The North Shore Rescue team saved two hikers on Saturday night who got stuck on a mountaintop near Whistler.
According to air operations coordinator John Blown, the two hikers were climbing Tricouni Peak and needed help getting down after they got off route, and one of them fell, injuring her back.
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Blown says that crews were called out around 9:30 p.m., shortly before sunset.
The lack of daylight and cold conditions made it hard to locate the pair.
Together with the Squamish Search and Rescue, crews responded with helicopters and hoist operators using night vision goggles.
“Hoisting at night is always a little bit more challenging. When we arrived on scene, even with the night vision goggles and with a spotlight underneath the helicopter, it is hard to tell how steep the ground is,” Blown told 1130 NewsRadio.
Rescuers located the hikers and canvassed the area for a good enough spot to perform the hoist.
“The two climbers had set up an anchor station, so they were anchored to the rock beside the snow.”
He adds that maintaining helicopter clearance posed another challenge for crews as it was hovering right next to a cliff.
“There were some challenges in that spot with turbulence. There’s a bit of a downdraft as the wind comes up and over the ridge and then pushes down the other side of the mountain,” Blown explained.
Once the helicopter was above the hikers, one operator was roped down.
“The injured party was put in the harness, and we placed them into the machine, and then we sent our next rescuer down who did the same thing. He was able to clean up the anchor location and then hoist him out.”
The hikers, a pair from Edmonton, were safely transported to Squamish Airport without any further injuries.
Blown adds that rescuers were under time pressure.
“Hypothermia is a real concern even in this weather. Up in the mountains, it’s winter temperatures and conditions at night. So always still bring an extra layer of clothing.”
His other recommendations include downloading offline maps and turning around soon enough if something goes wrong.
“One of the biggest mistakes people do is they realize they’re in a bit of trouble and then they just keep going. You can always turn around; that’s never a bad decision.”
Blown added that the late-night operation was one of four calls for the North Shore Rescue team on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, crews hoisted out a person in cardiac distress below a waterfall near Britannia Beach.
Additionally, rescuers assisted hikers on the Dog Mountain trail to find their way back.
– With files from David Nadalini.
