Two Revelstoke-based backcountry skiers fined by the provincial court on Wednesday weren't the first pair to face penalization for entering a restricted Glacier National Park zone last winter, but they did receive a reduced penalty this time.

Margaret Elizabeth Hlushak and Matthew Charles Kotze each left the Revelstoke Courthouse on Oct. 1, with a fine of $500 for contravening the Canada National Parks Act, for accessing the park's West Rogers Winter Restricted Area last April.

Every year from November until April or May, Parks Canada runs a winter permit system that requires skiers, snowboarders and other recreationists to abide by total and temporary closures in avalanche-prone areas of Glacier.

The federal agency's priority every winter is protecting the Trans-Canada Highway corridor

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