Bear den near Banff forces closure of ice climb route

A bear den in Banff has prompted the closure of an iceclimb route on Mount Rundle,Parks Canada announcedSaturday.

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It impacts the Trophy Wall iceclimb route off of Mount Rundleand all the approach routes to get there,includingthe Terminator, theReplicant, Troubled Dreams,Postcriptumand Sea of Vapours.

The bear's den is reportedly at the top of the approach routes.

Anyone found climbing in the closed are may be charged and fined a maximum penalty of $25,000 under the Canada National Parks Act.

Last year two British climbers narrowly escaped a grizzly bear attack while climbing another mountain in Banff National Park in December. Wildlife specialists said that attack was likely because the bear had been trying to den.

There's no specified enddate for the closure.