Alpine Al has lost his horn and police are investigating why

The RCMP is investigating after an iconic statue welcoming visitors to the community of Smithers, B.C., was vandalized.

On Wednesday, the Smithers RCMP detachment received a report that vandals had ripped the horn off the Alpenhorn Man, a wooden sculpture at the junction of Main Street and Highway 16, the main intersection in the northwestern B.C. community. 

Known in the community as "Alpine Al," the sculpture is seven feet tall, made of red cedar, and carved by chainsaw.

It depicts a man in traditional Swiss attire blowing into an alpine horn — part of the mountain community's Swiss theme, which also includes European-style buildings lining the downtown street.

Residents were shocked to discover someone had broken the horn right off of the carving.

"It's unfortunate that this occurred and the reasoning behind it is unknown at this point," Staff Sgt. Mark Smaill said. "[It's] a little bit frustrating."

Larger-than-life 'logo'

The original Alpine Al was built in 1973 but it had to be replaced in 2016 after wearing out.

The current version was made by Terrace-based chainsaw sculptor Joerg Jung in 2016, out of a 1,000-year-old red cedar.

Grant Harris, chair of the Smithers Downtown Merchants Association, describes the life-size statue as a "town logo" that residents can hardly miss.

"People driving by on the highway see it as they go by it. People walking up and down Main Street see it," Harris said. 

"It's been part of this community since the late '70s, and it reflects what a wonderful mountain [town] Smithers is."

Mayor Gladys Atrill calls the vandalism "crummy," but says she doesn't want to ruminate over it as town staff are working to repair the sculpture.

"[It] might be just one of those careless vandalism rather than something targeted," Atrill said.

"I just don't want to give too much weight on it — it matters, of course, it's expensive and it upsets people, but at the same time, we'll just fix it and move on."

Mounties are asking anyone with knowledge of the vandalism to call the Smithers RCMP detachment at 250-847-3233.