North Shore Rescue uses night-hoist for first time, helps out-of-bounds skier

In the hours before the Lower Mainland was getting ready to be hit by its third winter storm in less than a week, a skier went past a barrier into avalanche territory on Vancouver’s North Shore and needed help when he got into some trouble.

The man, who was skiing alone, fell 12 feet while on Mt Strachan, near Cypress Mountain Resort, and injured his back. Despite that, he managed to walk for another three hours before calling for help.

North Shore Rescue responded to a Mt Strachan rescue and used its hoist at night for the first time to rescue an out-of-bounds skier. (Courtesy North Shore Rescue)

“If he was a little bit higher up in that gully, we may not have been able to get in there over land. Miraculously, he was able to make a 911 call for help. Once he got on the phone with police he was told to stay put and we were able to get a ping off his phone that put him in a location that was just above where we have an emergency cache,” North Shore Rescue (NSR) Team Leader Mike Danks told CityNews.

He says their first aim is to fly in but that depends on the conditions.

“We were able to get a machine up. Concurrently, we had our snowmobile team responding as well, as a backup. As soon as we got in the air with the night-vision goggles, we were able to see this person’s cellphone light.”

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That was the difference maker in this rescue. NSR is testing out a pilot project involving hoisting at night. Danks says without that technology, this rescue would have dragged into the morning hours on Friday and would have included a lot more volunteers, but with the tool, they were able to get the man out in just 15 minutes.

“It turned what would have been a very complex, arduous rescue with up to 25 people overnight, into a very short, hasty response,” he explained. “It’s an absolute game-changer. It’s not only for optimal patient care but rescuer safety and efficiency. If that person was injured and not able to walk out on their own, being guided by our members, I guarantee you we would still be working on extracting them. The helicopter has been a huge asset.”

He says they were able to get the man out to safety before the snowmobile team was strapped in and ready to go.

Danks admits they can’t always fly if the weather is bad, so he encourages people to pack as though they may have to spend the night if crews can’t get to them. He also says it’s totally safe to go out on the mountains and trails but only if you are equipped and know what you’re doing.

“It’s great to get out there if you’re within the boundaries.”

For anyone heading out to the trails, NSR recommends 10 essentials to bring along.