter route renowned for its incredible terrain between Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains in British Columbia. The film celebrates the history of the route, first skied in 1964, while asking how important questions such as, how do we manage the impact on these spaces as they gain popularity?
The film has sparked recent controversy regarding the building of several new backcountry ski huts along the Spearhead Traverse.
The aim of these winter huts is to reduce fatalities and human waste in the area – 2 majors issues facing Spearhead due to the presence of large crowds and its ever-increasing popularity. The area is a huge backcountry zone not patrolled by standard avalanche control services such as ski patrol and is extremely crowded throughout the winter, increasing the probability of skier-induced avalanches.
Not all are in favor of the new initiative to build the huts as some claim they will only increase the area’s crowdedness and diminish the magic of the place. Others, on the other hand, are glad to be increasing the resources available to skiers in the area that contribute to everyone’s overall safety.
