Hope Search and Rescue was part of a large-scale operation to help a lost skier find her way back home after she became disoriented near the Coquihalla Summit.
According to Hope Search and Rescue president Barry Gannon, the search began on Monday night at about 7 p.m. It took 26 SAR workers 鈥� from Hope, Central Fraser Valley and Chilliwack Search and Rescue 鈥� seven hours to find the skier, who went to Falls Lake and couldn鈥檛 find her way back. Some searched the area on skis while others were on snowmobiles.
The lost skier sustained no injuries.
鈥淭he team that was made to wait on the trail just before Falls Lake鈥tumbled across her and brought her out,鈥� Gannon said. 鈥淪he was okay, just cold and wet.鈥�
Gannon said it鈥檚 common for skiers to get disoriented around Falls Lake.
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鈥淢ostly what happens is they get turned around on the trail up there,鈥� he added. 鈥淚nstead of coming back toward Highway 5 in the parking lot, they go left instead of right and they get turned around. They go into the underbrush and get disoriented.鈥�
For those who are going out skiing, they should come prepared with the proper supplies to stay overnight in the back country in the event Search and Rescue is needed.
鈥淪he did have a backpack; she would probably have survived overnight, but I don鈥檛 think it was enough,鈥� Gannon said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to be able to make yourself a shelter overnight because sometimes we can鈥檛 get in to get them.鈥�
Gannon recommends anyone venturing into the bush, skiing or otherwise, to invest in an SOS beacon, an alert device designed to send a distress signal and GPS coordinates to SAR and emergency workers. At the very least, they should go in with a fully charged phone or backup power source so pinging a phone to determine location can be an option; the missing skier鈥檚 phone battery was dead. Backpacks taken into the bush during the winter in particular should have supplies to keep outdoor adventurers warm and dry.
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In the event people find themselves lost, they should stay put, Gannon said.
鈥淲e always tell people to stay put, because if they鈥檙e on the move, we can鈥檛 find them. It鈥檚 harder for us to find them if they鈥檙e moving.鈥�
Gannon said the skier did the right thing in texting a friend who was familiar with the area where she was going.
鈥淢ake sure to do a trip plan,鈥� he recommends. 鈥淭hey should have the trip planned when they鈥檙e going in and when they鈥檙e expected to come out.鈥�
adam.louis@hopestandard.com
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