(North Vancouver) A woman is lucky to be alive after she was caught in an avalanche on Metro Vancouver’s North Shore and left completely buried for 20 minutes, rescuers say.
North Shore Rescue says the incident happened Sunday on the south face of Pump Peak, about 24 kilometers northeast of downtown Vancouver.
The rescue group said in a Facebook post that the woman was snowshoeing with a companion in the backcountry of Mount Seymour when the avalanche struck and buried both hikers.
The male victim managed to free himself before calling 911 and locating his companion’s snowshoe sticking out of the snow.
The woman suffered from hypothermia and was discolored from lack of oxygen. Rescuers called to the scene were able to provide emergency treatment and bring her down the mountain.
North Shore Rescue says the area where the avalanche occurred has been classified as high danger terrain, with travel advised against, as human-triggered avalanches are very likely.
Rescuers say the two people did not have rescue equipment such as beacons, probes and shovels.
“We can’t say enough how lucky they were that the first individual was able to spot the second and dig him up,” the organization said. If this had not happened, we would have a very different outcome. »
Rescuers also say conditions were difficult, with heavy snow and low visibility preventing the use of helicopters. Ground-based rescue teams were able to reach the victims due to the simplicity of the terrain.
“In conditions like those we experienced at the end of the week, it is preferable to let everything with a slope rest and let the snow cover stabilize,” we warned.
Avalanche Canada says the mountains just north of Metro Vancouver remain at high avalanche risk, with “a heavy load of fresh snow … ready for human triggering.”
The agency warns that wind and snow will likely intensify and “increase the already high avalanche risk in the region.”