Revised - Whitehorse residents were struck with the first real snow of the season Thursday morning – and it wasn’t pretty.

Traffic was snarled on all of the slippery hills approaching the downtown area during the rush hour.

At 8:30 a.m., downtown-bound traffic on the Hamilton Boulevard Extension/Robert Service Way was backed up beyond the roundabout on Hamilton Boulevard, past the Lobird roundabout.

Traffic was also slowed considerably on Two Mile Hill and Mountainview Drive, where the commute downtown took as long as 40 minutes.

As well, Alaska Highway traffic heading toward downtown from the north was backed up into Crestview.

Oshea Jephson, a spokesperson for the city, told the Star at 9:40 Thursday morning the storm wasn’t causing any particular problems.

“As soon as the snow started to fall, our sanders were on the road with a sand/salt mix,” Jephson said.

“The snow came down really quick and stuck, so by using sand/salt, we can provide traction for road users and help that snow melt away.

“Our skid-steers are also clearing active transportation trails, and graders are clearing roads where we’re seeing more accumulation,” he added. 

“Traffic is moving slower than usual, and so we’re asking road users to be mindful of conditions and be patient with each other,” Jephson said.

“Crews will be out throughout the day, and hopefully, we have a few more days of warm weather left before winter really sets in,” he added.

Coun. Ted Laking took to X (formerly Twitter) to write, “Several cars stuck in their lane on the hill on Mountainview (Drive).”

He also noted the Alaska Highway was bumper-to-bumper clear out to Trails North at Crestview.

The vehicles that got stuck on the relatively new road linking the Whistle Bend approach/exit to the Mountainview Drive roundabout included a city bus, its flashers activated.

At least one user on Facebook was asking the city to prioritize sanding the hills in the city.

Billy Hueb wrote, “Prioritize the hills please. Especially out of Whistle Bend both sides, Mountainview, back end of Range Road, the 12th Ave. hill.”

Neither of the Range Road hills leading down to McIntyre Creek were sanded in time for Thursday morning’s commute.

That led to more than a dozen vehicles spinning out or spinning their tires on the inclines. Once stopped, they couldn’t regain traction on the icy, snowy road surface.

Several drivers who had alighted from their vehicles wondered why the city had not sanded the hills a couple of hours earlier, particularly since the snow had been forecast on Wednesday.

Others spoke of lengthy delays trying to have their winter tires installed at busy local shops.

A man who recently moved here from Nunavut asked if the City of Whitehorse was, in his view, always “caught off-guard” by the season’s first snowfall.

A stranded mother of two children – including a five-month-old girl – who had driven into the city from Mendenhall said she was cancelling her planned activities to return home as soon as possible.

She said Alaska Highway conditions had been good during her trip in from the community west of Whitehorse, and her problems had only begun once she’d reached the city.

As the motorists stuck on Range Road fretted about being late for work and daycare drop-offs, two city sand trucks finally arrived shortly before 10 a.m. to sand the two hills and get the paralyzed Range Road traffic moving out of the McIntyre Creek crossing area.

One of the hills was so slippery, the driver of one of the heavy sand trucks found his own rear wheels spinning, and had to back down to take a second run at the incline.

A tow truck had arrived to help, but the driver had found the road surface too treacherous to attempt to pull vehicles up the hills.

A city bylaw officer was on the scene waiting with the stranded motorists for the sand trucks to arrive.

The city said in a later statement: “Motorists are asked to drive to conditions:

Account for extra stopping and starting distance.

Make sure your vehicle is clear of snow for maximum visibility.

Change over to winter tires.

Watch out for other road users and be patient with each other.”

The territorial Department of Highways and Public Works posted a message late Thursday morning on its Facebook page:

“Road conditions are slippery this morning! Our road maintenance crews have been on the road since 4:30 am. Much of the Yukon is seeing wet snowfall.

“Please give our team space to work. Don’t tailgate and never pass a highway maintenance truck on the right-hand side.”

The department said in an email to the Star:

“There are no highway closures as a result of the snow. Our road maintenance crews have been working hard this morning to plow the highways. People can get the most up-to-date information on highway conditions by checking 511 Yukon.

“As always, it is important people are prepared for winter driving and are driving in accordance to the road conditions.”

Brad Cathers, the Yukon Party MLA for Lake Laberge, told the legislature Thursday afternoon that some of his constituents and some school bus drivers “would have benefited from some plowing this morning” on area highways.