Saddened to hear that a backcountry skier has died in the backcountry surrounding Cypress Ski Resort near Vancouver BC. The Vancouver Sun web site says he was experienced and had all the correct gear:
A young man taken to hospital after falling into a creek while skiing in a backcountry area near Cypress Mountain has died.
The 26-year-old Vancouver man was in critical condition following the Saturday incident and died shortly after 3 p.m. on Sunday, said West Vancouver police spokesman Cpl. Fred Harding.
“He was found in distress buried in that muddy creek, and he passed away from his injuries after his fall,” Harding said Sunday evening.
The man’s identity has not been released publicly. Next of kin have been notified.
West Vancouver police spokesman Sgt. Paul Skelton said Saturday the man was skiing with a friend near Hollyburn Ridge around noon when he went over a three-metre embankment and landed in a creek.
He said his friend dug him out of the creek and called out for help. Two passersby on snowshoes heard him and called 911.
One of the passersby and the man's friend took turns giving him CPR for about 45 minutes until North Shore Search and Rescue arrived, said Skelton.
Rescuers took the man by helicopter to an air ambulance where he was transported to a regional hospital in critical condition.
Skelton said there were no warning signs posted in the area. The terrain is considered backcountry and not part of Cypress Mountain's downhill ski area. Skelton said the backcountry area is popular with many skiers and at this point police are calling the incident a "tragic misadventure."
The man was an experienced skier with all of the proper avalanche equipment, he said.
