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B.C. budget highlights:

THE VOICE OF NGRTH AND WEST VANCGUVER

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March 20, 1987 News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 76 pages 25¢

New snow sport safety questioned |

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CYPRESS BOWL Recreations Ltd. (CBRL) has become the
first ski facility im B.C. to allow snowboards on its chair-
lifts, but management of other area mountains doubt
whether the new sport will mix safely with downhill and
cross-country skiing.

International Snowboard
Association (ISA) president David

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Ewens said Wednesday the West
Vancouver ski area opened its fa-
cilities to the associaition March
15, ‘and we had about 17 people
turn out and that was without any
advertising.”’

The snowboard program will be .

assessed over the balance of the ski
season, CBRL general manager
Wayne Booth said.

“We want to see how it
(snowboarding) integrates with
downhill skiers,’?: Booth | said.
‘And right now there doesn’t ap-
pear to be any problem.’”

He added that CBRL decided to
seek approval for the boards after
studying the snowboard program
at Washington State’s Mount
Baker.

Snowboarding, he said, will ini-
tially be allowed on the mountain
during non-peak hours.

But other North Shore moun-

Snowboards, which range in
price from $200 to $1,000, repre-
sent the latest mountain sport ex-
port from the United States.

Its popularity has since spread to
Europe.

The boards, outfitted with ski
bindings and metal edges, are rid-
den the same way as a skate or surf
board, with feet perpendicular to
the direction of the ride.
Snowboarders do not use ski poles.
The boards are stopped by sliding
sideways.

SNOW SURFING

“t's like surfing in the snow,"'
Ewens said, ‘‘completely different
from skiing.’’

Ministry of Transportation and
Highways spokesman Charlie

SNOWBOARDING ON CYPRESS: SEE PHOTO ON PAGE 3

tains have yet to be convinced that
snowboarders can be successfully
integrated with the more tradi-
tional mountain sports such as
downhill and cross-country skiing.

INTEGRATION

“At this time we do not permit
snowboards,’’ Grouse Mountain
operations manager Rick Temple
said Wednesday. ‘‘We just don’t
see them as being conducive to our
operation.”’

Shave said the boards have been
approved for use in B.C. for the
Past seven or eight years, but a
new set of guidelines covering their
use was issued Feb. 18.

Unlike mono-skis, which are
ridden with both feet together on
one ski and are covered by the
same regulations that cover regular
skis, snowboards can only be used
by certified snowboarders.

The boards can be used on all

See Liability
Page 2