Out-of-bounds skiers face lifetime ban at Grouse

Scott Neufeld - North Shore Outlook Published: January 02, 2009

Three skiers and a snowboarder may be slapped with a lifetime ban at Grouse Mountain for ducking under a ski area boundary rope. The group headed out of bounds despite safety patrollers ordering them to return to the controlled area. According to a release from Grouse Mountain, the men ignored these instructions and entered a hazardous and avalanche prone area. "Due to the extreme hazard the Grouse Mountain Safety Patrol and North Shore Rescue were unable to enter the area after the violators," said spokesman William Mbaho in the release. "A helicopter search was initiated immediately." North Shore Search and Rescue returned the four men to the controlled area by 1:45 p.m. Mbaho said the men refused to give their names and are now being questioned by police. According to Mbaho, the men will be billed the full cost of the search and recovery effort.This is the first boundary transgression of the ski season at Grouse in North Vancouver, according to Mbaho. The names of the individuals will be circulated to all of the ski resorts in B.C. "Grouse Mountain wishes to remind all mountain users to respect all closed areas, and to follow all hazard warnings for their own safety and the safety of safety personnel and rescuers that must come to their aid," said Mbaho.