Snowshoeing couple spends frigid night on Gros Morne Mountain after fall, broken leg

A snowshoeing couple spent a frigid night huddling to stay warm on the side of Newfoundland's second-highest peak this week, after one of them slipped on a patch of ice before sliding down over a cliff and badly injuring her leg.

Colin Smith and his girlfriend Hailey O'Bleneswere in western Newfoundland last weekend to check out Gros Morne National Park. Both are from Moncton, N.B., but currently attend university in St. John's.

Snowshoeing couple rescued from Gros Morne Mountain after fall, broken leg

7 years ago

Duration 6:00

A couple spent the night huddling to stay warm on the side of Newfoundland's second-highest peak Sunday night, after one of them fell and broke her femur.

On Easter Sunday morning, the two strapped on their snowshoes and started the trek up Gros MorneMountain, and just before 6 p.m. made it to the summit 806metres above sea level.

After stopping for a photo and to soak inthe stunning view out over Bonne Bay and surrounding countryside, they put their snowshoes back on and started their descent.

We just were getting socold. I just kept telling her"wake up" or "open your eyes."- Colin Smith

That's when Haileystepped on some ice hidden under a light dusting of snow and tumbled down the side of a steep bank.

"She just started sliding down and there was nothing I could to do stop her," Smith told CBC Radio's Corner Brook Morning Show.

Busted leg, but charged phone

After roughly 50-75 metres of sliding, O'Blenes finally crashed into a group of large rocks, hitting themleg-first and coming to a sudden stop.

"Thankfully she landed in a pretty good position where her leg was already propped up as the highest point," Smith said.

Smith immediatelyjumped down to get to where his girlfriend was, managing to control his slide down the hill enough that he could stop and climb to the spot where she layinjured.

"I was just thankful enough that she stopped herself, and honestly I thought she went down the whole hill, which is the worse outcome for sure," he said.

Smith saw that Hailey's leg was quite swollenbut that shewas alert and already on the phone with 911. He opted to not do first aid and risk making the situation worse. They would later find out she broke her femur, and injured her hip and knee.

The couplewastold a helicopter would be dispatched from Gander to come get them, and that ground search teams were on the way.

But as the weather got worse, it was too dangerous for theCormorant to access that part of Gros Morne, and the two snowshoers instead spent the the next 10 hoursfrom 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. on the side of the cliff until the ground team finally reached them.

"Throughout the night I think it was just the cold that was the biggest thing for the two of us. That was bothering us the most," said Smith.

As darkness fell, the couple realized they weren't dressed warmlyenough for a night on the side of Gros Morne Mountain, but Smith did have a propane stove, which allowed them to melt snow and sip on something warm and stay motivated.

After two hours on the phone with 911, the couple finally settled in for eight more hours, chattingabout school and summer plans to stay awake.

"Later on in the evening when we just were getting so cold. I just kept telling her 'wake up'or 'open your eyes,'" Smith said.

"If her eyes were open I couldn't really tell. So she would just confirm back to me, 'Yup, my eyes are open.'"

Finally at 4 a.m., four rescuers, two Search and Rescue Techsand two from Parks Canada, found the couple after using the GPSco-ordinates sent during the phone call earlier.

The rescuers went to work setting O'Blenes's leg and wrapping the coupleup in blankets, so they could at least be comfortable enough to sleep while they waited for the weather to clear and for the chopper to arrive.

"We couldn't be more grateful at all. It was incredible, the amount of co-ordination and effort that all parties involved put in to get us off that mountain. It's surreal."

Safe and sound

After being airlifted to hospitalby 103 Rescue Squadron from Gander,O'Blenesfound out her femur had been brokenbut that things could have been much worse. She's expected to make a full recovery.

• Stranded hikers airlifted from Gros Morne Mountain

Now that they're safe and sound, Smith has time to reflect on their close call, and what he would tell other people thinking about hiking up a mountain in Newfoundland on April 1.

"Make sure you pack for the night even if you don't plan on staying," he said."Always bring a tarp or anything that would break you off from the wind."