One of the problems with this "out of bounds" thing is that people who aren't familiar with the region misinterpret it.

It does not mean "off limits." It means "outside the boundary of the resort, not maintained or patrolled."

These areas are crown land and unless specifically posted as closed (and I'm not sure what provisions exist to do that in BC), you may ski there. But whenever one of these stories hits the news, the media fail to clarify this -- because they know that it will stir up controversy.

The authorities discourage skiing out of bounds, but then, the authorities discourage fishing in the stormwater management pond near my home, because they imagine someone will drown. The authorities discourage you from doing all kinds of things that it is your right to do.

Thousands of people ski out of bounds every year. A small number get into trouble, and these people are almost universally those who don't know the area and are ill-prepared.

This is the same old story whenever a SAR callout hits the news, because callouts for well-prepared people don't make good news stories.

What stands out here is the part that isn't the same as it ever was: the fact that there was no SAR callout for nine days, despite the fact that several people saw the signals and the town was buzzing, according to reports, with rumours of skiers lost in the backcountry.

If you don't think people should be concerned over that failure, I don't know what to say to you.