Four Backcountry Skiers rescued after night on Mt. Seymour
This from the Province paper - detailing how 4 inexperienced backcountry skiers spent the night out and only one had avi gear with them, and avi conditions were not safe. People like this give all of us all a bad name - come on guys time to take some responsibility for your actions and think before you go.
Four backcountry skiers were rescued from above Indian Arm Monday morning after flirting with avalanche danger and spending a night in the cold.
The four men in their late 20s were skiing off Mount Seymour’s First Peak Sunday morning and went looking for “fresher tracks” in the backcountry, said Tim Jones of North Shore Search and Rescue.
But they started to trigger small avalanches and decided to tour deeper into the wilderness rather than trek back up the mountain, Jones said.
They were not equipped to spend a night in the wilderness and called RCMP after they became stranded in a rough terrain area near Coldwell Creek.
The RCMP contacted North Shore Rescue, which sent 10 team members up Indian Arm in a hovercraft.
The men were found at about 2 a.m., cold but otherwise uninjured, said Cpl. Peter DeVries of North Vancouver RCMP.
Jones said the men were not experienced backcountry users, and only one man had proper avalanche safety equipment.
“They really had no idea how dangerous the avalanche condition was and they made poor choices,” Jones said. “They were lucky [to live.]”
Jones said with avalanche danger soaring over the next few days in the North Shore mountains, his team may have to turn down rescue calls.
“This is not the time for people to be screwing around,” Jones said. “If they are stuck in some places we might not be able to risk our people. We might have to sit and wait [for avalanche danger to come down.]”
Jones said those who venture into the backcountry should avoid gullies and steep terrain.
“There is a lot of avalanche risk throughout the province right now,” DeVries said. “People need to be very cautious.”
Meanwhile, searchers today hope to recover a second victim Monday after four heli-skiers were buried in the backcountry near Smithers on Saturday. Only two skiers made it to safety.
The surviving skiers managed to dig out the body of a 52-year-old Regina woman. Another victim, a Canmore, Alta. resident, remains buried.
Smithers RCMP and Bulkley Valley Search and Rescue crews cancelled their recovery efforts Sunday due to weather conditions.