Caution urged in B.C. backcountry as search-and-rescue teams see surge in calls

B.C. outdoor enthusiasts are being asked to play it safe, amid a new surge in search and rescue call-outs.

The B.C. Search and Rescue Association said volunteers were tasked to 50 calls last week — many of which were related to dementia or mental-health issues.

1:44 Search and rescue teams issue Easter long weekend warning

Warmer weather and more of the economy reopening under the COVID-19 pandemic add an extra layer of risk.

On Friday, Lions Bay Search and Rescue was called out after six teenage boys became trapped on a ridge on the North Shore mountains on a multi-day hiking trip.

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Search manager Martin Colwell said the group was reasonably well-prepared, but that conditions remain hazardous.

“It’s still winter and steep and icy at higher elevations, which you don’t see from Vancouver,” he said.

“It’s not a time to be doing these ambitious hikes. It’s a time to be sticking with lower elevation, lower-steepness slopes where you know it’s an easier hike in and an easier hike back.”

Search-and-rescue teams have made repeated appeals this spring for added caution in the backcountry due to COVID-19.

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Crews must maintain a two-metre distance from each other while searching, and if the search subject is injured, they must don protective gear to assess the subject or provide first aid.

With the province moving to Phase 3 of its reopening plan, the concern could increase as restrictions lift on non-essential travel within the province.

Hikers are still being asked to stay local, ensure they have a trip plan, and pack the “10 essentials.”

It’s a message Friday’s rescued teens in Lions Bay agree with.

“We’ve learned to be a bit more prepared about the snow levels up there and how high we were actually getting, what gear to bring,” Alexander Aziz told Global News.