The Squamish Chief
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70C t GST ullets send climbers scurr Glenn Payan and his partner east of the Brennan Park Leisure Port Moody and has been estab- the area susceptible to ricochets were climbing on a crag called Centre. lishing new climbs on The from the gun club. The Exhibit, about 75 metres "I heard a big crack to our left Exhibit, knew about the poten- Further up the trail at The Art north of The Art Gallery, which and then heard the gunshot. tial danger of climbing in the Gallery, Dean Hart and Elspeth is located inline with rifle range 'There's your ricochet that's hap- vicinity of the gun club. He said Hather, who had earlier been targets at the Squamish Valley pening, I thought," Payan said he thought The Exhibit would climbing near Payan, starting Rod and Gun Club ranges, just Monday Payan, who is from be far enough over to be out of yelling as a bullet knocked a branch off a tree thrce metres froin where they were standing. "i couldn't believe it, that yes, the branch did fall 10 feet away from our heads," Hart said, adding that it sounded like a bullet also hit the cliff. In all, Payan counted about 10 bullets coming near the climbers between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. "There were too many for it be a coincidence. It seemed strange there were that many shots, too many shots for ricoch~ts,~' Payan said. The rifle range cannot be seen from the top of The Exhibit, and the climbers at The Art Gallery left the area before they were within the sight of anyone using the rifle range. Jim De La Mare, president of the rod and gun club, said Monday as soon as he heard about the incident, he called the caretakers of the rifle range and found out only pistol shooters were at the range between 430 p.m. and 5 p.m. De La Mare said that the bullets from pistols could not reach the crags. Hril from a description of wlim Thc Exhibit is located, he said it appears the crag is at the end of the pistol range. The crags arc oting Gallery - A gun club member takes aim at a target on crags of The Art Gallery, a rock climbing area susceptible to rico- on Crown land and are not part rifle range Saturday. Looming above and to the left are the cheting bullets. Ross Wahlphoto of the gun club's four-hcctarc lease area. However, the crags are part of a Ministry of Transportation and Highways bers not welcome on crags neargun club quarry imp reserve. climbs in the Squamish area. She told Jim De La Mare, a rod and Hart said he and Hather sat in gun club representative who appeared before council, that the club the parking lot before hiking up should proceed as soon as possible to apply to have its lease area to The Art Gallery, but only expanded to include the climbing area. heard a couple of shots. He had "We have to do something so climbers and hikers will not fre- climbed there years before, but quent that area," Lonsdale said. returned after hearing about the Ironically, council was dealing with the issue because of a letter new climbs on the crag. But on its agenda to the mayor from Anders Ourom, a director of the unless there is a compromise so , should a climber be shot. Climbers' Access Society of British Columbia. Ourom in his letter climbers can use the crag at cer- t the district inform and involve the Climbers' Access tain times when all is quiet at process or decision of the district which affects or the gun club, Hart would not bers' access to the cliffs at Squamish, including The recommend climbing at The Art Gallery. d gun club has been in the area for about 50 years. "I don't recommend climbers Climbs were first established in the late 1980s. The issue of the con- go there at all - I think it's the two user groups of the area became prominent absolutely ludicrous." ng with more climbs being established and the area Squamish RCMP Sgt. Dwaine Please turn to Rijle, Page 2 Please hrrn to Clittiber, Page 2 ROXSUYD A. BADKE service at reasonable rates. Katherine Beech By Andy Stonehouse now almost everything is in place. RACEtk ~ “I would be surprised if the election i COMPANY There are signs in the air of a possible provincial this Noveinb&,” Nebbeling said. ”I’d say ther election this fall and West Vancouver-Garibaldi a 50-50 chance of it happening right now.” Liberal candidate Ted Nebbeling says he’s get- Nebbeling says he signed up 125 v ting his election machine fired up and ready to his campaign effort and managed to nab 18 DOUGLAS B. rnSSON go. Nebbeling, who’s been keeping himself busy party members during Friday’s informal ga Divorce Trial Lawyer as Whistler’s mayor, may be spending more time ing. wearing the hat of an MLA-hopeful as suspicions “It was the first time in many years of a fall election grow. actually wanted to stand in line to get The Whistler mayor held a pre-campaign kick- fill it out, rather than being pushed Contested and Uncontested Divorces off barbecue at his home in Whistler on Friday sured to participate,” he says. evening, attracting almost 200 friends and sup- Nebbeling also attended a weekend meeti Child Custody and Access porters including several sitting MLAs. with other provincial Liberal hopefuls, prepari Separation Agreements Speaking to the crowd, Nebbeling said he was their strategy for the fall. In the weeks to co afraid earlier in the week that B.C. Premier Mike Nebbeling says he will also hold a similar kic Child and Spousal Maintenance Harcourt would announce an election before barbecue for his West Vancouver sup Cohabitation and Marriage Agreements Nebbeling and his supporters had time to pre- says he expects to line up about 30 Property Division pare their posters and campaign materials - but for the southern component of his ca Whistler Squamish 332-4370 Lorimer Road 201-1365 Pemberton Ave. iifle range realignment not possible 932-3211 892-5254/932-6938 Continired froni Page 1 a highly sought after form of ing B.C. Lands advertise wit becoming increasingly popular climbing. He added that The sign about the danger in with climbers. Meetings were Art Gallery is the only sport area. held on-site in July with repre- climbing crag in the Squamish sentation from the district, area (sport climbing is a kind of Ministry of Transportation and climbing where routes are folly Climber Highways, B.C. Lands, the rod protected with fixed safety and gun club and the RCMP. equipment). It offers climbing Another meeting in July was 12 months of the year. won’t returdrz held at the rod and gun club. De La Mare said the rod and Continired from Page 1 No climbers were invited to any gun club will be sending to B.C. Wetteland, in response to of these meetings, said Kevin Lands an application to expand complaint registered by Pay McLane, a director of the its lease area. said Monday he was at a 1 Climbers’ Access Society and “We want you to get that about how to resolve author of the new Squamish application in there right flict between the t rock climbing guide book. away,“ Lonsdale said. groups. He said if Lonsdale said it was deter- If B.C. Lands approves the called the detachment as mined realignment of the rifle application, the request would problem was occurring range is not possible. And De La be referred to council and other police would have no Mare said it would cost about agencies, who will have a for- but to ask gun club $1.5 million to build an indoor mal opportunity to comment on stop using the range becau warehouse for a range. the application. the danger. Lonsdale said climbers should However, a letter from B.C. De La Mare said gun be considered and that recre- Lands to the Climbers’ Access members will have th ation should be available for all Society says that societies are bership revoked and o the various seckors. However, not normally included in the users (the range is open to she said climbers should use the referral process.The letter also public) will be evicted if the Smoke Bluffs or the Chief for says that B.C. Lands position is shoot when climbers are see climbing. that the rod and gun club “must on the crags. McLane said the climbs on confine its activities” within the He has also put up The Art Gallery include pocket lease boundaries. telling gun club users to climbing, which is unique to the Coun. Ted Craddock added shots low. “All we want Squamish Area. He said the nat- that a letter should be sent from common sense in the n ural pockets in the rock provide council to B.C. Lands request- safety.” IC - I__ .. THE SQUAMISH CHIEF . SEPTERIBER 26,1995 P 3 c NEWS TIPS? CALl US (604) 892-9161 OR FAX (60.1)892-6483 ew computer system approved for parks and recreation. pproval for the acquisition of the number priority of the parks and recreation e system will save on staff and that even more money will have to pent on maintenance agreements. Cycling network plan too late for 1996 funding h is not likely to have in place in time to r.t in 1996 to develop Stripping The Trees Not Necessary - Coun.