Massive “Sea-to-Sky” rockslide gets worldwide attention

Rockslides are a common occurrence. They’re like trees falling in the forest. They happen all the time but most often, nobody is aware of them nor does anyone really care unless, of course, they happen in someone’s backyard.

The recent slide on BC’s “Sea-to-Sky” highway made headlines around the world not so much because it was actually in someone’s backyard, so to speak, but moreover because the word “Olympics” became associated with the mishap.

The slide was quite large in scale but what made it huge in the eyes of many was that it happened along a route being developed for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler. Anytime the words “mishaps, danger, and Olympics” are used in conjunction with one another, world authorities take note.

Geologists and engineers responsible for building the roadway that many athletes will use to get to the primary 2010 Olympic site are obviously now on a higher alert than before the slide but as recent reports indicate, there are no indications that other areas along the route are in danger of sliding onto the roadway. But as mentioned earlier, rockslides just happen… they don’t give off warnings.