Hiker dead after fall on Mount Seymour, North Shore Rescue confirms
Search and Rescue team urges caution as spring conditions make mountain terrain slippery and dangerous
A 28-year-old woman has died after falling several hundred metres on Mount Seymour in B.C. while out camping with a friend, according to North Shore Rescue.
The search and rescue team said they responded Saturday morning after a 911 call was placed by the woman's friend.
Search manager Stan Sovdat says the pair had camped overnight near Pump Peak, an area less than 20 kilometres northeast of downtown Vancouver.
He says the snow had frozen overnight, creating slippery conditions.
"Typically the snow is pretty soft in the sunshine and then overnight it drops to freezing and the snow really firmed up," he said.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NorthVanRCMP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NorthVanRCMP</a>, along with Search and Rescue and other first responders, are currently at Mount Seymour assisting with a lost hiker. We can confirm that the hiker has been located, deceased. Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of the hiker. Due to privacy… <a href="https://t.co/wsWVcYPGVo">pic.twitter.com/wsWVcYPGVo</a>
—@nvanrcmpSovdat says the 28-year-old had reportedly dropped her phone and slipped while trying to retrieve it.
A helicopter was initially dispatched with several rescuers but poor visibility on the mountain prevented a landing, the search manager said, so a ground team was deployed.
"Our initial group ... went up and met the friend and got a better fix on which direction she went," he said.
North Vancouver RCMP confirmed on social media Saturday afternoon the deceased hiker had been located and extended condolences to her family and friends.
NSR is responding to a call for a hiker on Mount Seymour.
—@NSRescueThey said no further details would be released due to privacy concerns.
North Shore Rescue was busy last week, with teams responding to several incidents near Cypress Mountain involving slips and falls on icy slopes. Sovdat says one of those incidents also began with a dropped item — a ski — that led to multiple people falling and sustaining significant injuries.
"There are similarities for sure," he said. "An item was dropped and the person followed it, slipped, and managed to slip and fall ... these mountains can be treacherous."
He is urging hikers to take spring mountain conditions seriously.
"Understand that the slopes are not safe during the day," Sovdat said. "You get solar warming and the potential for avalanches, and overnight things are freezing up there.
"What seems like a nice, gentle, friendly slope can turn into a toboggan ride from hell."
With files from Shaurya Kshatri and Maryam Gamar