Squamish - Volunteer Tools Needed

[Dru]

If youve always wanted to be a cop, roaming around making sure others aren't smoking:

 

Tuesday 2nd September 2003

Climbers' Access Society of B.C. (CASBC)

 

Apologies for the broadcast message. Please forward it, or print/copy it, as you think fit.

 

This message is with regard to further limitations on climbing in the Squamish area, due to forest fire hazard, and to call for volunteers to help patrol open climbing areas, and keep them open.

 

(CASBC sent a broadcast e-mail last Friday, 29th August, about the B.C. government's closure of most forest and park land in southern B.C., and how this affected climbers and mountaineers. A supplement was sent on Saturday, with further details. Please e-mail if you need copies. This message is a further supplement.)

 

The closure of most climbing areas and mountaineering destinations in southern B.C. continues. There is some new information about climbing areas near Squamish, as follows:

- All areas outside Stawamus Chief, Shannon Falls and Murrin Provincial Parks remain closed

- The Little Smoke Bluffs remain closed

- The Stawamus River Road is blocked at the Apron, so climbs within the park past that point are de facto closed. This includes the Sheriff's Badge area, Angel's Crest, North Walls, and "Squaw".

- The Papoose and Shannon Falls Wall will be closed effective Wednesday 3rd September.

 

B.C. Parks has been patrolling the open areas in the parks, to encourage responsible behaviour and enforce the prohibition on smoking. Unfortunately, due to the end of seasonal contracts, and perhaps also to government cutbacks, they no longer have enough staff to do this. They have asked the Squamish Rockclimbers' Association, with help from CASBC, to take on regular walk-throughs of trails in open climbing areas in Stawamus Chief, Shannon Falls, and Murrin Provincial Parks, particularly to ensure compliance with the prohibition on smoking (all types).

 

If climbers cannot provide enough volunteers to patrol the open areas, these parks will be closed to climbing.

 

The general closure of forests and parks will continue until 14th September, or until there is significant rain, when the government will review it. If the Chief and area are now closed to climbing, they may not re-open for some time.

 

If you plan on climbing at Squamish any time in the next two weeks, please do your bit and volunteer to help with patrols!!

 

Volunteers can sign up at the Valhalla Pure Outfitters and Climb On Equipment stores in Squamish. Parks wants at least four patrols/day of each area and trail, starting Wednesday 3rd September, and hopes for more. If there are enough volunteers, there is some chance of re-opening Shannon Falls Wall and the Papoose.

 

Contact information as follows:

 

Valhalla Pure Outfitters

#805 - 1200 Hunter Place (Squamish Station)

(604) 892-9092

squamish@vpo.ca

 

Climb On Equipment

1355 Pemberton Avenue

(604) 892-2243

 

You can call, e-mail, or go to each store in person to sign up for a pleasant walk in the forest, maybe a bit of socializing, and to help your fellow climbers.

 

Thanks to everyone for their co-operation so far. And thanks to Parks for its helpful approach, despite limited resources, and Murray Sovereign for his work on this.

 

Hopefully the situation won't last too much longer - a friend noted that its not every decade that there's a bunch of climbers hanging around B.C., or Squamish, hoping for some rain. It may be a story to tell the grandchildren.

 

We hope Adopt-a-Crag, this Saturday 6th September in the Grand Wall boulders at Squamish, will go ahead as planned, and are well prepared for it. CASBC will circulate an e-mail no later than Thursday to confirm whether it will happen on the 6th, or be postponed, and with full details of the event.

 

Anders I. Ourom (director, CASBC)

Vancouver, B.C.

(604) 228-1798