Don’t be fooled by nice weather; backcountry still dangerous
Posted March 28, 2013 10:46 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NORTH SHORE (NEWS1130) – Looks can be deceiving!
This beautiful long weekend could be a dangerous one if people head outdoors unprepared.
While it may look like a good day to head into the backcountry, Tim Jones with North Shore Rescue says our mountains are still covered in snow.
“We’re seeing people in their running shoes, sliding off the trails… We’ve had some major rope resuce calls, where people have actually lost their runners from the fall. So, we re-boot them and rescue them with a rope rescue team, sometimes.”
He adds that if you fall down on a slippery slope, it’s nearly impossible to stop on your own.
“We’ve had some very, very critically-injuring, if not fatal, situations. Once you start going on these steep snowfields, the only way you stop is if you slide out to the end run or if you hit a tree or rock. Usually hitting a tree or rock is fatal,” he explains.
Jones says they are still operating in ‘winter’ mode. “Even though the BCMC trail and the Grind are clearing up at the bottom sections, there’s still a ton of snow up top.”
“We’ve had several injuries and fatalities in the last few years in this type of weather. The beautiful weather shouldn’t lull people into turning off their alert systems.”
