Soaring in the Rockies
My summers of avalanche chutes, Grizzly Bears and slope soaring the Columbia Icefield.
In the late seventies, after moving to Jasper in the Canadian Rockies, I re-discovered the joy of flying model gliders, and saw the impressive advances in RC technology (no more escapements or rubber bands!)
After building a few different, basic models, I saw an ad in an RC Modeler Magazine from Dodgson Designs. I remembered reading how Bob’s designs were cleaning up at competitions, but what appealed to me most was the elegance of his aircraft compared to so much that was out there at the time. And having ailerons meant the machines flew with impressive realism.
A trip to Washington state brought me close to Bob and Sandy’s place on Camano Island. I called and asked if we might stop by the ‘factory’. Turned out to be Bob’s garage and we were warmly welcomed! Bob’s love of RC and his passion in creating great model kits shown through that day. Naturally, I had to buy one: the Megan.
Several months later, (and having learned a ton!), I had a fully assembled model ready to go. After a few initial flights at the de-commissioned Jasper airstrip I figured it was time to try my hand at slope soaring closer to my summer workplace: the Columbia Icefield, straddling the border between Banff and Jasper national parks. Rugged country with few landing spots.
The accompanying shots illustrate the beauty of the place, but not the challenges in getting the gear to the crest of Parker Ridge, which overlooks a portion of the icefield, and has some of the few flat spots suitable to land a glider the size of a Megan. I had to modify a backpack and build a protective box to haul it safely to the ridge-top.
Over the next several years I added a Camano to my Dodgson Designs collection and successfully flew it many times from that same spot.
Two memorable flights, for very different reasons:
Near Jasper one fine spring day, I went on skis to a remote, snow-covered ridge to attempt to fly. This was late winter and snow covered the slopes. Snow that could easily avalanche.
Being very much an intermediate flyer, I never flew when the wind was too strong. On the contrary, that day the wind was light, and becoming lighter. Eventually, the glider began to sink and I dumped it into the middle of a smooth, open slope. A decent place to land but also quite hazardous for avalanches.
So I had the choice of abandoning my pride and joy or risking my life on a prime avalanche slope. Being young and foolish — and not willing to lose the Megan — I took the second option!
Another time, near the icefield, I ended up in a similar situation, with dying winds. Only this time, what awaited me on the slopes below was a sow Grizzly, about 100m from my forlorn Camano.
Quiet and gentle words to her allowed me to grab the aircraft and gingerly step back up the hill, none the worse for wear.
I’m only one of many who owe a great debt to Bob Dodgson — for all that I learned while assembling these amazing machines, as well as the joy I had while flying them in such amazing places.
©1980 Peter Lemieux
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