October is usually a month in which storm chasers go into hiding for the long winter. But October 4th, 2015 changed all of that with the first ever ChaserCon Canada in Regina, SK. Storm chasers from all areas converged at the Travelodge Hotel to participate in an all-day gathering to meet face-to-face, and chat weather and photography.
Reed Timmer was the lead-off guest speaker via video conference, presenting on various chasing experiences, old and recent. Justin Hobson then gave a presentation on the Elie, MB tornado event. Hobson presented a great amount of information about the context and impact of the event.
After lunch, the discussion panels were up next. Three panels highlighted the afternoon: Media Panel, Storm Chaser Panel, and Photography Panel. Each panel represented the wide geographical attendance and experience at the convention very well.
The media panel discussed the changing ways in how weather is presented to the masses, and the roles that storm chasers can have in that process. The storm chaser panel discussed experiences and weather patterns. The photography panel then shared photos along with tips and tricks with the crowd.
Where there are storm chasers, there are storm chase vehicles, and the Travelodge parking lot made it easy to tell where the action was on Sunday. While the vehicles were not on official "display", I took the chance to check out some of the vehicles piloted by fellow chasers that I had only had the opportunity to see in photos or videos before.
In addition to stimulating weather conversation, the event also included many giveaways of photography, weather, and storm chasing inspired products for those in attendance. The bulk of the proceedings were also live streamed on YouTube for weather fans across the country to be able to experience the first ever ChaserCon Canada in a virtual way. The event also caught the attention of some local media.
When it was all said and done, ChaserCon Canada drew a great deal of awesome weather enthusiasts, storm chasers, photographers, and all of the above. Special thanks goes to Chris Ratzlaff, and all the people to helped with administration, panels, and contributed items for the giveaways. ChaserCon Canada 2015 was a great success and is surely a sign of even better things to come in Canadian Storm Chasing!
How about you? Where you at ChaserCon Canada 2015? Tell us what you thought of the event! Tell us what you would like to see there next year!
Comments