MISGUIDED GOOD intentions in the Cypress Bowl! Ski area last Saturday night cost a North Shore resident $780. Rand Whittleton, 24, received a $50 ticket for unauthorized use of a vehicle in a provincial park, a $30 towing charge and a bill for $700 from Cypress Bowl Recre- ations Ltd. (CBRL) for the services of a $200,000 snowcat he says he didn’t need after he drove his four-wheel drive Suzuki Samurai into a Cypress cross-country ski area in an attempt to help someone he mistakenly thought was in trouble, “F couldn't believe it,’’ Whit- tleton said Monday. ‘‘! went up there because | thought somebody was in trouble. 1 understand their (CBRL’s) need to be strict and that they don’t want guys up there chewing up the ski runs, but | think they should have had some compassion for the position [ was in.’” But CBRL general manager Wayne Booth said Whittleton’s story “just doesn’t cut water. He was bombing. around in his 4x4 and he got stuck. It’s a major pro- blem up here. Four-wheel drive vehicles do tremendous damage to the environment."’ CYPRESS Bowl Recreations Ltd. general manager Wayne Booth...‘‘(Whittleton) was bomb- - ing around in his 4X4 and he got ‘stuck. It’s a major problem up here.” | o on Beaupre pleaded guilty to i] 1 ~. Whittleton said he and a friend ‘had’gone for a walk in Cypress’s -eross-country ski area Saturday ‘night after fog cancelled their ‘downhill ski plans. The two were ‘returning to Whittleton’s vehicle when they saw what they thought Man jailed for robbery, 23-YEAR-OLD Van- ouver man was recently Peter Michael Beaupre was orig- ally charged jointly with Peter len Lourens, 19, also from Van- ‘ouver, with one count of robbery connection with a Jan. 2 inci- ent in which a North Shore resi- lent was robbed. ‘Beaupre was also charged with fter a stolen 1974 Toyota Corolla as seized by police. ‘Appearing before Judge J.K. “both charges and was sentenced [to ez months in Jail. Lourens still were headlights Mashing off and on in distress beneath B.C. Hydro powerlines up the mountain. The lights turned out to be those of a snowcat snow plough dipping up ind down in rough snow terrain. “We thought somebody was seriously stuck up there,’ Whit- tleton said, ‘‘so we banged on the door of the first aid cabin, but when we got no answer we pro- ceeded up the mountain to‘see if He said he was told his vehicle would be impounded, leaving him stranded up the mountain at about 11:30 p.m., if the bill was not paid in full. Whitleton said, under the cir- cumstances, he reluctantly paid the bill with his credit card. “T accept that | was in the wrong place and that I screwed up,”’ Whittleton said. “But they made 4 major production out of absolutely nothing, unfortunately it was at my expense. I feel the (CBRL) supervisor saw an oppor- tunity to sock a bill to me, although | could have been back down the mountaii. within five minutes using my own emergency “I went up there because I thought somebody was in trouble. I understand their (Cypress Bowl Recreations Ltd.) need to be strict and that they don’t want guys up there chewing up the ski runs, but I think they should have had we could help.” They followed tracks towards the lights beneath the powerlines for what Whittleton estimated was tess than a Y mile before thicken- ing fog convinced him to turn back before he got lost. Whittleton’s vehicle then became stuck in snow, and while he and his friend were attempting to free the Suzuki, they were approached at approximately 8:45 p.m. by a CBRL employee on a snowmobile who asked if they needed help. Whittleton, who had a come- along and other emergency equip- ment, said he didn’t, but accepted the offer. He was preparing to retrace his tracks to the parking lot when he said his path was blocked by the snowcat. Whituleton said he was informed that he was in serious trouble, hav- -ing trespassed on CBRL-leased land. A towing company and the West Vancouver Police were subsequently called by the CBRL employee. After accepting a tow from the snowcat, Whittleton’ was allowed after an hour wait to return to the parking lot where he was issued the ticket and handed the bill for tow- ing and snow plough services. les Bewley.............14 Business................4 Classified Ads...........61 Doug Collins............ 9 Comics.........-.....-. 51 Editorial Page........... 6 Fashion .........-...... 29 Bob Hunter............. Lifestyles... Mailhox...........6.. Sports ...-......-20000e TV Listings.............60 Travel...... oe 52 What's Going Gn.........58 some compassion for the position I was as —Rand Whittleton equipment. He offered no com- passion at al! and had no intention of listening to the circumstances surrounding the situation."’ ‘ fLucten Campeau, Lower Mainland zone manager for the Ministry of Environment and Parks, said damage done to ski trails on both Cypress and Seymour mountains from four- wheel drive vehicles runs to about $15,000 annually for both moun- tains, ‘and that's just during the winter. We only catch about one in 40,"" The ski favilitics on both moun- tains were privatized in 1984. Prior to that privatization, the costs of removing four-wheel drive vehicles from ski areas and the cost of tepairing damage done to ski runs were borne by the provincial gov- ernment. But Campeau said the private companies operating the ski facili- ties do not have access to the same resources as the government, and that damage done to their groomed ski runs destroys their source of revenue. Whittleton, according to Booth, “did a dumb thing. Anybody go- ing off cleared parking lots or roadways faces a fine and costs be- tween $500 and $2,000."’ WEATHER Sunday through Tuesday, wat, unsettled weather. Highs near 6°C. 3 - Sunday, January 17, 1988 - North Shore News 5 if . Photo Mike ‘Weketloid INSIGHT INTO illiteracy will win North Shore students mountain bikes and more in an essay contest sponsored by the Sylvan Learning Centre and co-sponsored by North Shore News and The Games Gang Ltd. Adrian Parker, left, and Pat Pelly show off onc of the prizes. NEWS SPONSORED Essay contest highlights iliteracy READING AND Writing promises to put students on a winning path in more ways than one with a national essay writing contest sponsored by Sylvan Learning Centres, a network of supplemental education facilities located across Canada and the United States. The event, co-sponsored by North’ Shore News and The Games: Gang Led., will give par- ticipants a chance to hone com- munication skills, reflect on what it means to be able to communi- cate effectively, and also win some prizes. The essay topic for the contest, Support Literacy Write Now, is “How My Life Would Be Dif- ferent If | Couldn’t Read."' Said North Vancouver Sylvan Learning Centre director Adrian Parker: ‘We're creating a forum for students to refiect on the plight of non-readers and to recognize they don't have to follow on that path. “By encouraging and recogniz- ing the creative writing of children, we are helping to instill a love of writing, reading, and the ability to communicate ideas,’’ she said. The contest runs until Feb. 15. Essay entries must be handwrit- ten and no longer than 500 words. : Local judges will pick a winner from each of:three age categories — ages five to 10, Ii to 14, and 15 to 18. The winners receive a- mountain bike each. In addition, the winner of the age five to 10 category will receive a Pictionary Jr. game; the 11 to 14-year-old winner will receive a Winning Words game; the age 15 to 18 winner picks up a copy of The Quest of the Philosopher’s Stone. Each winner’s school wins with a $200 donation to the school library. The top essays will be passed on to judges in Ottawa March 1 for the choice of a finalist. The grand prize is a trip to Ottawa, where the winner will present his or her entry to political and Dvo vO FOO VTS educational leaders. The winner then goes on to the U.S. to join winning American essayists for an international awards ceremo- ny in Washington, D.C. and a tour of the capital city. The trip to Washington in-' cludes: airfare,- accommodations, meals and transportation for winner and an escort. “We have a massive problem with literacy in Canada. We're hoping to make politicians more aware so they allocate more resources to educational needs,”’ said Parker. To help boast awareness of the issue, Sylvan has: supplied il- - literacy information kits to North Shore schools. ‘*‘So far the schools have been. very positive in supporting the campaign,’’ Parker said. : The essay entries will be judged locally by North Vancouver City Mayor. Jack Loucks; Sentinel Secondary English department head Tara Sinclair; North Shore News managing editor Barrett Fisher; writer and publisher Bill McConnell; and Leslie Spry, West Vancouver School Board English department head. Criteria for judging the entries receivedinclude consideration of imagination, development of topic idea, neatness of handwrit- ing, gtammar, creativity and fol- lowing directions. Students can enter the com- petition by picking up an entry forin from the Sylvan Learning Ceatre, 201-1217 Lonsdale Ave., 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday. For more information call Sylvan at 985-6811.