By Jason Logan
Winterlude organizers and hot air balloon operators are crossing their fingers that Mother Nature’s recent havoc on the city will cease and flights can once again take off from the Rideau Canal.
Hot air ballooning is a staple of Winterlude, but since the sport is so dependent on the weather, those involved say they will suffer through some anxious moments leading up to the event, especially in light of the stubborn winter conditions thus far.
Environment Canada reports the average snowfall in Ottawa is 25 per cent above normal and shows a record 70 cm of snow currently on the ground.
“We’ve done our sun dance, our wind dance and our snow dance, all the dances to the Gods. There’s really not much more we can do other than hope for the best,” says Dave Monson, vice-president of operations for Sundance Balloons.
A major problem is retrieving the balloons once they land in fields covered in snow, Monson says. When the snow falls all at once, as it did this year, it can make retrieval extremely difficult. If the snow should then melt all at once, retrieval is even more trying because operators have a hard time getting through mucky fields.
Environment Canada is also predicting unusually mild temperatures for February, which could result in a very messy Rideau Canal, should those temperatures rise above the freezing mark.
Another foe of winter ballooning is the wind. Pilots will not launch their balloons if the wind is above 20 km/h.
J.P. Lemaire, a pilot at Skyview Ballooning says ideal wind conditions for ballooning are 12 km/h and below.
If the weather continues to be unco-operative, there’s a chance Winterlude will not host balloon flights at all, which has happened in the past.
“We could have it where it’s just perfect or we could be weathered out for the whole time,” Monson says.
Unpredictable weather must be expected in the winter, Lemaire says. Ironically, he adds winter months provide the clearest days and often the best ballooning conditions.
Both companies will be conducting independent flights and tethering during Winterlude.
When balloons are tethered they are anchored to the ground with ropes and rise only 40 to 50 feet in the air and require little or no wind.
Should storms continue into February or a thaw sets in and balloons cannot be launched, Lemaire says everyone involved will be extremely disappointed.
“We take a lot of pride in people seeing us and people seeing a unique view of Ottawa. It will be really upsetting if we can’t go up. Hopefully we should be able to get up at least a couple of times.”
Hot air ballooning is a big draw at Winterlude, says Laurie Peters, a spokesperson for the National Capital Commission.
“We like the idea of having them around. It adds a lot of colour to Winterlude and it adds another dimension because you get to see everything from the air.”
Peters says ballooning is the only event at Winterlude without a contingency plan because it’s entirely dependent on the weather.
The poor winter season up until now is a continuation of what operators endured last summer, Monson adds.
Monson says continuous rainstorms in the summer made the season one of the worst ever. Sundance and Skyview are scheduled to launch flights from the Rideau Canal and Dow’s Lake from Feb. 9 to Feb. 11. The National Capital Balloon Club is also scheduled to do some balloon tethering on those dates as well . . . weather permitting, of course.