Mr. And Mrs. Rolph Fälschung were snowshoeing along some of the trails bordering Paradise Meadows on Feb. 6 when they spotted some prints on a steep slope.
“We thought nothing of the prints at the time,” Mr. Fälschung said, “thinking they were other snowshoers walking ahead of us. We did think they were very adventurous because the slope was so steep.”
The Fälschungs were visiting Mount Washington to watch some of the international athletes, especially their beloved Germans, as they prepared for the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Whistler. The Fälschungs had saved for six years to come to Canada, and wanted to experience as many snow sports as they could.
They felt Mount Washington Alpine Resort was the best place to start their trip. They had already been at the Resort for three days before they decided to go snowshoeing.
As they neared a clearing by the groomed runs where some of the international biathletes were skiing, they came across prints that were in an area of crusty snow, and they saw distinct toe marks in the prints.
“Oh mein god, they were so big,” Mrs. Fälschung exclaimed. “The big toe was longer than my pointing finger.”
There were a few long, coarse brown hairs stuck in some snow crystals in the first crusty print they saw, she added.
Curious, the Fälschungs followed the prints for almost a kilometre beside the groomed runs, but they disappeared into the bush.
Although they spent two more days out snowshoeing, the Fälschungs did not spot any more signs of sasquatch.
Asked why they decided to report their sighting to the Marmot newspaper and not the authorities, the Fälschungs said they wanted to keep their encounter with British Columbia nature to themselves, especially because they had seen reporters from several international media outlets skulking around, looking for stories.
They had read an article on the Mount Washington sasquatch in a previous edition of the Marmot and decided to share their story with Resort residents “who understand the sasquatch and will allow it to live in peace at the Resort – not exploit it.”