Are local mountains considering tracking scanners for chairlifts?

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It’s the same technology that helped rescue crews find a missing snowboarder near Whistler. But will local ski hills consider installing scanners that can track who goes up their chairlifts and when?

The folks at Mount Seymour say they will be looking at whether to put the scanners in over the next couple of years.

“As technology increases with the capabilities of locating skiers and snowboarders… we would like to also change and move with that technology, and adopt that in the future,” says Emmalee Brunt with the mountain.

“Within bounds, we traditionally have not had any issues just because…we are a lot smaller [compared to] Whistler. Our area is 200 acres; that’s our controlled recreation area.”

She says with North Shore Rescue’s help, skiers and boarders who get lost out of bounds are generally found very quickly.

“We don’t have a scanning system currently on the mountain. So, the consideration would have to be made whether or not we would adopt this within the next couple of years, just depending on budget.”

In an email, Cypress Mountain says the cost makes getting a system in place unfeasible right now. It points out two of its sister resorts — Brighton and Crystal — have scanners.

Thanks to the system in Whistler, rescuers were able to find out which chairlift Julie Abrahamsen had last boarded and at what time.

The 21-year-old spent three days lost in the backcountry. She was rescued on Saturday.

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