‘Abbotsford man. =: Tuesday. ' “tumble at West Vancouver's Lighthouse Park. “getting better from. a shattered . Shoulder. blade, cracked elbow, lac- adding he’s now paying for that mistake. . makes ‘mistake’, _ plummets 13m. » A 24-YEAR-OLD man is on -the mend after becoming the . “second climber in a month to my mistake... [don’t take By lan Noble News Reporter. - Peter Faiconer said he’s sore but “erations, and. broken bones in’ his wrist end hand. ‘ Undaunted, he plans to continue his climbing career when he is able to., _Falconer said his hand popped off a hand-hold before he fell approximately 40 feet (13 metres) to the boulders - - below Saturday afternoon. “T ended up slipping and it was my mistake.” he said, trouble, injury. Faiconer's. rescue was a joint effort of the West Vancouver Fire. Department. the coast guard, the ambu- « lance service, and climbers and walkers at the scene. are, He: was released. from ‘Lions Gate Hospital on Fis | “At the time of the accident, Falconer was climbing on the rocks without the aid of ropes — a method. not rec-! ‘ommended by The Edge Climbing Centre s Al Fischer. | Gs 1 ended up slipping and it was climbing lightly. 99 _~ Climber Peter Falconer certainly said North “Is something we frown on and discourage.” Fischer. co-owner of. the Vancouver business. Falconer, who has climbed for seven years, agreed many people in the climbing community won't agree with free-soloing. but he added there is an essence of freedom - to it that draws: him. Falconer suid he is a good. avid climber who has soloed routes up to 30 metres (100 feet). “fF don't take. climbing lightly,” Said the Abbotsford resident. He has free-soloed most of the routes at Lighthouse Park, Gerry Moores, coxswain of the coust guard cutter Osprey, which is often: called to -assist-in rescues at Lighthouse Park, suid the climbers with roves itre [ess likely to get into On June U1, another man climbing without ropes had to be rescued by hovercraft trom the sume urea after falling 4.5 metres (15 feet), said West Vancouver assis- tant fire chief Steve Sentes The climber suffered scrapes and bruises and a head Sentes said that climbers using ropes are not a prob- lem for the fire department, but climbers without ropes her said Lighthouse Park is popular with after- work or school climbers who can’t make it to Squamish, 4 popular destination for climbers. Noting thousands have climbed in Squamish and only ~ one fatality has. occurred, Fischer said the sport is safe, “He. said i in general only very few professionals * ‘free . LIGHTHOUSE PARK has become poputer: with local as “If you cumpare it to driving up there (to Squamiish),” ;, but they don't alt: use ropes and that has led to injuries. he laughed. | Doctors: won't know the: lab resulls for at least several days. Daly Pat Pelly, Pelly’s s ‘former wile, said her son drove Pelly to Lions Gate Hospital at about 1am. Saturday morning after her son heard. | Pelly moaning. i! While going to the hospital. Pelly got out of the car ‘and vomited umerous times, she: said. * : * Pelly was transferred to St. Paul’ sin Vaticouver and was ina coma, *! Some. of. the: ‘disease’s ‘symptoms include fever, sore. muscles, cadaches; shortness of breathy and vomiting, said t the Minisuy of: -Heaith: fo . _years. «People most at risk of of eatehing the hantavirus are those frequent- : ly exposed to rodents, such as wildlife. biologists and pest extermina- ; tors. ; Others at risk are those working i in attics or ‘crawl spaces, and those A friend of Pelly’s told the News Pelly had been at his Whistler abin July 3 cleaning a dead raccoon out of the attic. On July 6, Pelly complained of not feeling well, said the friend, The next day, however, Pelly had bounced back and was coaching a basketball clinic... 2. When the friend found. out Pelly was in intensive care, he was “The guy ran five kilometres every day and he weight-ihed with .” he'said. . . “it was like he was 37, not 47 or 48. ” People get the disease when they, breathe. in the virus, ‘which j a | found in the urine, saliva, or droppings of infected rodents. : In North America, about 60% of people who catch the virus die. “The Health Ministry recommends people use gloves when -han- ° dling dead rodents, ventilate or spray areas in which rodents live before cleaning and wear dust masks: ~ oc The disease was first discovered in the southwestern United States J in 1993. In Caaada, the virus was initially found i in B.Cin imid- 1994, ‘“wheil three cases were reported. ! Daly," who ‘investigated the only confirmed case “of hantavirus in B.C. this year, said the disease hus been found in mice in Ontario and i provinces to the wes! . Pelly, taught busines sand Physic al ‘education al Sentivil for n . He also voluntecred his services as cotch of many “school teams. “Memorial services for Pelly are scheduled to be held at Seawalk Garden park at:the foot of: 19th Street in West Vancouver at | pane “f THE . Transportation ‘and Highways ‘process has ‘gone on song enough. MiNi ‘of has again ‘pushed ” tack the release date of its short-list of options for the First Nanows “crossing. This’ time to December. By Kevin Gillies ; Contributing Writer The Ministry. (MoH) had. expect- ed to make’ public its short-list-of options. for the landmark by October. The list will identify three or four of | technical - 20 options: for “further . review and will be the product of sev- eral studies and consultation precess- es. “With, sod ‘turned Wednesday ‘to, "officially start construction of the Westview Interchange ‘on the Upper Levels Highway. Lions Gate Bridge is f the last bottleneck on the North Shore ~ stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway and it should be treated as high-prior- : ity, according to West Vancouver- Garibaldi MLA David Mitchell. MoTH said it expects to hold pub- lic meetings ‘in September to’ update citizens on the project's progress and to release the studies* findings. The studies -include: tunnelling feasibility in’ Stanley. Park, air: and “noise pollution, south shore traffic - impact and environmental impact. But Mitchell says the consultation “te time to stop this consultation craze” he said. “We don't need any ‘more consul- ation: we've got to get on with the: “urgent. need to improve’ ‘that First Narrows crossing.” - . ‘Mitchell told the News’ “that with the October reledse of the short-list, a decision on the final choice should be . ready by carly: 1996. { Oke ushed back 1 to Dec made and implemented. : “It's a transportation: bottleneck “that must be solved," he said recently. “It. must be solved expeditiously’ and : hopefully. at the same time, retain the “heritage and. character of British * Columbia's 5 -beloved : “Lions Gate Bridge Mitchell. says British Columbians tend to be too eager ic tear down their heritage and that“the- bridge: is sym- bolic of the: West Coast. He recently told the provincial leg- islature: “The worst :thing . possible _ would be for someone to come along: and say we have to cables ur -coming straight, down to. the, deck: y ‘subsidize other® projects in, WEST VANCOUVER-Garibaldi. | MLA David Mitchell :.."It’s time =: § ‘to stop this "consultation Alex Fraser | Bridge),. The’ existi bridge would be torn down after ithe new one was completed... a th “While the provincial governmient, “has not-announced any: tolls‘ror’ any new structure, they are being serious: ly considered. Schreck said his constituents were 4 improvements to Stanley Park b _ nelling the causeway “ “Half: of my. constituents accept that a $l or $2 toll may bé rea, ‘sonable. Buta $5 ‘or $10 toll. every, day is ajtax on working people that is” unfair.and unreasonable. and that has to be avoided.” he said. i Said Mitchell, “We don't need to British Columbia with those : We do need a bridge : ° See ‘Amazing, Mole® page 19, wae ee