Industry News
On Thursday, January 18, 2024, North Shore Rescue was called for two separate out-of-bounds rescues of skiers at Cypress Mountain Resort, British Columbia. Cypress Mountain Resort is located in the North Shore Mountains of West Vancouver, 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver. With 53 ski runs spread across three mountains — Strachan, Hollyburn and Black Mountain — Cypress Mountain Resort is Vancouver’s biggest ski area.
The first call came on Thursday afternoon round 4:30 p.m. and was resolved relatively quickly as the skier was able to get themselves back to the ski runs with some guidance by North Shore Rescue, by wading uphill through the deep snow.
The second call came in the evening around 6 p.m., and involved a snowboarder. The rider had also left the controlled area of the ski hill and was unable to travel up or around to any significant degree in the unconsolidated snow in order to extract himself. He had tried to make his way to a service road but could not make much progress. It was getting cold and the man was becoming panicked. Dave Barnett, North Shore Rescue Search Manager said in an interview with local newspapers, “By that point, it was pretty inevitable that he needed some assistance.”
Avalanche forecasters by North Shore Rescue developed an Avalanche Operations Plan for the rescue. This is a requirement for any winter response in avalanche terrain to safeguard the wellbeing of North Shore Rescue staff. The prevalent hazard rating at the time was ‘Considerable’ due to rising temperatures, but the terrain was heavily treed, meaning that it was deemed as safe for the Rescue teams.
Two teams of three made their way to the snowboarder, who was in good physical condition. He was given an avalanche transceiver and snowshoes, and assisted back up and out to the parking lot.
North Shore Rescue would like to advise anyone planning on recreating in the North Shore Mountains — or elsewhere in the area — that storm slabs and wet loose avalanches are a concern after the recent storms.
