A video posted to YouTube on Friday is offering a behind the scenes look at a dramatic rescue on Crown Mountain on Tuesday.
North Shore Rescue crews were called to the mountain after a climber fell more than 45 metres while rappelling Spindle Peak on Family Day.
The fall left her with with injuries to her head, hands and ankle, and in need of surgery. She and her climbing partner, Serguei Okountsev, spent a cold night in on the mountain, before crews were able to reach them around 3:30 a.m., and lift them to safety by helicopter once daylight broke.
“I thought she was dead, actually. I couldn’t see the helmet, it was damaged from all possible sides, it’s just a piece of junk now,” said Okountsev the day of the rescue.
WATCH: Dramatic video gives behind the scenes look at Crown Mountain rescue
Now, a video posted to YouTube is offering a closer look at their terrifying ordeal.
Get breaking National news
The video opens with a photo it says was taken on the peak shortly before the fall, before showing frightening images of the injured climber’s helmet — badly damaged — shot after the fall.
It then cuts to photos of the injured woman wrapped in an emergency bag, with the caption “a long night, 17 hours in a semi-coma,” and describes Okountsev’s efforts to keep her warm overnight.
WATCH: Sunny holiday Monday produces numerous calls to North Shore Rescue
The video then shows the arrival of the North Shore Rescue helicopter, where it hovers above a steep slope as a team member works to attach the victim to a long line — before it flies away.
That’s followed by a first-person view of the helicopter returning to scene, where the final climber and other volunteers are hooked onto the line and lifted to safety.
The video closes with a caption thanking everyone involved in the rescue.
“BIG thanks to the NSR for the incredible mountain rescue operation. BIG THANKS to the VGH (Vancouver General Hospital) crew – doctors, nurses and the stuff. BIG THANKS for the flawless emergency response from the SPOT and the Vancouver Police.”
The pair were climbing in an area that is closed this time of year, but said they did not see any signs posted in the area warning them to stay out.
They were training for an ascent to North America’s tallest peak, Denali, in May.
On his Flickr page, Okountsev said they were climbing the Spindle Couloir because it is twice the height of the Denali headwall.
“It was ideal for our purposes, it supports our motto – if training is not twice as hard it is not a training,” he wrote.
Comments