Search for missing man called off

Rescue workers in North Vancouver, fearing for their own lives, have called off their search for an Ontario man.

Rory Manning, 25, has been missing since an avalanche on Grouse Mountain earlier this week. Officials said Friday they have essentially given up hope that Manning had survived.

A volunteer agency had been searching for Manning, but rescuers feared further slides as they probed a steep, unsettled slope in cold conditions. Officials said they had to balance compassion with common sense.

If the weather improves, rescuers will look for Manning's remains, thought to be buried under six-metres of avalanche-tossed debris on the slopes of Grouse Mountain.

Its steep hiking trails attract more than 100,000 people each year.