Busy Times in the Mountains
- kc dyer
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
LBSAR July rescues more than double this year
For members of Lions Bay Search and Rescue (LBSAR), this has been a busy summer already, and it's not even half over.
According to LBSAR member Maria Masiar, June's callouts were on pace for the same dates over the last couple of years, with two rescues this June, compared with three in 2025 and only one in 2024.
However, rescues this month are off the charts, with ten on the books so far, compared with four last year, and six in July 2024.
A few highlights:
On July 6, a couple attempting traverse the entire Howe Sound Crest Trail in a single day were rescued by LBSAR after becoming exhausted and forced to stop near James Peak. This rescue turned out to be just one of three for the team over the next 12 hours.
On July 18, the team was called out to assist a hiker with a sprained ankle who was stuck at an elevation of approximately 1,400 metres on Mount Brunswick. The rescue was complicated by a layer of cloud sitting at about 700 metres.
"Although helicopters are an invaluable resource during mountain rescues," said LBSAR member Maria Masiar, "they cannot safely fly into cloud."
So with the hiker stranded well above the low cloud, an immediate helicopter rescue was not possible.
Masiar said that instead, the helicopter flew via Deeks Lake, and dropped a ground rescue team on the side of the mountain below the cloud layer. The team then hiked across to locate the stranded individual and commenced first aid.
Later in the afternoon conditions improved enough to allow for a hoist rescue and the hiker was successfully lifted out and taken to meet the ambulance at Lions Bay School field.
"This rescue serves as an important reminder that helicopters cannot fly through low cloud ceilings. If you are injured on a day with poor weather, rescue teams may have no choice but to hike to your location." She noted that this can add hours to a rescue effort.
LBSAR suggests that hikers check the cloud ceiling as well as the weather before undertaking a hike into the mountains. Mist and rain lead to slippery trails and a low ceiling can dramatically affect rescue times if things go wrong. Hikers should carry poles and wear hiking footwear that offers good traction and ankle support, and allow extra time to account for poor weather.
Other LBSAR rescues this month included a successful helicopter hoist extraction of an 11-year old who had fallen from a tree at a camp on Anvil Island, and an over-night helicopter-assisted search for a missing hiker whose phone died after she had gotten separated from the rest of her group.
In this last case, the search was unsuccessful, but the outcome a good one, as the hiker managed to make her way safely to Porteau Cove and contact her family for assistance, allowing the team to stand down after a long night.
The LBSAR team donates time and effort to keep local hikers safe. It relies on specialized technical equipment that needs to be replaced, and welcomes donations, which can be made HERE.
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