Landslide closes road to Sasquatch Mountain Resort, stranding skiers

Many skiers and snowboarders are stranded on a Lower Mainland ski hill after a landslide made the road to the mountain impassible.

BC’s Ministry of Transportation said it could take five to six days to make the road passable again.

The mudslide and washout on Hemlock Valley Road happened Friday night after heavy rainfall, according to a Ministry of Transportation statement. The area received 120 to 140 millimetres of rain.

That road is the only one accessing Sasquatch Mountain Resort north of Agassiz, and vehicles can’t get through in either direction.

“Residents of the Hemlock Valley community are advised to stay at home. People who are currently at the Sasquatch Mountain Resort are advised to stay at the resort until crews can clear the debris from the road for safe travel,” the ministry said in a statement.

Crews have a plan to restore the road to allow one lane of traffic to pass in either direction, but due to the “significant extent of the washout,” that work could take up to six days.

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Resort staff served breakfast and lunch to guests stranded on the ski hill.