A hollow VW Beetle has been hanging off the side of the Stawamus Chief for more than a week now.
What began as a stunt seemingly pulled off by a group of University of British Columbia (UBC) students is now sparking concern among community members in Squamish.
The vehicle is suspended on a rock face of the Stawamus Chief above Highway 99, yet barely visible from the road.
“Everybody is talking about it, driving by and taking pictures. I think it’s a great feat of engineering,” said Gary Shortt, a Squamish resident.
While no one has formally taken credit for the stunt, it has the hallmarks of being the handiwork of UBC engineering students who pulled off similar pranks in past, including at the Vancouver downtown Public Library and most notoriously, the Golden Gate Bridge in 2001.
“I was an engineering graduate at Waterloo, and we used to pull pranks like that. The bigger the better, and never admit you did it,” Shortt told CityNews.
Anders Ourom, an avid climber, decided to scale the cliff, known as the Papoose, to get a closer look.
“It was just the shell, not even windows, and it’s mounted on a wooden frame attached to two steel cables. It’s hanging about 10, 15, 20 meters below the actual top,” he said.
The Ministry of Environment and Parks says that the area around the beetle has been closed due to the potentially serious public safety threat it poses.
BC Parks is currently working on a plan to remove the car sometime this week, but it is a task that requires a team effort and a budget.
“It didn’t appear to be very well attached or put together. I’m not sure whoever did it would have the equipment or technique to remove it,” Ourom said.
The stunt also sparked backlash from the local First Nations.
“It’s very sacred to our Squamish people,” said Wilson Williams, chairperson, Squamish Nation.
“It kinda feels like people coming into your yard and doing things unsuspectedly. If it’s the same group or not that’s done this, our doors are open, we want to have a discussion, whatever the social issue or activism that is at large here.”
In a statement, the UBC Engineering Undergraduate Society says it has no knowledge regarding the planning of, execution of, or persons involved with any stunts past, present and future.
The RCMP and park rangers have been called to investigate.