Slide, not avalanche, hits Grouse Grind
Posted December 23, 2012 5:54 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – The Grouse Grind has been hit by a slide.
Reports of what was thought to be an avalanche at the 3/4 mark of the Grind came in at about 10 a.m. Police and the North Shore Rescue were alerted by hikers. A search team including a helicopter and a trained rescue dog were dispatched to scan the area for possible people in trouble.
It was later determined the slide was triggered by a fallen tree.
Although no one was hurt, the North Shore Rescue is reminding you to avoid using the trail. The organization’s Tim Jones says you’ll easily find hundreds of hikers on it every day, even though the trail is closed and the avalanche risk is high.
“I don’t know what it’s going to take. It’s probably going to be a fatality, ” says Jones, who points out search missions on the Grind are a lot worse than finding skiers out of bounds.
“If things go wrong on the Grind, it takes a long time to get into that area. It’s a very difficult area to get into, and there are so many access points you can get into, so the Grind is actually more dangerous,” explains Jones.
He doesn’t think fines will deter people from staying off the trail. The unit believes fines will stop hikers from reaching out for help when in distress.
“We can’t fence the whole mountain. We warn people very early on in the fall that the trail will be closing due to ice and snow conditions, word is out there,” adds Ken Juvik with Metro Vancouver.
He agrees penalties may not be the best deterrent.
But some people at Grouse feel those using the trail in the winter should pay a penalty.
“I mean I think people shouldn’t be doing things that they’re not supposed to be doing. I think those rules are in place for a reason for the safety of everyone in the public. I think there’s nothing wrong with them getting a fine,” explains Michelle who was visiting the mountain with her family.
“It’s closed for a reason and it’s closed to keep the public safe. I don’t know if fines are in order but there should certainly be some sort of deterrent and maybe a fine would be the right one,” says Kittie who lives near the mountain.
Others argue even if a fine was possible, die hard hikers would continue climb the ground.
About a decade ago, a person died in an avalanche on the Grind.
