A rockfall occurred at Whistler Peak on Wednesday, marking the third incident of debris falling from the mountain this year. Peter Higgins, a resident of Whistler, witnessed the rockfall at 8 a.m. near the Creekside gondola. The area where the rockfall happened, located on Whistler Peak at Whistler Blackcomb, was closed, and fortunately, there were no injuries reported.
According to Dane Gergovich, a spokesperson for Vail Resorts, there is no danger to guests or staff due to the incident. The suspension bridge and viewing platform foundations on Whistler Peak were not affected by the rockfall. The Cloudraker Skybridge and Raven’s Eye, also situated on Whistler Peak, are scheduled to open on June 13, subject to safety considerations.
A similar rockslide occurred on March 12, causing a section of Whistler Blackcomb to close temporarily. Vail Resorts discovered rock movement near the slide site on May 28 while the resort was closed. Gergovich mentioned that the recent rockfall likely resulted from an unstable section of rock that had fractured during the March 12 rockslide and was now shifting due to melting snow and rising temperatures.
Geologist Brent Ward from Simon Fraser University explained that rockfalls are common after rockslides, with unstable rocks on slopes becoming unsupported and potentially failing. He suggested that the rockfall on Wednesday consisted of small pieces of the slope that were failing and rolling down. Gergovich confirmed that a geotechnical assessment is currently underway at the rockslide location to monitor conditions closely.
Professors at SFU, Glyn Williams-Jones, and Brent Ward recommended installing seismo-acoustic monitoring systems in the area to evaluate the potential for larger mass failures. A similar system deployed at Mount Meager has been successful in measuring ground vibrations and air pressure changes caused by natural events like rockfalls and landslides. The experts noted a possible link between the rockslide events and climate change-related warming, leading to deglaciation and permafrost degradation.
Vail Resorts stated that a comprehensive assessment of the rockslide incidents is ongoing and that all three events are interconnected.