A huge rock slide that is blocking the main British Columbia highway that links Vancouver and Whistler is raising concerns that something similar could happen during the 2010 Winter Olympic games, which is being hosted jointly by both cities.
Tuesday's massive rock fall is already starting to impact communities along the Sea to Sky Highway, preventing tourists from getting out and stopping vital supplies from getting in.
But on Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games committee (VANOC) downplayed the significance of the impact another rock slide could have during the games.
"We have to have contingency plans in place for something like this --and also for a number of other 'what ifs' that might happen,'' said Cathy Priestner-Allinger.
"We're also in the process of working on those,'' she said.
Priestner-Allinger's comments come after restaurant and gas station owners in Squamish and other communities cut off by the rock slide, were complaining about running out of supplies.
Tourists, stranded in Whistler area being forced to consider alternatives, including air travel and an alternative highway route that adds at least five hours to the time take to get from Whistler to Vancouver.
