A 42-year-old man is lucky to have escaped injury after his attempt at “speed flying” off the Stawamus Chief on Thursday resulted in being stranded on a ledge.
According to a witness, the speed flyer jumped off the third peak but did not make it around one of the corners and instead ended up 30-metres down, stranded on a ledge.
Squamish Search and Rescue (SAR) was notified by RCMP just after 1 p.m. and 15 members headed to the scene to execute a rope rescue.
The man was eventually reached by the search and rescue team before nightfall. More than 20 volunteers were needed for the rescue.
Speed flying is an air sport that involves flying with a small, fast fabric wing, usually in close proximity to a steep slope, and combining elements of paragliding and parachuting.
Katie Chambers with the Squamish SAR said both base jumping and speed flying are increasing in popularity on The Chief over the last few years. But she cautions, they’re not activities for people who are inexperienced in flying.
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