RCMP have confirmed a tragic conclusion to the search for a missing snowshoer on the North Shore Mountains.
Squamish RCMP said the 21-year-old woman was located around 10:40 a.m. in a steep drainage area on the east side of the Howe Crest Trail below St. Mark’s Summit.
North Shore Rescue transported her back to their base, where she was declared deceased.
The victim, Nikki Donnelly of Ontario, became lost Thursday afternoon while hiking alone on the Howe Crest Trail in the St. Mark’s Peak area of Cypress.
Donnelly phoned her boyfriend in Toronto when she realized she was in trouble around 3:30 p.m., North Shore Rescue said.
NSR used ground teams and a helicopter equipped with night-vision technology, but had to call the search off around 2 a.m.
In a media release Friday, RCMP Sgt. Sacha Banks said officials have already seen “far too much tragedy” in the Sea to Sky corridor this year.
“Please know this: If you are in the backcountry and need help call 911, ourselves and our very experienced search teams will do everything we can to find you,” she said.
“As well before you leave, please research your area, take all the equipment you need, know your skill level, follow weather patterns, know snow conditions, have a trip plan.”
The BC Coroners Service is also investigating the death.
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