UPDATE: Kildala Pass is "under construction" at the moment. But this is a perfect example of Kim and Brad coming together on Ideas. Kim finds the place and puts the idea together, Brad comes along and turns that idea into a scenery package. We got some excellent teamwork going at RTTM. And when this one is finally done, it will be another example of that teamwork. (Maybe we could get Dex to give a background "hmmmmmm" for the wires? :-) Just read the storyline and you'll see why we're all excited about this one from Kim and Brad.
Doug
Kildala PassKemano is a settlement situated 75 km (47 mi) Southeast of Kitimat in the province of British Columbia in Canada. It was built to service a hydroelectric power station which was built to provide energy for Alcan to smelt aluminium (aluminum) from its ore. The powerhouse is built 427 m (1,400 ft) inside the base of Mt Dubose in a blasted cavern. It produces 896 MW of power from its eight generators, each of which has a capacity of 112MW. The plant comprises a 16 km (10 mi) tunnel, the width of a two-lane highway, drilled and blasted through the coastal mountains to carry water to the penstocks of the Kemano powerhouse. The water plunges 800 m (2,600 ft) to drive the generators. The power transmission lines travel 82 km (51 mi) from Kemano to Kitimat across some of the most rugged mountain territory in British Columbia, along the Kildala Pass, about 1,500 m (5,000 ft) above sea-level. The first Kemano Project, known as Kemano I, resulted in the flooding of 120,000 acres (490 km2) of the Nechako Reservoir, within Cheslatta territory. This reputedly removed approximately 75% of the flow of the Nechako, which is or was an important salmon river. Expansion on the project, known as Kemano II, has been contested in the Canadian courts by members of the Cheslatta Carrier Nation with a group of Elders who have filed a Statement of Claim with the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
Awaiting you on your journey here are three landing areas. A short and very tricky airstrip located high in the Kildala Pass known as Kildala Airstrip "ALPHA". It can be reached from Kemano by following the high power line towers that run along the river's edge in the valley from the Kemano hydro electric plant to Kitimat. This region is serviced mainly by helicopters, but the addition of the short strip allows for heavier cargo to be brought in to supply the ongoing workforce in the region, which is what your task will comprise if you choose to visit this challenging place. Although the strip can be accessed over the mountain range, the best route is to follow the pass up from the Kemano hydroelectric plant itself at low-level. As you get closer to the airstrip, look for the sharply pointed Atna Peak which becomes a prominent feature on a clear day. The pass continues past the airstrip to exit over Atna lake which itself is a tributary of Morice Lake lying just to the East of the mountain range.
Airstrip "BRAVO" is an unlisted airstrip and is located at the top of the nearby North ridge of Kemano Peak. This facility is an inbetween staging facility where crews on the mountain can ride out a fast moving storm, re-supply and stage equipment runs to various locations in the vicinity. It's a snow surface airstrip with cordoned off helicopter landing areas. There are only barricades marking the ends of the airstrip, but flashing beacons help with the alignment and look for the small smoke canisters placed here to aid aviators with figuring out where the landing area is. Helicopters have it much easier up here.
The last landing zone is for helicopter pilots only. Look for the suspended helipad that rests on the South edge of the Kildala Gorge Power Lines that run accross the opening of the valley over the river far below. Only the best helicopter pilots are brought in to pick up personnel that work on the platforms rigged to travel along the top cable runs. The contact points keep the platforms grounded so they don't emit any high voltage supplies. In tough weather conditions, this location is generally left alone. It would almost be suicidal to try to land here in high winds and low visibility conditions.
Check out these videos we used for inspiration on this scenery:
http://wn.com/Kemano,_British_Columbiahttp://wn.com/Kemano_Project
