Backcountry enthusiasts in Whistler should keep their ears open for the possibility of access restrictions in Garibaldi Provincial Park this winter because of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

That was the message from a B.C. Ministry of Environment spokesperson this week.

But the co-owner of the Escape Route, a popular spot in town to buy backcountry gear, said Tuesday (Nov. 10) that the word he’s hearing is there will be no backcountry restrictions in the Whistler area.

“We don’t know of any and don’t expect there to be any (restrictions),” said James Retty.

He and co-owner Jayson Faulkner have been looking into details for access to Garibaldi after media reports surfaced last week that some trails will be closed for much of the winter in Cypress Provincial Park because of the Games.

Ministry of Environment spokesperson Suntanu Dalal said Monday (Nov. 9) that “certain sections” of Garibaldi Provincial Park are expected to be restricted because of the security perimeter for the Games. The north end of the park would likely be affected, he said.

“There will be some things happening here and there but we don’t have all the details worked out yet,” he said.

For now, people can continue accessing the backcountry in Garibaldi as usual, Dalal said. When any restrictions are confirmed they will be posted to the B.C. Parks website (www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks).

VANOC and Integrated Security Unit representatives were unable to provide further details about possible restrictions by The Question’s deadline.

With all the new snow this week, customers are starting to get excited about ski touring, Retty said, but so far he hasn’t talked to anyone who seems worried about possible closures in Garibaldi Park. Whistlerites aren’t used to being restricted in the backcountry, he said.

If restrictions were pursued, it would likely be a “monumental task” to monitor all the access points to the park, Retty said. Many people access the backcountry from Whistler Blackcomb terrain after taking the lifts up, and the area is so huge it would be difficult to set up a boundary, he said.

It would take a lot of people to police all the access points and security personnel likely have better things to do, Retty said.

The Singing Pass access point would be easier to monitor, however, he added.

Closures in Garibaldi Park would likely affect business at the Escape Route, but Retty said it wouldn’t be devastating because there are many other spots in the area to go backcountry skiing.

Some trails at Cypress will be closed from Dec. 1 to April 1, with access restrictions to the area from Feb. 1 to March 8. Details of the closures and restrictions are available on the Cypress page of the B.C. Parks website.