Avalanche
A solo snowboarder was caught in an avalanche in Cypress Provincial Park, BC yesterday, requiring rescue from North Shore Rescue crews.
The man was alone and on the backside of Mount Strachan, just outside the Cypress Mountain Resort boundary, when he was caught, carried, and buried up to his waist.
He managed to contact his girlfriend, who called the police, at around 4:15 pm. Rescue crews spotted him from the air after he text pictures of his location to them. Ground crews, including an avalanche forecaster, made it to him at around 7:30 pm.
The man’s condition was assessed as serious. He suffered a fractured pelvis, among other injuries, after the avalanche slid him into a tree, as well as hypothermia.
A spokesman for North Shore Rescue said the rescue was complex, involving avalanche experts, a doctor, emergency room nurse, and paramedic, and multiple rope rescue teams as well as Cypress ski patrol.
