Spring at Marmot Basin

It’s that wonderful time of year when spring skiing is in full swing, and Marmot Basin has some great events lined up for the month for everyone to enjoy.

On April 9, the Kokanee Free Ride event will bring three upcoming bands to mid-mountain to perform, and there will be fun and prizes all day. 

Brian Rode, vice president, marketing and sales for Ski Marmot Basin, said the Kokanee event has been returning to Marmot for a number of years now.

“They [Kokanee] have been running a contest in stores and establishments where they distribute for people to enter to win a ‘free ride’ to Marmot Basin,” said Rode, adding that there will be a few hundred winners, who are also able to bring a friend, heading to the mountain for the day.

At mid-mountain, Kokanee will feature a high quality DJ and the live bands. Rode said there will also be a rail jam demonstration in the area.

“People can hang out, soak up the spring atmosphere and get into the spring groove,” said Rode, adding that the day will provide the perfect opportunity to enjoy live entertainment alongside a day of skiing or boarding.

Rare dinosaur fossil found near Fort McMurray

A rare dinosaur fossil has been found near Fort McMurray.

While working on site, Suncor employees noticed a large lump of dirt with an odd texture and diamond patterns. Employees halted work and sent photos of the strange sight to the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

According to a recent release, a scientist and technician from the museum flew to Fort McMurray last week expecting to find a marine reptile fossil, because of the area’s ancient history as a sea bed. When they arrived, they were amazed to discover a 110-million-year-old fossil of an ankylosaur, a rare dinosaur covered with bony plates of armour.

“We’ve never found a dinosaur in this location,” said Dr. Donald Henderson, curator of dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in a recent statement. “Because the area was once a sea, most finds are invertebrates such as clams and ammonites. Marine reptiles have been found in the area before, but even these are not common. The last giant reptile removed from this area was an ichthyosaur found 10 years ago. To find an ankylosaur is totally unexpected here – finding one of these animals anywhere is a rare occurrence.”

Ankylosaurs were squat, plant-eating quadrupeds with powerful limbs and armour plating on their bodies. Their club-like tails were probably used for self-defence. Royal Tyrrell scientists will return to Fort McMurray this week to supervise the specimen’s removal and transportation to the museum for further study.

“Suncor and its staff deserve a big thank you for recognizing this as a fossil and reporting it to us as quickly as they did,” stated Andrew Neuman, executive director of the Royal Tyrrell Museum. “This is a great example of a company calling to report a find and it turning out to be something of potentially major significance.”

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is located six kilometres northwest of Drumheller on Highway 838. For more information visit www.tyrrellmuseum.com or call 403-823-7707 (dial 310-0000 for toll-free access in Alberta).