Sasquatch Cuts Gondola Cable?
Edition Three Originally Posted On Sunday February 25th, 2024
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have made public a detailed description and a thermal image of the individual suspected of sabotaging the Sea to Sky Gondola on two separate occasions in the past three years.
According to investigators, the suspect is described as being in "extremely fit" physical condition and possesses an intimate knowledge of the area surrounding the gondola. They also believe that the culprit possesses extensive expertise in using the necessary tools to sever the cable, enabling them to escape without being detected.
The deliberate severing of the gondola's cable occurred on separate occasions in 2019 and 2020. While RCMP Sgt. Chris Manseau suggests that it is possible that the same person committed both acts, there is also a chance that different individuals were involved.
Appealing to the public for assistance, Manseau stated, "We know there are people out there with information that could assist police with this investigation." The police are currently exploring charges related to mischief and endangering lives, particularly due to the security guard who narrowly avoided being struck by the falling gondola cars.
Following the initial incident, the gondola operators implemented enhanced security measures. They now maintain an in-house security team equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance technology to monitor the attraction around the clock. Since reopening in June 2021, the gondola has been operating smoothly and attracting approximately 400,000 visitors annually.
Situated just south of the Stawamus Chief, the 39-car gondola offers breathtaking views of Howe Sound as it transports passengers up a steep mountain ridge. It is not only a significant employer in the local area but also plays a vital role in the town's $95-million tourism sector, as confirmed by Tourism Squamish.
The extensive damage caused by the cable sabotage incidents has had a significant financial impact on the company. It took six months and $5 million to repair the gondola after the first occurrence in August 2019. The total cost of repairs and losses from both incidents has now exceeded $10 million.
Most of you are probably shaking your head and asking, what does this have to do with Sasquatch? The fact is probably nothing, yet Todd Standing the controversial Bigfoot researcher from north of the border would tell you otherwise. Todd has recently put out a series of videos on his Sylvanic YouTube channel, claiming that the figure in the thermal footage released by the RCMP back in late 2022 is not a human suspect. That’s right, Todd says that it is a pissed off Sasquatch that “cut” the gondola cable.
As per usual with Todd, outside of conjecture he offers no evidence to substantiate his bold claims. Well, that is unless you consider this thermal image itself as all the proof you need? I have to admit, I do find it rather interesting. I am certainly no thermal imaging expert, so I had to do a little research to see if I could debunk or add any credibility to Todd’s claims.
By analyzing the thermal images above, several observations can be made regarding the role of clothing and hair in providing insulation. The images reveal that both clothes and hair act as insulators, with the hottest parts of the image located on the side of the neck where the neck is partially protected by the collar. Interestingly, the collar itself appears cold because it consists of two layers of cloth with an air space between them. This indicates that the fabric of clothes does not provide significant insulation, but rather it is the trapped air between the fabric and the body that offers insulation. Hair, including eyebrows, also aids in holding air in place, providing additional insulation.
The slightly lower temperatures observed in the nose and ears can be attributed, in part, to blood circulation. These areas, along with the fingers and toes, have high surface area to volume ratios, making them efficient at losing heat. When we are cold, blood circulation to these parts is restricted to minimize heat loss.
The thermal images also reveal that the glasses, which are reading glasses and not sunglasses, appear cool. Although they are transparent to visible light, they do not transmit much infrared radiation. If they did, we would be able to see the warm skin behind them.
While the temperature difference between the skin and the hair or clothes may seem small, it is important to consider the exchange of radiation and conduction with the environment when it comes to maintaining warmth. The heat radiated and conducted from the environment would balance the heat lost by the body if it were at the same temperature as the environment. In colder or less comfortable thermal environments, clothing can make a much larger difference in preserving warmth.
What is the significance behind the diverse range of colors in thermal imaging? These infrared images serve the purpose of identifying areas that are either excessively hot or too cold, enabling you to detect potential issues and make necessary repairs before they escalate.
When analyzing a thermograph, the color spectrum provides valuable information. Blue represents colder temperatures, green indicates approximately room temperature, while shades of red and white highlight areas of inflammation or excessive heat.
In thermal images, the intensity of the color corresponds to temperature. Therefore, purples and dark blue or black shades represent cooler temperatures since they emit less heat and infrared radiation.
It is worth noting that some cameras capture images solely in grayscale, while others utilize a rainbow color palette.
Now, I'm no expert in thermal imaging, so I decided to do a little research to either debunk or lend credibility to Todd's assertions. Based on the information I found, Todd argues that the individual in the still photo released by the RCMP could either be a naked man or a Sasquatch. He also mentions a conversation he had with an unnamed "expert" who possesses the rare skills required to cut these gondola cables. According to Todd, this expert claimed that it would take at least three highly skilled individuals, equipped with the appropriate tools, a minimum of fifteen minutes to sever such a large cable. Furthermore, he adds that they would need to change their saw blades at least once, and the noise and sparks generated during the process would be visible and audible from miles away.
I must say, I found it peculiar that in the video released by the RCMP, a lone security guard can be seen walking beneath a section of the gondola just moments before the cable snaps. The security guard is clearly visible in the photo below. Strangely, he doesn't react until the gondola starts shaking and sparks appear in the distance, indicating the imminent collapse of the cars. This moment is best observed in the actual video, which you can watch by clicking the link provided. It raises suspicion that the security guard seemed oblivious to the cable being cut just seconds before the violent shaking and the subsequent crash of the gondola cars. Does this support Todd's theory of a Sasquatch being responsible? I am not convinced.
Personally, I tend to favor Occam's Razor in situations like this. Often, when we dig deeper, we discover that human motivations are behind such acts. It's fascinating to contemplate why a Sasquatch or a group of these elusive creatures would want to destroy this picturesque gondola. Yet, when it comes to Sasquatch, we are left to form our own opinions and distinguish between belief and mere grasping at straws as humans.
In my opinion, at least for some this appears to be a strategy to stay relevant in the world of Sasquatch by making extraordinary claims without providing the extraordinary evidence necessary to back them up. It's a clever way to create sensational videos with clickbait titles that generate the necessary views to sustain one's livelihood.
What are your thoughts on the matter? Feel free to email brian@paranormalworldproductions.com or leave us a voicemail using the buttons below.
Bigfoot Weekly Newsletter
Sasquatch Sunset Movie: Just Another Spoof?
Edition Two Originally Posted On Sunday February 18th, 2024
Hello everyone! I couldn't resist popping in one last time today, I promise! As it's our inaugural week of the newsletter, I thought it would be fitting to send out a little bonus entry and discuss something that has been weighing on my mind. Going forward, you can expect to receive the latest editions of the newsletter every Sunday, so keep a lookout in your inbox. And hey, don't forget to spread the word in all those Bigfoot groups and let your friends know about us too!
Over the past few weeks, I've noticed the buzz surrounding a new film called "Sasquatch Sunset" circulating on the internet. Many of my followers on social media have been reaching out to me, curious if I had any information or thoughts about the movie. Just yesterday, Wayne sent me the trailer, and I finally had the chance to watch it. Intrigued, I decided to investigate further on social media and stumbled upon various discussions in Bigfoot-related Facebook groups, where members were sharing their opinions on the teaser that had been released for the film. However, as with anything related to Sasquatch, there seems to be a dispute regarding whether the teaser or the trailer is the official one, with some claiming that the teaser was created by fans rather than the film distributor.
Regardless, I must admit that I wasn't impressed by what I saw. The film clearly intends to be a comedic spoof revolving around a family of Sasquatch. However, just thirty seconds into the trailer (which I'll link below), there is a scene portraying two of the Sasquatch characters engaging in a sexual act in the middle of the forest. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy having a good laugh and appreciate a well-executed comedy. But I believe there's a time and place for that. As someone who takes the subject of Sasquatch seriously, I don't think these sorts of spoofs do us any favors. Sure, movies like "Harry and the Hendersons" successfully blended humor with the topic, but this crude display without any context is simply unnecessary.
It's disheartening to see Hollywood choosing to mock the subject while sincere Sasquatch researchers often struggle to secure funding for their expeditions into the wilderness in search of answers. I long for a day when someone will dedicate substantial resources to conduct serious scientific studies on these creatures. Unfortunately, productions like this only perpetuate the social acceptance of mocking those of us who genuinely devote ourselves to this work.
From what little information I've gathered, reviews of the film have been mixed at best. Though unconfirmed, I've heard that many audience members walked out during the Sundance festival, where the film made its debut. As of now, "Sasquatch Sunset" has received twenty-two reviews on the popular movie review site Rotten Tomatoes, with a score of 77% Fresh, indicating a positive reception.
I did manage to find an article in Variety written by Peter Debruge, published on January 19th, 2024. In this piece, Debruge discusses the film and its portrayal of an "imaginary" nomadic species. Below is the full article for your reference.
‘Sasquatch Sunset’ Review: Hard to Believe the Zellner Brothers Could Pull Off an Earnest Art-House Bigfoot Movie
Austin-based indie directors David and Nathan Zellner have spent more time thinking about Sasquatch than most filmmakers do musing about human beings. In 2011, they brought “Sasquatch Birth Journal 2” to the Sundance Film Festival, a four-minute faux nature documentary in which a hirsute creature can be seen giving birth to an equally furry infant. Thirteen years later, the siblings return with “Sasquatch Sunset,” a one-joke feature that leaves the amateur videographer gimmick behind, committing itself to tracking a year in the lives of a Sasquatch family of four — let’s call them Big Foot, Mama Foot, Tender Foot and Buster (the runt of the litter).
In case you were wondering, the joke is that the film exists at all … because who would finance, much less star in, an 88-minute portrait of these apocryphal brutes? The late-arriving punchline comes with the end credits, when the names Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg appear beside blurry photographs of Mama and her sensitive, tree-hugging son, followed by a list of 25 executive producers. Top of that roster: Ari Aster, whose artistic partner Lars Knudsen was chief enabler on this highly eccentric project — which is admirable for the absurdist earnestness with which it was created.
Fun fact: Every year, at least a dozen Bigfoot movies are made, most of them either horror movies or crackpot docs. Few if any register with the general public in what amounts to one of the nichest genres (one that lends itself to low-budget movies, given the shaky-cam Patterson-Gimlin footage that started it all). Amid such meretricious competition, “Sasquatch Sunset” seems poised to become the most popular live-action Bigfoot movie since “Harry and the Hendersons,” if only for the sheer curiosity value.
Add to that the novelty of observing this (imaginary) nomadic species forage, feed, fart and fornicate in their natural habitat for a year without uttering a single word. To the creatures’ (and performers’) credit, they bark, snarl and hoot, all of which has been scripted and performed with a seriosity that borders on the comedic. But unlike the unintentionally hilarious Life Day segment from “The Star Wars Holiday Special” (spoken entirely in the Wookiee tongue), “Sasquatch Sunset” is funny by design. It’s just that the humor is pitched at such a strange register, somewhere between poignant and Sas-scatological — as in the scene where Foot family members defecate in their hands and sling the turds at the birds picking at a tragically deceased relative.
Believe it or not, “Sasquatch Sunset” is told in such a way that you feel for these beasts, experiencing genuine concern when the latest addition to the family stops breathing, and possibly even shedding a tear when Eisenberg’s “Tender” character (who takes time to interact with the local wildlife) gets trapped beneath a giant log. Be warned: A Foot (or four) don’t make it to the end, to the extent that the film’s title adds a low-key tension all its own. Could we be witnessing the final weeks of an elusive endangered species?
Compared to the hokey hair-suit outfit featured in the Zellners’ 2011 short, the costumes and makeup here are “Planet of the Apes”-level impressive (the original late-’60s-onward franchise, not the uncanny-valley sequels of more recent vintage). The directors make a welcome commitment to practical effects, which makes this unicorn of a movie all the more unique, in that it upholds an aesthetic that may also be going extinct. The “anatomically correct” Sasquatches look consistent with urban legend, with long hair sprouting from their chins and limbs, thinner around their chests and breasts. The males have thin pink genitals that point straight up when aroused — but unlike Walerian Borowczyk’s “The Beast,” it’s all in good taste.
Nathan Zellner embodies the alpha Big Foot patriarch, who’s taller and more aggressive than the others. Smaller in stature, Christophe Zajac-Denek plays the youngest, while Keough and Eisenberg are all but unrecognizable beneath all the furry prosthetics, though there’s a brilliance to the body language of all four, as well as what they manage to convey with their eyes. The movie encourages us to laugh, but it also wants us to care about these creatures — enough that we’ll invest the energy in interpreting their behavior, the way Jane Goodall might her gorillas. They act less like primates than primitive cavemen, oblivious to fire, always on the move, marking their territory when threatened (in one of the movie’s more disgusting scenes).
Gorgeously lensed by DP Michael Gioulakis — the eye behind “Us” and “It Follows” — in Humboldt County, Calif. (where giant footprints were found as early as 1958), “Sasquatch Sunset” makes the most of its untamed environs. The opening sequence alone, which patiently watches the sun rise over misty mountains dense with forests, sets the tone for what follows. The Zellners wink at the Patterson-Gimlin film with the Sasquatches’ first appearance, ambling upright through a beam of a sun in an otherwise murky clearing.
Shot on digital, but lit to look like a classic Disney nature feature — in a nod to an era when studios were routinely making movies about wild animals — the widescreen film manages to be achingly beautiful at times. That’s a feeling keenly enhanced by Austin-based experimental band The Octopus Project’s sublime atmospheric score, which lands somewhere between folk guitars around a campfire and the trippy cosmic stylings of Werner Herzog collaborators Popol Vuh.
The vast majority of moviegoers will have no interest in — much less patience for — what the Zellner brothers are doing with “Sasquatch Sunset,” but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t riveted. The movie is an out-there oddity, like 1973’s truly bizarre, absurdist urban parable “Themroc” (a super-obscure, ultra-weird title worth dropping for those curious enough to have read this far), and the Zellners succeed in reining practically any impulse that would spoil it. Sasquatches may not exist, but miraculously enough, this movie does, and like the creatures it depicts, it must be seen to be believed.
I find myself feeling a tinge of sadness when reflecting on films and spoofs that mock the Sasquatch phenomenon and the devoted community that revolves around it. While I understand the motives behind these productions, it bothers me that they overlook the possible negative impact it can have on a marginalized group of individuals who are already on the outskirts of society. This particular film seems to merely provide another opportunity to ridicule those of us who wholeheartedly believe in the existence of Sasquatch.
What do you think? Email me or leave me a voicemail and let me know your thoughts.
Brian
Bigfoot Weekly Newsletter
What Does Our Government Know About Sasquatch?
Edition One Originally Posted Sunday February 18th, 2024
For decades, the existence of Sasquatch, also known as Bigfoot, has captivated the minds of many. While scientists remain divided on whether this elusive creature truly exists, conspiracy theories have emerged, suggesting that the government may be concealing the truth.
I know it may sound far-fetched to entertain conspiracy theories about a creature that some consider a mere myth, but hear me out. Personally, I have long held the belief that the United States government has little to no knowledge about Sasquatch and is not involved in any vast cover-up. However, recent events have made me pause and reconsider.
In a recent episode of That Bigfoot Podcast titled "Military Bigfoot," Wayne and I discussed the H.A. Miller Document. Supposedly written by a medical doctor employed by the federal government, this document claims that the doctor examined several deceased Sasquatch. It goes into intricate detail about their anatomy and even suggests that the government had a twenty-year plan to gradually reveal the existence of Sasquatch to the American public, including implementing protections for the species in certain states.
While I wanted to believe in the authenticity of this document, something didn't feel right. To clear up my doubts, I reached out to Steve Kulls, also known as the Squatch Detective. Steve had already debunked the claim that H.A. Miller was a medical doctor, proving that the document's claims were baseless. After speaking with Steve, I discovered that Linda Newton Perry was the actual source of the document, and it was purely a work of fiction.
Although this mystery was solved, it doesn't mean that the US government is completely ignorant of Sasquatch's existence. Recently, during a conversation with author, Bigfoot researcher, and fellow podcaster WJ Sheehan, he reached over off-camera and revealed a large map measuring three and a half feet by five feet. WJ explained that he received this map from a retired military friend who obtained it during a meeting before military training exercises. As he unfolded the map, he showed me a section labeled "Evasion Chart (EVC) EVC TRNGUS-02A Training Chart 4th Edition October 2007."
To my untrained eye, the map appeared official. WJ proceeded to unfold the portion that listed the dangerous animals in the training area. As he unveiled each animal, I read their names and examined their pictures. Among them was Sasquatch, or Bigfoot. I had to do a double take. Was I really looking at an officially issued military map with a depiction and description of Sasquatch? It certainly seemed that way. Screenshots from our video interview displaying this map can be seen below.
If this map is indeed authentic and distributed to numerous soldiers, why is there such a lack of information about it? Why wouldn't the government disclose the existence of Sasquatch to the general public? There are countless reasons why they might withhold this information, but that's a topic for another discussion.
Nevertheless, it raises the question: What does the US government truly know about Sasquatch? I invite you to share your thoughts and opinions by emailing me using the button below.
