GRT Olympic Team Blog

BC Transit is now also listening to driver input. After my latest blog on the fuel cell buses entitled “Ballard is Listening,” a Senior Project Engineer from BC Transit called me and requested a meeting. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was in trouble, as he mentioned an inaccuracy that he wanted corrected on my blog. But as it turned out, Paul Francescutti simply wanted to get more feedback from me on the hydrogen buses. In fact, it seems I have a small fan club out there in the garage. So often, as with any new technology, there are so many naysayers, that it can get rather discouraging. The fact that I was a huge fan of this zero emission technology was a great encouragement for them. The small inaccuracy was the fact that they removed two of the hydrogen tanks due to weight restrictions, rather than not needing the range.

L to R: Paul Francescutti, Senior Project Engineer, me, John A. McDonald, and Harry Meyer from ISE Corp.

It was Saturday, February 27, that Paul set up the meeting for. We had to postpone that a few hours as dispatch called and asked me to work three hours overtime, until 4 p.m. I consented, provided I wouldn’t miss my meeting with Paul. The overtime was actually on the Route 20 Creekside Event Shuttle, which I hadn’t done previously. Actually, I’ve been rather lucky, in that I’ve been able to drive all the routes and buses that I had planned to when I got here.

The "Engine" of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell bus.

Paul ushered me into the garage and introduced me to some of the staff working on one of the hydrogen buses. Paul is a sincere young man who loves his work. The way he showed me around the bus was a bit like a model train builder who can’t wait to show off his creation. He has been at this project for three years, and it is only in the last month that they have finally gone into service.

The Ballard 150 Series Fuel Cell. It generates 150 KW of power.

While hydrogen buses have zero emissions, there is actually some carbon footprint due to the transportation of the fuel to Whistler. Currently, the only high-capacity hydrogen liquefier is in Québec, so it has to be tracked here on a diesel truck. But even when you take that into account, the carbon footprint is still 62% less than that of a conventional diesel bus. This year, a new liquefier will be built in Vancouver, and the carbon footprint for the fuel cell buses will be reduced that much more.

The supercharger, above the fuel cell. This forces much more air into the fuel, which greatly increases the chemical reaction between the Oxygen and the Hydrogen. Without it, the elctricity produced would be insgnificant.

When the buses are running, the only emissions are water and steam. You have to get used to seeing steam coming off the back of your bus while you’re driving, as this usually indicates a blown radiator on a diesel bus. I’ve also watched a hydrogen bus pull away from a stop and spit out water down the middle of the road as it passes 20 km per hour. You don’t notice the water, as the roads are almost always wet out here with the constant rain.

The Secondary Air Filter. The air on the Oxygen half of the fuel must be super clean or the fuel cell will shut down. Wet weather is another issue that can cause Hydrogen buses to glitch.

With the introduction into active service of this fleet of 20 fuel cell buses, BC Transit enhances its reputation around the world as an innovator. They were the first property to introduce low-floor buses. Now every property in North America buys nothing but low floor buses. They were also the first property to introduce hybrid buses. And now they are the first property to make a serious commitment to fuel cell technology. This particular pilot project will continue for five years, after which the technology will be re-evaluated. The buses themselves are made by New Flyer, and will be in service in one form or another for 18 years. They could even see hydrogen combustion engines fitted onto them in later years if fuel cell technology falls out of favour.

Electical panel on the right side of the bus.

The first thing we looked at was the huge row of batteries under the right-hand side facing seats. The technicians were working on upgrading a couple of components. The battery system itself can deliver 170 kW of power, and has two cooling systems. They are expected to last eight years, although they seem to be getting more life out of them than expected. This is the bottleneck in terms of technology. Any improvements in battery technology can be the key to success.

Left side panel on the engine compartment, right next to the black fuel cell.

Next we went to the back of the bus and lifted the back hatch. Apparently, New Flyer is the only bus company that had the right engine frame to house the 150 series Ballard fuel cell. The actual fuel cell takes only about half the room on the left of the engine compartment, with the right side housing the electrical air compressor and other subsystems. This power plant can deliver 150 kW of power, which is enough to power about two dozen homes. Of this, about 100 kW is actually delivered to the power train, with the remaining power going to subsystems like the air compressor, hydraulic systems and cabin heaters. The battery helps even out this flow and can deliver 170 KW of power to the electric motors that drive the wheels.

Battery compartment, under the side seats, inside the bus. Output is 170 KW.

The engine uses two stages of air cleaners, as electrolysis requires extremely clean air. The air is then run through an Eaton supercharger to push compressed air through the fuel cell. The resulting H2O is collected in a small tank at the back left of the bus, and either boiled off through a vent in the roof where a smokestack normally is located, or spit out the back of the bus when it is in motion.

The electrical cables and controls between the two banks of batteries.

When they say they are tuning a bus, it means they are tweaking various components on the vehicle to optimize the range or other systems. Currently, the research focuses on increasing the range without greatly increasing the weight. The original specifications were for 500 km of range, but they are currently less than 400 km. Negotiations with Ballard continue. They are considering adding a seventh tank on the roof.

The Data ports and computers behind the back seat. This bus incorporates some 21 different computer systems.

I then asked why they didn’t just fuel them a second time in the afternoon, and send them out for another eight hours, if range was an issue. The answer is that while fuelling only takes 10 minutes, the pumps in the fuelling station must be super cooled to match the -250°F that the hydrogen is stored at. They must cycle another bus through the fuelling station every 15 minutes or the pumps begin to warm up again. It takes over half an hour to initiate the fuelling station. The goal is to have all the buses lined up and ready to be fuelled at the same time.

They are also working on increasing the cabin heaters so that the driver’s compartment gets more heat first thing in the morning. While the current heating level meets the provincial standards, it is still ridiculously slow to warm up. Even with a 20 kW heater in the back of the bus, they are still getting complaints from the drivers. Perhaps they need to install a combustion-style furnace like they do on the Orion buses. Orion gave up trying to draw heat from the engine, and created a diesel-fuelled furnace called a heat booster. I don’t know if a similar thing can be done with hydrogen, but it is worth a thought.

I then pressed him on the issue of heated mirrors on the right-hand side of the bus. I then got a lesson in internal politics. It seems Ballard only focuses on the power plant, while BC Transit is in charge of standardized vehicle specifications throughout British Columbia. The problem is that if they changed the mirrors on one bus, they are obligated to change them on 1000 other buses around the province. The result: nothing gets done, and safety is compromised. I told Paul that if he remembered only one comment I made, it was that they needed heated mirrors. He couldn’t make any commitments. He did say that if they were going to install heated mirrors, they might as well also put on remote controls at the same time for the right-hand mirror.

I’ll be interested to see how this turns out. My opinion is that the union/management relationship at BC transit is somewhat dysfunctional. Back at Grand River Transit in Waterloo Region, Ontario, our operations committee has a lot of clout. While both sides like to blame each other for all kinds of things, the net result is that we get a lot more accomplished than seems to be the case here. I learned long ago, that difficult as it may be, you always end up with a better workplace when there are ongoing discussions between management and labour.

Another example of a dysfunctional line of communication is the fact that even though I filed a complaint about not having ice scrapers on the buses two weeks ago, I still don’t see the ice scrappers on any of their vehicles. To me, this indicates that someone is not listening. Ice scrapers were promised, but not delivered. This kind of thing discourages the average union member from making any further suggestions. But I just keep following up on the matter.

I then met another engineer as he walked by and started to introduce myself. He said, “I know you. You are the one with the blog.” That was kind of fun.

The next fellow we consulted with was Harry Meyer from ISE Corp. in San Diego California. This is the company that assembled all the various systems that have to be tied together to make the fuel cell buses work. They had a laptop hooked up to the data ports in the back of the bus, and were doing a series of restarts to see if they had fixed a glitch in the system.

Then we discussed the rollback issue that I had experienced just a few days prior. When you are on a slight incline, you can’t take your foot off the pedals as you do in a diesel bus. A hydrogen bus will roll back a few inches, and then will engage the electric motors to stop the rollback, and you surge forward at about 10 km per hour. My experience was that rollback was about 12 inches, and the move forward was about 15 feet. He said that if you just feather the throttle, it should limit the rollback and surge forward. Unfortunately, when I was due to drive a hydrogen bus on my last day, they locked down every last hydrogen bus for a systems upgrade the next day, so I don’t know if this really works. Just one more thing to fine tune.

Next I wanted to know if they could put more information on the dash to give feedback to the drivers about how well they were driving. I know the new Toyota Prius has all kinds of computer readouts that help you learn to drive better, and save more fuel. One thing I hadn’t realized was that even when I just made a slight brake application, the retarder didn’t engage to put electricity back into the batteries the way it does when you back off the throttle. Any time you touch the brake, you are wasting energy. On a diesel bus, there is a multi-stage retarder on the brake pedal that increases the retardation the more you push down. Not so on the fuel cell bus. Perhaps that is another thing they can look at.

Having more readouts on the dash has been considered distracting up until this point by BC Transit. As of now, the only way you can tell you’re driving a hydrogen bus is that there is a fire sensor over your head, and the fire suppression button on your left. My vote is for more bells and whistles, but I am interested in getting other drivers’ input on this question.

More readouts on the dash, or just the standard bus controls? Please click the comment link at the bottom to send us your feedback.

Beautiful home on Whistler Road. The average price of home here next to the Creekside Ski area is 2 million dollars.

That concludes my test drive of the hydrogen buses here at Whistler Transit. During the last week or so, I’ve noticed that most of the drivers have warmed up to these new buses. In fact, it is to the point that the majority of us would like to see our own transit companies introduce them. I would encourage any local drivers reading this blog to take the time to give written feedback on your driving experience with these state-of-the-art vehicles. This is the whole reason they are on the road, which is to gain experience from the constant trial and error you experience when operating them each and every day. Let’s do our part to ensure that Canada becomes a world leader in this wonderful zero emission technology. Besides, over the lifespan of the bus, hydrogen remains much cheaper than diesel.

And so, after an extra couple of days’ holiday here in BC, I am back to Ontario on March 2. It has been a wonderful experience to be part of these Olympic Games, and I would do it all again, given the chance. I’ve accomplished all the goals that I set for myself before I came out here, which is an awesome feeling. And so, I am signing off from the West Coast.

<<< Previous Article  on Hydrogen buses

By now I’m becoming a seasoned tourist. Set up a car rental for your day off, organize a few friends to come along, and search the net for the location of a few interesting sights. And so it was that early Thursday morning, Fernando, Reto, Des and myself set off in a Dodge van down to Vancouver. And, believe it or not, it actually stopped raining.

Now it is the four Amigos, with our rental van, off to explore Vancouver.

With a couple of smokers on board we had to make sure to stop at all the scenic view points. The first stop was halfway down on the Sea to Sky highway towards Vancouver at the Porteau Cove Provincial Marine Park. Map here. It looked like it was a former Ferry dock. It is not often that I’m so close to the ocean and don’t go swimming. So I got right down to the water’s edge and tasted the salt water. I do miss scuba diving.

Porteau Cove Provincial Marine Park, just off of hwy 99. It looks like and old Ferry port.

Next smoke stop was the hamlet of Horseshoe Bay where the BC Ferries terminal is. What an absolutely charming ocean community this is. We walked down to a park right at the harbour just as one ferry docked and another one pulled in. The water was crystal clear and the temperature felt like spring time. The snow drop and daffodil flowers were blooming and it won’t be long before the grass needs to be cut. And this in the middle of February!

The harbour at Horseshoe Bay. The beautiful ocean community was well worth the visit.

There was a large totem pole in the park. One of my impressions of the West coast is that the Coastal Native peoples seem much more self confident and are a positive part of the community here than back home in Ontario. They seem to be aware and proud of their heritage, and yet also proud to be Canadian. It is just my opinion, but they don’t seem to have as much trouble with alcohol as the native communities seem to back in Ontario. Last week I saw a native lady proudly wearing a traditional wicker hat as she entered the Athlete’s village. We stopped into a native store right on the water front, and then to a few more souvenir stores around the corner.

The Spring flowers were blooming here in Horseshoe Bay.

Then it was on to North Vancouver, so out came my GPS and we were there in no time. The guys are starting to call me “GPS Man,” but it sure beats getting lost. Fernando had chosen our destination, the Capilano Suspension Bridge at 3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver. Map here, and website here: capbridge.com.

Capilano Suspension Bridge entrance located at 3735 Capilano Road, North Vancouver

After paying our $26 to get in, we had a quick lunch and then started exploring the absolutely stunning displays. What we hadn’t realized was that the suspension bridge was just the beginning. There are history displays, Nature exhibits, and a tree-top boardwalk and more. We started with the checking out the displays of native history and artwork, and then the boardwalk along the canyon wall and the souvenir store. This is a privately owned attraction, and is a perfect blend of native, environmental and thrill seeking areas.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge

Then it was on to the actual bridge. First built in 1889 by an entrepreneurial Scotsman, George Grant Mackay, with the help of two local First Nations People, the original bridge was made of hemp rope and cedar planking. It was rebuilt several times, and then in 2006 a 46 ton Douglas-fir tree fell on the bridge in severe winter weather, forcing it to close for repairs for only the second time in 117 years. The present bridge is 450 feet long and is 230 feet above the Capilano River. It is supported by two steel cables, which together can hold more than 200,000 lbs and can sustain the weight of over 1300 people standing on it at the same time.

The map of all the areas to explore. Click to enlarge.

The first thing you notice when you step onto the bridge is that it is swaying and moving up and down quite a bit. In fact, they have a person in a booth at the edge of the bridge whose only job is to make announcements for people to stop bouncing on the bridge. The movement is so great that I had trouble getting the camera to focus.

Aren't our rain ponchos lovely? This was taken on the walkway beside the gorge before you cross the bridge.

The view of the gorge was wonderful. The river below was full and moving fast. We had put on plastic overcoats, as it was raining slightly. Everything was so green all around and the air was so pure that you just wanted to gulp huge lung fulls. There is something about being up high that makes you want to stay and just stare for hours. Apparently the river below hosts lots of salmon, and they are restocked regularly.

Long way down.

On the other side was a huge cement anchor that you walked across. Here there was a large display of animals and minerals that was very well done. It included giant replicas of slugs and ants. We walked into the woods admiring the huge Douglas-fir trees that tower over your head. The largest here is 14 ft in circumference, is around 300 years old, and stands over 250 ft high. It weighs over 40 tons.

Heading down the bouncy bridge. There is a constant sway on roll on the bridge as others walk along.

Our first stop was Treetops Adventure. I was so glad that Reto and Des could experience this as it was very similar to the Ziptrek we Fernando and I had done last week. You start in a wooden tower and then proceed out into the forest a hundred feet above the ground. Several large Douglas-firs have circular platforms attached to them by steel bands. Here, it appears they have not pierced the trees at all to construct the walkway. All material comes from recycled sources. Suspension bridges connect the dozen or so platforms. There are also several cables and ropes running off to other trees and logs for counter-balance support.

The platforms are supported by girdles, and don't seem to hurt the trees.

When we finished the treetop tour, we hiked through the woods reading the plaques and marvelling at these silent giants. Too bad they aren’t this large in Ontario. There were fish ponds, and a live Harris Hawk with its trainer. We saw the remains of the huge tree that had fallen on the bridge. By this time the sun was out again and the trip back across the bridge was even better than the first time. They are building a Cliffhanger boardwalk here that will hang from the canyon wall.

Love this sign, in a land of Extreme sports: Attention: EXTREME NATURE AHEAD. This was at the entrance of the Treetops Adventure tower.

Next we headed for a more Olympic theme at Canada Place, right in downtown Vancouver. My GPS took me right to the spot where the Olympic Caldron burns, but parking was three blocks away at $20. Walking back towards the Caldron, the crowds were huge and it was hard to keep together. Everywhere street vendors were selling pins from everywhere in the world. They are not my thing, but Reto and Des kept stopping and bargaining.

Des Fitzgerald loves the scenery above the forest floor.

The Olympic Caldron itself was behind a fence, so getting a clear shot was a bit difficult. They have now added a plexiglass section with a small gap at the top for cameras. The five flames were rather large and you could hear them burning. The best observation point had a lineup, so we just stayed at the fence about 200 feet from the flame.

Walking through the forest canopy.

Then we discussed where to head next, and it was decided to head to the old Gastown area. So I Googled it on my Googe Maps App and selected the Walking Directions. It worked rather well and it was not too far away. Reto wanted to walk down Hastings Street, so that is the way we went. Vancouver has a lot of electric trolley buses on wheels, with several Articulated versions. We knew when we had arrived in Gastowne when the souvenir shops were every other store. As our time here was drawing to a close, we all did some serious shopping. A rather painful experience for us guys.

Nature education displays at the far side of the bridge. They were very well done.

The Steam Clock on one of the corners was a popular photo spot. But on close examination, I don’t think it really runs on steam anymore. Nor does its whistle sound anymore. After a quick stop at a hotdog vendor, we decided that our feet were getting sore, so we started heading back to the van. On the way Reto finally found his RCMP pin that he had been looking for.  We also heard a bunch of girls walking by signing the national anthem after another Canadian gold win. The Olympics sure is great for improving Canadian patriotism.

Canada Place, near where we parked.

Reto then wanted to see if the reports were true that Hastings Street goes from upscale to skid row in a matter of blocks, so we decided to check it out. Unfortunately, if was true. About 1 kilometre away from the Olympic Venue, you started seeing bars on the windows and homeless people pushing shopping carts. Then we came across the Olympic Protest tent city. It looked like a scene from a post nuclear war movie. There were people milling about behind a fence covered in all kinds of angry posters. I wouldn’t want to be on foot in this neighbourhood.

The Olympic Caldron, in downtown Vancouver.

Then it was time to set my GPS for home. Squamish was only an hour away, but the drive at night is not nearly as nice as during the day. While we had barely scratched the surface in this huge city, we all thought Vancouver was an exciting city full of energy. Everyone commented on the way back what a lovely day it had been. Who know, maybe I should get into the tourist guide business.

Overview of the Olympic Caldron.

Electric Articulated buses are popular in Vancouver. I drive and electric bus in Whistler, but without the wires. It is called a Fuel Cell bus.

Steam Clock in Gastown.

Tent City not far from the Olympic Caldron protesting the Games. These disenfranchised people at least have the right to protest. But why protest such a wonderful event like the Olympics? It just makes you loose credibility.

More photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/SirJohnAMcDonald/Vancouver#

I had a very interesting passenger on my bus on Sunday. Jens Schiffner was one of the engineers from Ballard Power Systems, the maker of the fuel cells that power our Hydrogen buses. This young man, with a German accent, introduced himself as an engineer with Ballard. They were out interviewing drivers to find out what they think about the Fuel Cell buses. He actually got on my bus and rode around for half an hour and really picked my brain. The fact that they actually went out of their way to get our input really impressed me.

Hydrogen trucked from Quebec is offloaded at 5:00 in the morning.

First I had lots of questions. It turns out that the Hydrogen buses are designed to have 8 high pressure tanks on the roof for the liquid hydrogen. But due to weight restrictions, they now have six tanks. This gives them about 350 kilometres range, when they could do 500 km with all eight tanks. The Planning department actually only has them on the road for about eight hours, which only uses 40% of the fuel. I suggested they put a more prominent fuel gauge on the buses and run them for 12 hours or so.

The layover spot for the route 3, right on Green Lake.

Hydrogen Tips and Tricks:

To find the fuel level:

1. Press the left button on the odometer three times until Hrs is displayed. This is the hours of operation.
2. Press and hold the start button for 3 seconds until the display changes to a three digit number that is actually the percentage fuel remaining. For example when it displays 72.0 hrs, it actually means there is 72% of the fuel remaining. The display will revert to the hours display in 10 seconds.

My experience was 62% fuel remaining when I returned to the garage at 1:07 pm. Then the next day I did some overtime for another hour and still had 52% left. So why not run them longer? And, for that matter, why not put the two extra tanks back on and leave them out all day? A diesel bus can run at least 20 hours per day, so that must be the goal in terms of range for the hydrogen buses.

Driving my favourite bus, the Fuel Cell bus. I've never had one break down on me.

Leave master switch on night run

                In order to avoid computer glitches, select night run on the master switch when the bus is first turned on in the morning, and leave it there. Apparently, changing from night run later in the day run can create a computer glitch. I realize this is a no-brainer, as having the full headlight package on at all times is the rule.

The hydrogen fueling bay. This is the largest hydrogen fueling station in the world.

Do not kneel with crush load.

                When you have an extremely heavy passenger load, where people are standing right to the front of the bus, do not attempt to kneel the bus. I tried this once, and the bus only came partway back up.

The Service Bay crew.

Do not open doors until completely stopped.

                Again, this should be obvious, but apparently some people activate the back door early in order to use the interlock brake to help them stop. Obviously, this is completely inappropriate, and will often cause a system check light to come on.

Fueling nozzle. The top one is for the hydrogen, the bottom is communications, and the ground is the red wire in behind.

One of the nicest things on the hydrogen buses is the fact that there is no transmission on these buses. There is only an electric motor that drives and brakes the bus. Unlike most diesel buses where a completely smooth acceleration is almost impossible, it is common on the Fuel Cell buses. It sure is nice getting compliments from the passengers on how smooth the ride is. The stopping is even smoother as you use the retarder to do 90% of your braking. The trick is getting used to the fact that backing off the throttle alone activates the retarder. I’ve been trained for decades to step on the brake to slow down, and my foot keeps wanting to move over to the brake, when all I have to do is come off the throttle. You only touch the brakes under 10 km/hr when a complete stop is required.

Computer readout at the Hydrogen Pump. It also monitors the cooling process.

He then pressed me to tell him about any problems I may have experienced. I’ve actually never had a fuel cell bus shut down on me, so all my concerns were rather minor. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love these hydrogen buses. In fact, I think most of the drivers here are warming up to them. But here are some issues I related to him, in order of priority:

• The driver’s heat first thing in the morning is nonexistent. If the outside temperature is below zero, figure on wearing your coat for the first hour of work. I told him that until this problem is fixed, drivers would never endorse these types of vehicles.
• The right-hand mirror is not heated or remote controlled. The fact that they did not choose the heated mirror option on a $2.2 million bus is mind boggling. And not having a remote control for adjustment on the right-hand side just means that many of our shorter drivers will end up driving without properly adjusting their mirrors. Both of these issues are a safety hazards in my opinion.
• There is no “power plant running” indicator on the display. The unique thing about these buses is that you cannot hear the engine start when you press and hold the starter button. On a diesel bus, you hold down the starter until you hear the engine catch. On these buses, the only indication is that the battery light disappears. So how long are you supposed to hold the starter button down? Having a green check mark or some other indicator that your fuel cell is now operating, would be helpful.
• Put the fuel gauge right up front, rather than hiding it in the odometer display. If we knew exactly how much fuel was remaining, the company would feel more confident about running it on the road for longer hours. Let’s face it, the more hours the hydrogen buses are used, the less diesel we will have to burn.
• Destination sign controls should be at least a foot lower on the overhead display. I’m often setting off the seat alarm when I’m stretching up to change the destination sign. Simply move it to just above the blinds, like on the NOVA buses, and we will all be happy.
• The two-way radio does not have a microphone clip. Again, how they could miss this five dollar option on a state-of-the-art bus is rather amusing. For three weeks now the radio microphone has been dangling from the ceiling, banging back and forth on the dashboard.
• The two-way radio is not equipped with Channel 2, which is the main channel.

• Now we get into the minor stuff. There is no coffee cup holder in the hydrogen buses.
• Like most of the New Flyer series, there is no floor space beside the driver where you can set your lunch bag.
• The Next Stop light on the dash is way too bright. We need a resister installed.
• The driver’s seat could use arm rests.

Besides the hydrogen buses, I've also driven the Double-Decker buses. They are great to drive and come from England, made by the Dennis bus company.

In summary, these fuel cell buses are the future of transit. They are operational today here at Whistler Transit as a demonstration to the world that Hydrogen Technology is viable now. Ballard continues to tweak them, and is using driver input to accelerate this process. The question now is if New Flyer and BC Transit is listening to driver input as well. For my part, it has been a huge privilege to have been able to operate them.

<<< Previous Article on Hydorgen Buses

From Feb. 19

Have you ever needed to get above the daily routine of life to gain a better perspective on your world? Sometimes we need to step out of the ordinary to be able to see the extraordinary. On Friday, February 19, Fernando and I moved high up the mountain with Ziptrek Ecotours where we an education along with an adrenaline rush. Besides the thrill of riding a zip line, we were introduced to the Natural Step view of life that Whistler promotes. It is all about sustainability.

Our guides at Ziptrek. Sean is making the X gesture for "Extreme."

I’ve noticed that here in British Columbia there are a lot of “tree huggers.” Here, the green agenda has won out over the industrial giants. Back in Ontario they are still mired in the struggle. In Whistler they are working to become a model of sustainability for the world. In fact, Whistler is the first municipality in Canada to adopt the principles of the Natural Step. Whistler’s municipal council, Whistler-Blackcomb, Ziptrek Ecotours and many Whistler residents and businesses consider the Natural Step in making major decisions.

So what is the Natural Step? The Natural Step is a scientifically-based framework for working towards true sustainability. In nature, a tree extracts exactly as much nutrients as it needs from the soil. This is Extraction. In step two, Production, it produces a large tree. In step three, Degradation, it dies and decomposes. In step four, Contribution, it contributes its nutrients back to the soil. The cycle is infinitely sustainable. This natural step system provides a compass or communities, businesses, and governments to help them assess whether decisions and actions they undertake are truly leading to a more or less sustainable future.

Part of the Olympic Luge park where we met the RCMP escort.

We started our tour by signing a waiver. Always a good sign that what comes next will really get your heart pumping. First we emptied our pockets into a storage locker. Then we stepped into our harnesses which included a rope and a pulley system that got attached to the cable each time you did a zip. The pulley was a bit awkward as it hung between your legs, so you had to walk a bit bow legged. Then the helmet, and of course my camera pouch. The best souvenirs are photo, don’t you know.

Landing platforms

Then we marched out to the Blackcomb Gondola, and rode up the mountain to the first station. Here we boarded a SnowCat for the ride further up the mountain. I love this vehicle, as it is a bit of a mini bus with linkbelts and a plough in the front. The driver’s compartment was separate and looked like an airplane cockpit. The guy kept pushing snow around as went along. Apparently, there is a lot of competition to get the snowcat job. At one point, we went up a 40 degree hill. Then we stopped at the luge park where an RCMP officer boarded for our trip through the restricted area.

Platform from the bottom.

We finally arrived halfway up the mountain and walked across a gang plank to a circular deck built around a Douglas fur tree, about 80 feet up. Everywhere you walked through these woods, you never left foot prints, as you were on a board walk right near the tops of the tree. The railings were high and sturdy, so you never felt nervous. They fastened the whole thing to the tree with large bolts right through the tree, but they didn’t seem damaged by this. Everywhere there were support cables running off into the forest keeping things steady. It must have been a huge undertaking to set this all up. I was beginning to understand why it cost us $135 each.

Fernando set to launch

Right in the first platform area the education began. One of the guides was a university graduate with a degree in Biology from England. His name was Sean, and he was quite a character and a lot of fun. When we took his photo, he quickly crossed his arms in front of him to form an X, for Extreme. Seems everyone here is into Extreme Sports. There were reading plaques everywhere for us to read.

Off he goes

Condition four is the most important. It is Contribution, and states that to become a sustainable society we must….. eliminate our contribution to conditions that undermine people’s capacity to meet their basic human need (for example, unsafe working conditions and not enough pay to live on).

Up to the next platform via a suspension bridge

They actually put their money where their mouth is. Ziptrek tries to move society towards condition 4 by transferring resources directly from our part of the world to those most in need. Ziptrek donates money to several charities, including: 1) Doctors Without Borders for the Darfur Relief Fund; 2) Pediatric AIDS Africa; 3) UNICEF Emergency Food Program; 4) Kiva for Loans that change lives. I felt rather good that some of my fees were helping to make the world a better place.

Walking through the tree tops

Soon we came to our first zip line, some three hundred feet across a river. One of our guides zipped across first to brake our landing on the other side. Then it was our turn. There was an American/Korean family of four with us, and they went first. We strapped our cameras to our hands and shot video all the way across.

The Pulley system that keeps us alive.

First they hook you to the wire with two ropes attached the pulley. You hold onto the yellow rope with one hand with the other rope as backup. You sit fairly well balanced in your harness. To launch all you do is walk down a few stairs until the harness picks you up before reaching the bottom. Then away you go with the wheels on the cable making a high pitched whirring sound. The wind picks up as you gain speed. Then I started to rotate around facing back where I had just left, which I didn’t like. I made it back around once before I landed.

The plaque for The Natural Steps.

Landing on the other side was no problem and was just like standing up out of a chair. They have a rather elaborate braking system that starts slowing you down about 50 feet out. You simply stand up and they unhook you, and that is that.

Pathway through the trees

Then you walk across a suspension bridge to the next platform. Here they tell you more about sustainability. All the wood in the platforms has not been treated, and so will not be an environmental hazard in years to come. Also, most of the rails have little white Christmas lights strung along them so that you can take the tour at night. They are all LEDs, fed by solar panels. Then they told us about the green that Lichen hanging from many of the branches. Apparently it is edible, and they gave us a bite. While I wouldn’t recommend it for a salad, it was apparently high in antioxidants.

Suspension bridge

Then we zipped across the river again and continued our tour. When we arrived at the next platform the view of the surrounding mountains was beautiful. We could see Rainbow Mountain and Sprout Mountain. It was a clear sunny day, but a big cool up here on the mountain. Everything was so beautiful that I was snapping pictures of everything.

The boy in our party comes in for a landing.

Now it was time for the huge 2000 foot zip line run clear across a small valley. I volunteered to go first and to try some stunts along the way. I did about half the trip upside down, filming the whole time. The speed is really quite fast and you can’t hear anything for the wind noise. Again I started rotating around and never did seem to get the hang of controlling that. Talk about an adrenaline rush!

The last tower to climb to zip back to the village.

Next came Fernando, and then the father of the other family. The small boy, who was right at the minimum weight of 70 pounds, had to ride tandem with the guide in order to make the run. By the way, the maximum weight is 270 pounds. As soon the dad got to the platform he told the guide that he had dropped his video camera. Apparently he lost his grip when he hit the braking mechanism at high speed, about 35 yards out. Our guide was good enough to charge through the deep snow and retrieve the camera. It was a Sony, and amazingly worked just fine. Apparently the snow had cushioned the fall.

Our zipping group.

Then we walked through quite a long forest trail to the final tower. Snow surrounded the trail about 2 feet high. They had spread grit all along the path, as there were quite a few slippery spots. We then climbed up about a 50 foot tower and prepared for our final zip line down to the base of the mountain. They encouraged us to practice manoeuvres on this last run, and so all of us flipped upside down and had a blast. Even the mother joined in. Unfortunately, they had a net at the end of the run that they dropped at the last second, that made photography rather difficult. The braking system here used disc brakes much like a bicycle.

Video of John’s 2000 ft zip line run

Altogether, our tour had lasted just over three hours. If you’ve never tried this type of experience before I would highly recommend it. While it may sound a bit intimidating just reading about it, it really isn’t. And being able to walk along the top of the trees is something I won’t soon forget.

Lunch spot in the Main St. park

We decided to go over to Nesters market near Main Street to pick up something at the deli for supper. The codfish was a good price, but then we had to find a place to sit. The whole village area was completely mobbed with people, so we were surprised to find the little park, in the middle of Main Street, completely vacant. We found two oversized lawn chairs and had a very nice lunch. When we left, we noticed that the pool in the hotel behind us was still open, with a bit of steam coming off the surface.

Live band in the village. Always something going on in Whistler village.

Then we strolled back to the village towards the gondola transit exchange, and had a great time people watching on the way. There were various street artists along the way, including a couple on stilts. The whole atmosphere here is extremely positive, and just a lot of fun to be in the middle of. Now to start planning our next adventure on our next days off.

Finally, a day off with sunshine! While it seems half of the population of British Columbia is populated by Ontarians, I’m not so sure I could handle the constant rain out here. But today our Maker saw fit to give us glorious sunshine. And so I headed off bright and early to the Creekside ski area to catch the Women’s Combined Alpine Skiing event.

The Women's Combined Alpine Ski Event. We are still in the shadow here. I'm a long way from the front of the crowd.

I just had to experience an Olympic event. I had bought the ticket from a fellow who had tickets for the original date of February 14, which was cancelled and moved to February 18. The ticket cost me $85, but was still only for the standing area. Apparently people had arrived there almost 3 hours early, and the sight lines at the front of the fence were gone. I ended up standing about 20 people back from the front and could only just barely see the finish line, some 500 m away. While it was fun to experience the excitement of the crowd, the people at home watching on TV saw more than I did. I had hoped I would see the stopping area right in front of the stands where the athletes wave to the crowds right after crossing the finish line. But the crowd was it just too big, and I couldn’t see a thing.

An Olympic skier jumps over the crest of the hill 100 metres from the finish line.

One of the cool things about being here at the Olympics is the fans that come from around the world. The fans from Switzerland seem to be the most colourful. There was a group here that had three humongous cowbells that they kept banging on in the back of the crowd while waving flags. I actually had this group on my bus earlier on, and the sound is almost deafening. The American, Lindsey Vonn, won the first heat. There was a second event in the afternoon to decide the winner, but I decided not to attend. At least I could now say, “Been there, done that.”

Loyal fans from Switzerland with their huge cow bells.

So it was back on the Whistler transit bus to meet Fernando at the gondola transit exchange. I had a nice lunch on the patio of the Irish pub that is right next to the stairs leading away from the bus terminal. This has to be the best location for a bus terminal in the world. We first purchased the zip line tickets for the next day and then Fernando bought his lift ticket for non-skiers. We took the older, six passenger enclosed gondola up the Whistler Mountain. The doors opened at the first station but we stayed on board. This is from the station from which downhill bicycles charge down the mountain each summer. Even though they wear body armour, I can’t imagine riding a bicycle down a ski hill.

On top of the world at the Whistler Mountain side of the Peak 2 Peak gondola.

The ride up the hill took a little over 15 minutes. When we arrived at the top, we are in a whole new world of deep snow and subzero temperatures. The snow was in great shape with lots of skiers zipping around everywhere. Being on top of the mountain is a breathtaking experience. From up here I noticed that we were completely surrounded by white capped mountains in every direction. Down in the valley all you see is about half a dozen mountains. We walked over to the edge of the hill and watched the skiers fly down almost a dozen different runs. The RCMP was even up here on skies.

Peak 2 Peak car exiting the station on Blackcomb mountain.

Next it was time to board the brand-new, world-class Peak 2 Peak gondola. This is the world’s highest lift of its kind with the longest unsupported span for a lift of this kind. It covers a total distance of 4.4 km, including a three kilometre unsupported span. The highest point above the ground is 436 metres. There are a total of four towers with two on each mountain and they range from 35 to 65 m in height. There are 28 cabins and it can handle 4100 passengers per hour. Since its introduction, it has had a huge effect on skier traffic on the mountains, with most skiers passing between the mountains at least once a day. It is one of the must do activities here in Whistler.

400 metres above the valley, another car passes us going back to Whistler mountain. All the equipment looks brand new.

The cable system uses two stationary cables which bear the weight of the gondola, with a slightly lower cable between them that pulls the gondola along. The lift slows to a crawl for people to board and can hold 24 seated and four standing passengers. One cabin departs every 49 seconds and travels at 7.5 m/s and takes 11 minutes to reach the far side. We were making the trip from Whistler to Blackcomb Mount.

John A. and Fernando inside the gondola. There is lots of room inside.

The view while crossing is nothing short of spectacular. The trees below us were still covered in snow. Halfway over you cross a creek hundreds of meters below. The ride is extremely smooth, even when you pass the tower. Later on we noticed that the car is supported by four air bag shock absorbers on the top of the car. The windows on this car scratch free, so taking photos is not bad. You can see Whistler Village at the bottom of the valley far below. The biggest building in the village is the Fairmont Hotel, with frozen lakes in the background.

One of the many ski runs on Blackcomb.

As soon as we got off the gondola we met a couple of our supervisors, Mike and Jim. As tourists do, we took turns taking each others’ pictures with each other’s cameras. Mike is the very effective supervisor that works the gondola every afternoon. Then we wandered over to the edge but stopped when least noticed a sign that said “Cliff ahead.” But about one kilometre away was the upper peak of Blackcomb with an almost vertical face on. When I looked closer I could see ski marks all down the slope. It looked like about an 80° angle. Overall, it looked to me to be about an even number of snowboarders and skiers.

Skiers actually ski down the almost vertical crest of the Blackcomb mountain.

Each mountain has a restaurant at the top. As we walked around the one on Blackcomb, we came across to a lovely Inukshuk. Then it was back to the edge of the hill to stare at the amazing scenery in front of us. One of my prerequisites for a great vacation is to step out of the ordinary into a completely different environment. And here we were in a winter wonderland. I didn’t want to descend to the real world below. Almost everyone I speak to in Whistler has done this trek, and I can see why.

Welcome to Blackcomb. This sign is right outside the exit from Peak 2 Peak.

Just as I picked up a souvenir for my daughter, Rebekah, the stores at the top of the mountain closed. It was only 3:30, but I guess it was time to go. We had to wait about 15 minutes in a huge line to get aboard the 98 bus home. It gave me time to think about ways that such line-ups could be eliminated. I spoke to the chief operating officer for BC transit, Steve New, who happened to be on the platform. He gave me his card, and on the way home I sent him an e-mail about getting off-duty bus drivers to drive an extra bus back to Squamish. Then drivers just heading to work could return the bus to Whistler. Everyone would be happy, and we would put a dent in the line-ups. He wrote me back that he would be look into this.

What do supervisors do on their day off? Same as us. L to R: Mike and Jim.

When I got home, I quickly uploaded every photo on my card here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sirjohnamcdonald. This is where I quickly upload my photos at the end of a busy day when there isn’t time to post a blog. I had also been sending tweets to http://twitter.com/caw4304 during the day.

Everyone needs a shot standing in front of the Inukshuk. This was in front of the resturant on top of Blackcomb.

This little information booth was almost buried in the snow.

We caught the glass bottom gondola on the way back. Here is a shot through the floor window at a skier far below.

OK, so I haven’t blogged in a while. Steve Mann came up to me yesterday and told me that his wife asked what had happened to me, as I hadn’t posted any blogs recently. So here goes.

Fog and rain in Howe Sound

What to do on yet another rainy day? We were tired of walking in the rain, so we have rented a car and headed off down the highway towards Britannia Beach. When we noticed the signs for Shannon Falls, we pulled in to have a look. This is the waterfall right beside the chief Mountain. It was a beautiful falls, but you couldn’t get too close. While we were there the Czechoslovakian team came up for a look as well.

Rental car for our day off travels

Then it was back on the road for the 10 minute trip down to the small village of Britannia Beach where the British Columbia Mining Museum is. We figure that if we’re indoors we wouldn’t get too wet. I must say that it rains a bit too much for my taste here.

The Mona Lisa Ship that is anchored in the Squamish harbour to house workers

The Britannia mine is the location of the Mining Museum and was once the largest copper mine in the British Commonwealth. It operated from the early 1900s to 1974. The tour took us on a small train ride about a quarter mile inside the mountain. The tour guide was excellent and gave us a very interesting lesson in the development of mining techniques. I must say that it makes you very grateful that we don’t have to endure those type working conditions today.

Shannon Falls

This mill employee that gravity fed concentrator that extracted the copper from the pulverized ore. However the process involved intense monitoring up and down the various levels which required managers to keep an extremely close I am the workers. Eventually it was found that it was impossible to supervise properly in a technique fellow the favour. The tailings were then we processed to extract gold silver iron and other metals from it. The secondary products the mine profitable for much longer than is normally the case. We found the tour very interesting, even though it wasn’t our first choice for an activity that weekend.

The Brittania Beach Mine, now the BC Mining Museum

While we are in Britannia Beach, we could see a military plane flying up and down Howe sound, as well as a military helicopter circling around. I’m sure this was part of a stepped-up security in the opening of you picks.

The bulls eye on the mine face. The drills have evolved from from manual labour to air powered tools that save lives and backs.

Then it was back to Squamish to pick up a few groceries while we still had the car. We dropped off the car just before they closed at six and then sat down to watch the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. Not a bad weekend, but it would have been much better if the weather had cooperated. The forecast looks good for the following weekend, so I hope we have better luck then.

The inside of the Concentrator at the Brittania Mine. It was the sheer number of stairs that finally made this type of mine fall out of favour.

The Three Amigos. We needed hard hats to enter the mine.

The exit from the mine. The whistle here signaled all major events in this mining community.

Fernando paning for gold. We did get a few miniscule flackes.

235 Ton Super Mine Truck

I’m sure I told someone that this was my day off, but here it was rainy and foggy. And so we decided to cancel our trip to the Peak to Peak gondola, and explore Squamish instead. So after trying and failing to rent a car, we walked for about half an hour to the West Coast Railway heritage Park, here in Squamish. On the way there, we stopped in at a few dealerships and auto body shops looking for a car to rent, and did end up making a contact with GMC who will be dropping off a car in the morning. Fernando and I enjoy the chance to get out and stretch her legs, but I don’t think the rain improved Reto’s mood.

Rain shrouded mountain in Squamish

While the Railway Museum was interesting, it was rather small, and half of the exhibits seem to be in the midst of being upgraded. The staff was more than helpful and guided us through a couple of the exhibits. The best ones were in the large wooden structure that had been moved to the site four years ago. This wooden building is the largest wooden structure ever to be moved. Inside were two 1890 executive rail cars made of ornate wood, one of which was being restored by wealthy businessman from Vancouver. There was also a 1952 CPR diesel engine, which was one of the first engines that came in to replace the steam engines. The young man who is giving us a tour was very kind enough to let Fernando and I climb into the engine room.

One of the first diesel trains to replace steam engines

At this point Fernando wanted to go look at the souvenir shop, but Reto was getting tired and decided to take the bus home. After Fernando picked up a few trinkets, we ordered a to downtown Squamish where we had a nice lunch in a Greek restaurant called Yiannis. I love looking out the window at the big chief Mountain just beyond the city.

Interiour of the 1890 Executive rail car

Then we walked down to the harbour to see the yachts. For some reason, I seem drawn to the ocean and this met a special need deep within me. It was a bit difficult taking pictures as we had to hold the umbrella over the camera each time as the rain continued. By this time I was starting to get a bit wet, so we were glad to find the library. It seems Fernando is a bit of a book nut, and he actually took out a membership at the library. I was quite happy to sit down by the fireplace and read a book.

Squamish yacht club with the Chief mountain in the background

Next we headed to a bike shop called Vertical Reality, where he made arrangements to rent a bicycle for $125 for the rest of the month. By that time we decided it was time to head home so we stopped at a bus stop. We had no idea when the next bus would come and the local said it would likely be an hour. I called the number on the bus stop and got in the office which had closed at 4:30. Unbelievable! So we called a taxi and paid nine dollars to get home

View of the Howe Sound, the southern most fjord in North America. Logging boom visible in the distance. Harbour activity doesn't stop for winter here.

While I was waiting for the taxi the dispatcher called me and asked me for the second time that day if I wanted overtime. She wanted me to work until four Saturday morning, which would taken me within a few minutes of my Saturday shift. After explaining to her that this was a conflict, I refused the overtime. While I was on the phone with her, the car rental company called and confirmed our rental for the morning.

Vertical Reality Sports Store where you can rent bicycles

The labour code out here in BC is a bit different than back in Ontario. Here they don’t have a mandatory lunch break after 5 1/2 hours. Many of the drivers here are working eight and 10 hours without a break, including my roommate Reto. They also don’t pay you for a 15 minutes circle check at the garage if it is on your second half of work. Gord Whyte filed a grievance about this and won it. They also don’t pay overtime until you exceed 40 hours in the week. Almost all of our week one shifts were 32 hours, so not all of us were interested in doing overtime that was paid at straight time. Oh well, just part of the adjustment to life on the West Coast.

Well, that is enough blogging for today. On Friday, if it is still raining and foggy, you plan to go to the Mining Museum just down the road.