The call came in around 3:40 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, but the two stranded climbers on a mountain near Squamish couldn't be rescued until Saturday morning due to weather.
It took Squamish Search and Rescue more than 40 hours to get the climbers off a ledge near the top Mount Tantalus. The ‘extremely technical terrain,' limited access, and weather were all factors complicating the rescue, according to Squamish SAR president BJ Chute. He said at least one of the climbers is a local resident.
Around 25 Squamish SAR members responded over the three days, on standby since the afternoon of Aug. 1. They attempted to bring equipment to the climbers, but a weather window never appeared on Thursday. As helicopters cannot operate at night, they postponed response until the morning. All of Friday, volunteers watched the weather from a safe landing zone near the climbers to see what kind of rescue they would need to perform, Chute said. Again, there was no break in the weather. On Saturday morning, the weather cleared. A rescuer was attached to the end of a helicopter line, and picked up the climbers one at a time.
Chute said the rescue is the latest example of how long it can take emergency services to respond to calls for help.
"People should not expect an immediate rescue in the Squamish area. Not because of any other reason than things such as weather," Chute said. "This was a really technical, prolonged rescue that was hampered by weather, but I think it serves as a good example that no matter where people are recreating, they need to be prepared when they go out. They need to also be prepared that, should they need help or should they need rescuing, it could be quite a long time until that rescue is able to be performed."
He said the two climbers did everything right under the circumstances: the call came in from a beacon, they stayed in the same location, and had some supplies for overnight exposure, including a tarp. Being prepared was key to their survival, Chute said, as the pair spent two nights alone on the ledge.
But the equipment got wet quickly. The climbers suffered from hypothermia and were treated by the SAR team and then transported to Squamish Hospital, Chute said.
"Even having the right gear, in a storm like that, there's only so much you can do."
"Small mistakes in this terrain can have life-threatening consequences," SAR manager Mike Teske, who responded to the call, said.
At the time of the interview about the climbers' rescue, Squamish SAR was also responding to an injured climber who fell in Cheakamus Canyon, where there have been multiple injuries already this season.
The Mount Tantalus rescue was the second the local volunteers responded to in that area in the last week. Between Thursday and Saturday afternoon, Squamish SAR responded to three calls as well as assisted a call in Lions Bay.
– Keili Bartlett, Squamish Chief
