It’s supposed to be a perfect long weekend to take advantage of the great outdoors.
But a word of caution before you head out.
Rescue crews say don’t be deceived by the sun and warmer temperatures – mother nature can still be unpredictable.
At North Shore Rescue they have boots in storage at five search and rescue stations and two vehicles. Coordinators say all too often they see people heading up to the mountains this time of year in sneakers.
“Places like the Grouse Grind and the BCMC Trail, the upper sections are still loaded with snow, so we’ve had people, like last year, three people lost their shoes, running shoes, falling in those areas,” said Tim Jones from North Shore Search and Rescue. “We had to take boots from our boot cash, reboot them and do rope rescues to get them out.”
It’s Easter long weekend and people are expected to head out to the backcountry. Even though it’s spring and the sun is shining, rescuers are still operating in winter mode, and point out it can still be dangerous out there.
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“This is a typical weekend where people will go out in numbers, and numbers doesn’t necessarily mean security,” said Jones. “They’ll go out with garbage bags, they’ll go into the backcountry area like the ski hills, they’ll treat the backcountry like it’s the toboggan area, and they’ll go in steep snowfields, and they’ll go through run-outs that could be several hundred feet.
Just yesterday morning the body of a 23-year-old student from China was found in Fitzsimmons Creek. Police say she had been snowboarding out of bounds near Whistler and had been trying to hike out.
In addition to warnings against entering out of bounds areas, rescuers also stress snowshoers need to be aware of proper gear.
Jones said snowshoes are not designed to go down steep slopes.
“Don’t let the sun and the nice snowpack fool you,” said Jones. “It’s very dangerous.”
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