Parks Canada is asking people not to ski jump across the Rideau Canal after a video showing a member of a stunt collective doing just that — and barely making it — went viral.
The hair-raising stunt is the opening shot of a 22-minute video by a group called The Jetskis, posted on YouTube on Christmas Eve. A shorter clip of the same canal jump has been making the rounds on other platforms.
The slow-motion video shows 21-year-old Tai How skiing through the trees of the Parliament Hill slope beside the Ottawa Locks, then launching off a short snow ramp and sailing across the 9.7-metre gap, his arms swinging wildly. He lands hard on the opposite edge and face-plants into the snow as both skis pop off and tumble into the empty lock below. He was not wearing a helmet.
The stunt prompted Parks Canada, the federal department that operates the historic waterway and its famous lock system, to issue a public safety notice earlier this week.
“The Rideau Canal National Historic Site — including the Ottawa Locks — is not a place for unauthorized activities like ski jumping,” it warned in a social media post Tuesday, adding that “enforcement has been increased, and violations may result in fines.”
Reached in Nelson, B.C., How told CBC he performed the stunt last February while visiting Ottawa from Montreal, where he now lives and where he met the rest of the Jetskis crew.
“I just come in really fast, get a little bit sketchy on the run-up and then I just try and gap over this big huge massive thing,” he said, describing the attempt.
“I didn’t have enough speed to land it, and I just landed right on the edge of the canal and broke both the skis. But I was fine, I was chill.”
How said he hurt his thumb during the landing but was otherwise uninjured. He said he’d tested the run-up once, but the video captures his one and only attempt to jump the locks.
“I was, like, super confident,” he recalled. “It’s definitely a stunt that called my name. It was, like, ‘Dude, for sure you’ve got that.'”
Local authorities were far less stoked, however.
“We’re worried that because it has gained a lot of traction on social media, we did not want to have copycats try to re-attempt this activity … and really injure themselves,” said Parks Canada’s Benjamin Gales, visitor services manager for the Rideau Canal.
Parks Canada wardens can issue trespassing fines of up to $10,000, Gales said.
Marc-Antoine Deschamps, superintendent of public information for the Ottawa Paramedic Service, called the jump “an extremely dangerous stunt.”
“They risk some significant injuries, whether it’s orthopedic, so broken bones, they can sustain neck and back injuries, and also there’s a significant risk of head injury,” he said.
Had How missed his landing and hurt himself badly, the rescue would likely have involved specialized units rappelling down the wall of the lock to reach him, Deschamps said.
“As you saw in the video, we’re talking a matter of inches from very serious injury and a very complex and risky rescue by first responders.”
How, who’s currently unemployed and spending his days freeride skiing in the mountains of southern B.C., said he understands those concerns, but said risk is an inherent part of the sport he loves.
“Maybe don’t try something that’s totally outside of your range of skill, but I think it’s super important to push yourself and try stunts that are scary at times, because that’s really the only way that you’re going to achieve that goal of gnarly stunts and stuff,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s a bad thing to try something totally, like, gnarly, but definitely be careful, you know?”
