Winery manager paraglides, boats, hikes to work after rockslide closes highway

The manager of Haywire Winery in Summerland has had to get creative to get to work.

Craig Pringle lives in Peachland, but Highway 97 has been closed between his home and his workplace in Summerland since late August, due to a rockslide. So, he’s found some interesting ways to detour around the closure.

His odyssey has been chronicled on the Okanagan Crush Pad Facebook page. First, he tried hiking overland to get to Haywire. The tongue-in cheek post noted that Craig hiked up a mountain on a “goat trail, passing animal skeletons and bear droppings on his way.”

His second adventure saw him ferried around the rockslide by a friend with a boat. Last Wednesday, a video was posted showing Pringle paragliding into the vineyard.

The video was produced by Lionel Trudel of Lionel Trudel Photography.

Okanagan Crush Pad is asking its followers to post their suggestions on the Facebook page for what adventure Pringle should go on next.

The Ministry of Transportation is planning to reopen one lane of Highway 97 north of Summerland at the landslide site on Sept. 16 or 17. There are two forest service road detours available for passenger vehicles in good operating condition.

Travel between Penticton and Kelowna

• Use 201 Forest Service Road
• Gravel road (graded)
• Accessed off Highway 33 near McCollough Road near Kelowna and via Warren/Carmi Avenue in Penticton
• This route will add approximately 60-90 minutes of travel time

Travel between Summerland and Peachland

• Use the Trout Main to Peachland Forest Service Road
• Gravel road (graded)
• This route will add 90 minutes of travel time

Heavy commercial vehicles must detour using highways 97C, 5A and 3A or highway 33.