North Shore Rescue is warning hikers to stay off of closed trails after having to rescue seven hikers from avalanche country on Sunday night.
The group of seven hikers, all from Vancouver and Burnaby, had set out from the Lynn Headwaters Regional Park entrance to the trail earlier in the day. The 15-kilometre trail takes about eight hours to hike in the summer – and is closed in the winter. As they entered the most technically challenging and steep area around sunset, they found themselves off trail and called 9-1-1.
After several failed attempts to contact them in an area with “hit and miss” cell coverage, North Shore Rescue members eventually got through and pinpointed them near Crown Pass, North of Grouse Mountain.
“It turns out they were on the edge of avalanche debris from a recent avalanche,” said Doug Pope, search manager.
Searchers waited until their avalanche technician did an assessment of the area before sending teams in on foot.
“We were concerned for our rescuers’ safety and the subjects,” Pope said.
The hikers were cold but otherwise OK.
It should have been obvious to the group that they were entering closed terrain with several warning signs posted near the Lynn Headwaters trailhead, Pope said. Hikers often research their trips online before heading out – though most of the trail guides posted on the internet are written about the trails in summer conditions.
“They close the area in winter for a reason. It’s hazardous terrain. We’ve had deaths in Hanes Valley in the winter… Goat Mountain is very treacherous. We’ve had people slip and fall and result in fatalities,” Pope said.
Right now, the avalanche risk in the backcountry “moderate to considerable.”
