Bill Morrell, a spokesperson for Metro Vancouver, says the Grouse Grind will undergo a few weeks of heavy maintenance, delaying this year’s opening.

“We are anticipating some significant construction work that will be necessary to bring the trail up to an appropriate level of safety for this year,” Morrell told the Straight by phone. “And the kind of work that we will be doing on the upper part of the trail—of course, once the snow is gone—will require that people not be on the trail.”

The Grind usually opens in April or May. Morrell conceded that even with snow still present as far down the Grind as the halfway mark, people are already ignoring the trail’s “full winter closure” and braving the 2.9-kilometre climb up the face of the mountain.

However, Morrell stressed, as soon as the snow melts, construction will begin on the upper section of the Grind, at which point people really will have to stay off the North Vancouver trail.

Morrell noted that although Metro Vancouver—which owns the trail—would rather not be heavy-handed with individuals who ignore the Grind’s closure, penalties for trespassing can be handed out while the Grind’s closure remains in effect.

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