Mount Seymour closes due to rain

As B.C.’s south coast deals with a series of rainstorms this weekend, some local mountains are closing or rescheduling lessons because of the weather.

Mount Seymour says the mountain will be closed Saturday and all lessons and activities will be rescheduled due to inclement weather.

The mountain says it should be open as usual Sunday.

Meanwhile, Grouse Mountain remains open but all Ski Wee, Zone Camps, day lessons, and private lessons after 1 p.m. have all been cancelled for the day.

Cypress Mountain has not announced any closures, but it says it will be limiting its snow grooming work overnight Saturday, which will affect skiing Sunday. Running groomers on saturated snowpack can case more harm than good, the mountain says. It says it will resume full grooming once the current rain event ends.

North Shore Rescue avalanche safety officer André-Jean Maheu says people should take extra care on the mountains during this weather event, as it is expected to affect the snowpack, which means an increased risk of glide avalanches.

“Because it has no strength, the bonds with the ground floor become very weak,” Maheu said. “Fortunately, on the North Shore there’s not a whole lot of places where we have terrain for glide avalanches, but that’s certainly what I’m thinking of this weekend.”