Sparks flew in the dimly lit sky as the carbide blades thudded across the undulating pavement. It was a surprisingly incendiary beginning to what would be a cold day plowing the Icefields Parkway.  

Coffee in hand and prepared for an Alaskan winter, I climbed aboard the mammoth plow with veteran driver Guy Auger.  With barely enough room for Auger’s thermos of coffee, which I was thankful he shared, and all my reporting accouterment stuffed tightly away, Auger double-clutched her into first and hit the gas.    

Leaving Jasper at 7 a.m. to plow the parkway can be a daunting proposition, especially in lousy weather.  Auger, who’s been working for Parks since 1989 and plowing since 1995, told me that on those long snowy days, drivers can suffer from “plowhead,” which is the feeling you get after focusing strongly for a long period of time.  “In a really big storm and you’re just going up and down, up and down,” he said. “Your head’s just full of cobwebs. It can be hell down here.”  

The top speed for a plow is about 75 km/h, but drivers have to go quite a bit slower on the shoulders “otherwise the plow starts to bounce up and down,” said Auger.  Gauging the best plow speed to get the job done has a lot to do with experience, he said, but common sense is also a “big thing. You wouldn’t want to go hit a drift with a piece of metal going at 80 km/h... because you don’t know how long that drift’s been there,” adding that, “those things are bulletproof; the rule of thumb is go slow.”  

The picturesque views make up for any loneliness felt out on the road, said Auger.  Not to mention that if he gets bored, or is suffering from plowhead, he’s got a radio to pass the time.  The constant drone of the plow skidding across the pavement can get a bit annoying, but rocking out to the slide guitar of George Thorogood is the just what the doctor ordered.    

If the road is totally snow covered, you start with the centre line and work your way out to the edges  spreading sand along the way, said Auger. The centre console in the cabin seemed more Star Trek than snowplow, but it controls how much sand is spread and how far it spreads, in addition to a number of other things.  

The plow drivers in Jasper take a lot of pride in their work.  “I know a lot of people in town,” said Auger.  “If somebody from town got killed or injured on a road I just plowed, I would not feel happy.  This is a big responsibility. You’ve got people’s lives at stake.”  

But that doesn’t mean drivers shouldn’t be cognizant of the road conditions or the take the arduous parkway drive lightly.  “If you travel on this highway after 4 o’clock or even 3 o’clock, you’re sort of taking your own life in your own hands, especially if you’re not equipped with the essentials,” said Auger.

It’s also a good idea to give the plows lots of space.  Most drivers don’t respect that the plows are doing yeoman’s service and “they don’t respect ya.” he said.  Although, “the women are way better drivers. They stay clear and give you the space you need.  They’re more cautious.”