Climbing
The bodies of three missing hikers were recovered by Squamish Search and Rescue (SAR) teams and Sea to Sky Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on Monday, July 8. The three hikers had gone missing on Friday, May 31, from an expedition to 8,711-foot-high (2,655-meter-high) Atwell Peak in Garibaldi Provincial Park near Whistler, British Columbia. A family member reported the trio missing when they failed to return to their car parked at Diamond Trail Head.
Squamish SAR and Sea to Sky RCMP, together with Vancouver-based North Shore Rescue, had been searching for the hikers for five weeks, but varying conditions and inclement weather had interrupted search and rescue efforts several times. The search operation in early June deployed helicopters, ground crews, drones, and avalanche search dogs. On June 8, rescue teams switched tactics to analyzing video footage from aircraft and drones, given the dangerous conditions on the ground. Once conditions improved on the ground and hazards from the snowmelt dispersed, the ground search was reinitiated.
On Monday morning, July 8, the bodies of the three missing hikers could finally be recovered. It is unclear when exactly the bodies were located or what caused their death, but according to the Squamish Chief, the trio was found in avalanche debris. The families of the deceased are asking for privacy during this difficult time, and the names of the deceased will not be released. The matter lies now with the British Columbia Coroners Service.
Atwell Peak is located south of Mount Garibaldi’s main summit and is often mistaken as Mount Garibaldi when viewed from Squamish. The pyramid-shaped peak has three ridges: north, east, and south, and is considered to be one of the most technical and challenging peaks in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia.
