Helicopter plucks hiker from Vancouver peak

A Cormorant search and rescue helicopter was used to rescue a stranded hiker on Vancouver's North Shore on Wednesday night. (Department of National Defence)

A helicopter search and rescue crew braved high winds and poor visibility to pluck a stranded hiker off the top Vancouver's North Shore Mountains on Wednesday night.

The young man, who was stranded high atop Hat Mountain in Cypress Provincial Park north of West Vancouver, activated his personal locator transmitter after he became lost on a snowy mountainside after dark.

With a storm moving in, the local search and rescue team was unable to reach the man on foot, so they called in a Cormorant helicopter crew from CFB Comox.

Capt. Jean Leroux, the aircraft commander on the Cormorant, said the crew had to battle 85 km/h winds in the dark to reach the hiker.

“This was one of the most challenging missions of my career,” said Leroux.

“The man was stranded at 1,600 metres on the side of the mountain. We reached the estimated location of the hiker by slowly flying up the side of the mountain," he said.

"The helicopter was subjected to strong turbulence because of the 85 km/h winds coming down on us. We also had to deal with very little visibility since we were at the clouds’ level. We had to attempt multiple passes until the visibility was good enough for us to fly over the man’s location,” he said.

As the stranded hiker signalled his position to the Cormorant with his headlamp, the helicopter pilot positioned the aircraft 20 metres over him and a search and rescue technician was hoisted down to retrieve him.

Hiker well-prepared
The rescued man was then hoisted up into the aircraft and flown to a waiting ambulance at nearby Lions Bay.

The rescue crew said he is in good condition, and despite getting stranded, he had been well-prepared for his hike.

“The man was well-equipped and experienced for the hike he had undertaken,” said Sgt. George Olynyk, SAR tech lead.

“He had planned his trip well. Unfortunately on his way home, the inclement weather slowed him down and he lost his track," said Olynyk.

"Once the sun was set, he was confident he wouldn’t find his way — that’s when he activated his beacon. He dug himself a trench [in the snow] and took the appropriate actions to survive. The backcountry is unpredictable even when you know what you are doing,” he said.