Advertisement

Injured climber rescued after falling 65 feet near Squamish

Click to play video: 'A climbing group rescued from a glacier near Squamish had to spend a cold night outdoors'
A climbing group rescued from a glacier near Squamish had to spend a cold night outdoors
A member of the party was hurt after falling some 20 metres. But as Julia Foy reports, that was just one of several rescues this weekend between West Vancouver and the Sea to Sky Country. – Jul 5, 2020

An injured mountain climber and their party were forced to spend a night in the Tantalus Range before rescue crews could get to them this weekend.

Squamish Search and Rescue search manager Landon James told Global News the group had been climbing on Mt. Dione Saturday when one member fell about 20 metres (65 feet).

Click to play video: 'Search and rescue crews see a spike in calls'
Search and rescue crews see a spike in calls

The group wasn’t able to get off the mountain themselves, but made contact with search and rescue.

Story continues below advertisement

Rescue crews weren’t able to get close to the climbers due to cloudy weather, but James said on the last flight of the evening they were able to drop a package of supplies to the group.

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

“So they were at least able to make a tent, have some warmth and take care of their friend overnight,” he said.

“This morning, we were able to go back up to the scene and the weather is better today, and so we were able to extract the subject.”

Story continues below advertisement

The extent of the climber’s injuries was unclear.

The rescue was the third for the Squamish team this weekend, prompting James to caution backcountry users to be careful.

READ MORE: B.C. search-and-rescue crews see spike in calls, face new dangers amid COVID-19

He said adventurers should visit the AdventureSmart for tips on what to pack, research where they are going and always tell someone what their plan is.

“Be prepared, always expect that your day may not go as you planned,” said James.

Sponsored content

AdChoices