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Knuckleheads attract winter enthusiasts

Difficult access to remote area pays off for visitors
knuckleheads
WINTER WONDERLAND: Ron Diprose has been skiing the Knuckleheads for 50 years. A group of volunteers and winter enthusiasts are now developing a new system of trails to open up more of the area. Contributed photo

Back in the 1960s, a small group of enthusiasts discovered a winter playground called the Knuckleheads approximately 26 kilometres into the backcountry near Powell River. The group grew, evolved and became Knuckleheads Winter Recreation Association (KWRA).

According to KWRA member Ron Diprose, who first visited the location in 1966, the Knuckleheads start where the original Mount Diadem Ski Club had a tow rope shed that was used as a small lodge, which burned down in the early 1970s.

“Then not much happened,” said Diprose. “We used to ski up there back in the ’80s before we had any cabins and stuff like that.”

Two existing cabins and one yet to come, part of the Sunshine Coast Trail, are the result of a concerted community effort made possible through countless volunteer hours put in by KWRA and Powell River Parks and Wilderness Society, as well as money from various funding organizations and individual donations.

Decades after the initial discovery, the Knuckleheads became more popular.

“It wasn’t until the 1990s when Jeff Maw and a bunch of other guys opened the area up,” said Diprose.

The movement really took off when the first cabin was built in the area of E Branch, also in the 1990s, he added.

“There are three areas up there: the original E Branch, then A Branch and now the Sentinel,” said Diprose.

Diprose said the Sentinel has a lot more potential for skiers than A and E branches because of better snow, higher elevation and an environment better suited for more recreational skiers.

According to avid extreme winter athlete Greg Blais, the area includes Big Knuckle and Little Knuckle.

“Knuckleheads is where we go the most because it’s easy access, the closest to town and the road is generally good,” said Blais.

Because of his experience and ability on higher levels of difficulty, Blais said that from what he has seen and been told, the Sentinel is not as advanced skiing as what A and E branches have to offer.

“It’s a bit more family-friendly,” he said. “That’s why they want to put a cabin there.”

According to Diprose, the top of the Sentinel is about 1,600 metres. Right now, he said, snow is down past the proposed cabin level at 1,340 metres.

People have to be fit to access the area, said Diprose, but once there the payoff is worth it, if there is enough snow.

“The last three years haven’t been good,” said Diprose. “The most we’ve had is about eight feet in the last three years. The weather has been so mild lately.”

Blais said the forecasts he has been watching indicate snow is on the way.

“Right now, it’s pretty darn good because the area we ski is between 1,500 and 1,200 metres and there is snow starting at 900 metres,” he said.

By logging roads and hiking, snowshoeing, sledding or snowmobiling, accessing the Knuckleheads presents obstacles. According to Blais, the trip can be a trudge.

“It’s as good as it gets here,” he said. “It can get tricky for access. Conditions can make it a five-hour hike at times instead of an hour and a half.”

Popular with skiers, snowshoers, ATVers and snowmobilers, the two existing cabins at E and A branches are available for day or overnight stays.

Diprose, who skis, snowshoes and used to snowmobile in the region, said a lot of education is done to lessen conflict between motorized and non-motorized users.

However, with more people becoming aware of the recreation area, the A Branch cabin, in particular, has become too accessible.

“We get people who go up there, party and leave the cabin in a mess,” said Diprose. “They’ve shot a hole through the roof and shot the outhouse. The fire extinguisher has been shot up, first aid kit taken and all the chairs we had were burned. It’s frustrating for us.”

For more information, look for the Knucklehead Winter Recreaction Association on Facebook.