WATCH: Hamilton man snowboards down closed Claremont Access
Published March 23, 2023 at 11:55 am
Where some — not unjustifiably — saw inconvenience, Michael Muller treated the closed Claremont Access lanes as an opportunity to carve some powder.
Hamilton received 10 cm of snow more twice in eight days earlier this month. With the downbound lanes of the access road closed for repairs, Muller strapped on his snowboard and headed down from the top of the Niagara Escarpment.
“I’ve been wanting to snowboard one of the #Hamilton mountain access roads for over 10 years,” the Hamilton outdoors enthusiast and father wrote in his Instagram post. So, when one of them was closed for repairs and we got a dump of snow. I had no choice. Very slow ride, but was a lot of fun.”
In one of the accompanying videos, Muller deadpans. “There’s no lift on this hill. I want my money back.”
The downbound lanes of the Claremont have been closed since March 1 due to a bulging retaining wall. The wall, which was due to be repaired in the summer, keeps rocks and shifting soil from endangering motorists.
Videos
Hamilton received an even 15.0 cm of snow, mostly the heavy wet variety, on March 10. That led to snow build-up of 19 cm, the most of the entire winter, the following day, which was when Muller posted his video. While that was obviously likely not something the City of Hamilton roads department would recommend, most commenters praised his spirit of adventure.
Muller shares many of his and his family’s adventures through Hamilton conservation areas, hills, and trails on his Insta page.
The snow cover in Hamilton was washed away by rain on March 17 and 19 and warming temperatures. Evidently, though, more than a few residents made some memories before it melted.
(Images/video: Instagram @mikebmuller.)
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