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322 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 07:33 AM
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About 15-20 tonnes of rock has hit the Stawamus Chief trail, damaging one of the staircases on the lower part of the popular hiking trail, about 200 metres up from the trailhead. The rock slab started a few metres above the trail, and then broke up as it hit the trail.
The rock fall occurred at about 5:15 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012, a minute or two after 4 hikers passed by (my daughter was one of them!).
The trail is presently closed until BC Parks can remove some of the loose rock that is still present above the trail.
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Edited by - FrankB on 06/19/2012 08:36 AM
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Van, BC
Canada
2784 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 07:36 AM
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Woh, cool!
-Ryan
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
330 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 08:31 AM
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Good thing it didn't happen on a sunny weekend!
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Edited by - noman on 06/19/2012 08:32 AM |
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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 09:13 AM
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NEW BOULDER PROBLEMS
get up there quick and you could make a first ascent! |
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357 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 10:40 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Dru
NEW BOULDER PROBLEMS
get up there quick and you could make a first ascent!
 Amsome! |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
2659 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 11:49 AM
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Oh my!  |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13445 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 12:13 PM
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That is one big chunk of rock.
A new route around needed.
K |
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Kootenay Bud
2695 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 7:51 PM
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| Chance or all the rain? |
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322 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 9:52 PM
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I was up there today doing an assessment with BC Parks- here's another shot of the biggest piece of rock that fell- and landed directly on the trail. Based on measurements, I estimate this piece alone weighs about 20 tonnes! All told, about 25-30 tonnes of rock came down. The other piece mentioned in an earlier post is at the bottom of the staircase visible at lower left.
There is no obvious reason why the rock mass fell when it did- it was raining on Saturday, but not unusually so, and this area would not have had any unusual runoff. There are also some tree roots visible where the toe of the rock mass once was- maybe these provided some pressure.
The trail is still closed- we removed most of the loose rock today, and a professional scaling crew is coming in tomorrow (Wednesday) to clear the rest. They then need to drill and blast the boulder sitting on the stairs- this may happen on Thursday.
Anyway, the hope is to get the trail re-opened by the weekend.
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Edited by - FrankB on 06/19/2012 10:09 PM |
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322 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 10:07 PM
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So despite the obvious hazard and the big signs telling people that the trail is closed, we still counted at least a dozen people coming down the trail even before we started the scaling operation today!
Most people were ordinary hikers- but there was also one women who came down carrying her young baby, and a couple who had brought their dogs up the trail!
Of course, I would die happy if something came down.
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canine loving, machete-toting bushwhacking lake seeker, Indiana Jones hat-wearing off-road 4x4 guru
Surrey Hole, BC
Canada
6773 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 10:55 PM
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| that would be expected, no one takes warnings or suggestions seriously any more. |
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Manitoba's misadventurin' bushwhackin', dog sloggin', dehydratin', beer drinkin' biggie - who's eager to peak bag Mt Currie in a dress
Squamish
5040 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 11:12 PM
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| Too bad it didn't fall lower down at that really narrow spot where there are no stairs. A rock like that would have filled the gap nicely and made it easier to get a stretcher down :) |
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Ladner, BC
Canada
1176 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 12:16 AM
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i was wondering why they were handing out crowbars at the last pro-gondola meeting...
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322 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 12:26 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Aqua Terra
that would be expected, no one takes warnings or suggestions seriously any more.
True. If you went to anyone exposed to a hazard the day before a natural disaster and warned them of the problem, they'd tell you to get lost (unless they are suicidal, of course).
But if you don't warn them, and they or their next of kin survive, they sue you for compensation, claiming you didn't warn or protect them from their own stupidity. |
Edited by - FrankB on 06/20/2012 07:44 AM |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
97 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 07:44 AM
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Question - is the rockfall and trail closure above or below the connector trail from the Shannon Falls parking area?
Thanks |
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322 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 07:55 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Urban trekker
Question - is the rockfall and trail closure above or below the connector trail from the Shannon Falls parking area?
Thanks
It is about 100 metres ABOVE the connector with the Shannon Falls trail; the trail is closed right at the junction. So you can still walk up to the Shannon Falls trail and do it.
Everyone should be warning their friends- especially climbers- that it is likely that they will be doing some blasting of the boulders on Thursday, so they should stay well-away from this area. Obviously, they will have guards posted on the trail both below and above the site of the blast, but one can never be too careful with blasting.
On one of my industrial sites once, a blast threw a basketball-sized boulder over 300 metres, narrowly missing a car with four workers inside. |
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1603 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 08:14 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by FrankB
The rock fall occurred at about 5:15 pm on Monday, June 18, 2012, a minute or two after 4 hikers passed by (my daughter was one of them!).
Seems like a bit too much of a coincidence... Maybe someone was getting their dad some extra work as a belated Father's Day gift. Does your daughter happen to hike with any TNT or crowbars? |
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322 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 08:52 AM
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Well, I probably shouldn't admit this- but I do jobs like this as a community service and don't charge. BC Parks needs to preserve their meagre budget for doing more useful things; I'm a strong supporter of their program.
Here is another shot of the boulder- notice that the trail disappears under the big boulder (I did check for any signs of a squished body). The new trail will be on the right where John is standing.
We are Christians, and my wife had specifically prayed that morning to keep our daughter safe; for some reason, she had an uncomfortable feeling that something wasn't right. Needless to say, when we heard what happened, we thanked God for an answer to prayer. Imagine, if she had been delayed by one traffic light driving to get there, she might have been killed!
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North Vancouver, BC
Canada
1603 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 09:07 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by FrankB
Well, I probably shouldn't admit this- but I do jobs like this as a community service and don't charge. BC Parks needs to preserve their meagre budget for doing more useful things; I'm a strong supporter of their program.
Here is another shot of the boulder- notice that the trail disappears under the big boulder (I did check for any signs of a squished body). The new trail will be on the right where John is standing.
We are Christians, and my wife had specifically prayed that morning to keep our daughter safe; for some reason, she had an uncomfortable feeling that something wasn't right. Needless to say, when we heard what happened, we thanked God for an answer to prayer. Imagine, if she had been delayed by one traffic light driving to get there, she might have been killed!
Hi Frank,
Of course I was just joking around. It's really great that you volunteer your time to the parks and I'm glad your daughter was safe. |
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322 Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 09:56 AM
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Oh of course I understood the gist of what you were saying- I smiled too! 
But I am a bit worried about the fee that my daughter is going to charge me for the new business- she doesn't work on a percentage of money earned basis. |
Edited by - FrankB on 06/20/2012 09:58 AM |
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 06/20/2012 : 10:16 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by FrankB
Everyone should be warning their friends- especially climbers- that it is likely that they will be doing some blasting of the boulders on Thursday, so they should stay well-away from this area.
Frank you should post up some information on squamishclimbing.com too. |
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Topic |
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Rock fall Has Closed the Stawamus Chief Trail!
