Thousands of people attending Olympic freestyle skiing and snowboarding at Cypress Mountain have passed a Canadian military base camp without even noticing.
That’s the way the Quarry Lookout picnic area’s commander likes it.
“Being that it is the Olympics and not all about security,” said Warrant Officer Rob Clarke. “I want to make sure we maintain a low profile and we just get on with the task at hand.”
The 17 heated and insulated wall tents contain enough wooden bunk beds to accommodate 20 soldiers per tent. Soldiers rotate in shifts to secure the back-country, dressed in winter camouflage gear, equipped with weapons and snowshoes.
“(The camp is a) place where they can lay their head down to rest, take part in any welfare benefits or programs that we have, such as fitness programs, calling home to families and playing games in their downtime,” Clarke said during a tour by 24 hours.
From the Quarry, soldiers have an enviable view of downtown Vancouver, the airport and Washington’s San Juan Islands.
“It’s a good stepping off point where we can conduct operations up the hill,” Clarke said.
The provincial firefighting camp setup is in stark contrast to the three luxury cruise ships at Ballantyne Pier that were chartered by the RCMP. In 2008, Defence Construction Canada budgeted $44 million for six camps holding 1,600 personnel on Olympic duty.
The RCMP denied 24 hours’ request to tour the ships.
