Helicopter plucks hiker from Vancouver-area peak

A helicopter search and rescue crew braved high winds andpoor visibilityto pluck a stranded hiker off the top of a mountain north of Vancouver on Wednesday night.

The young man was stranded high atop Hat Mountain, along theHowe SoundCrest Trail in Cypress Provincial Park. Heactivated his personal locator transmitter after he became lost onthe snowymountainside after dark.

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

Capt. Jean Leroux, theaircraft 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 mans 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 wouldnt find his way thats 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.