Spanish skiers rescued after 4 days lost in B.C. mountains
Police say skiers mistakenly went out-of-bounds into a backcountry and couldn't get out
RCMP in Golden B.C. say two skiers from Spain survived after spending four nights on their own outside near Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near the Alberta border.
Police have not named the pair but say the 43-year-old woman and 41-year-old man were found by Golden and District Search and Rescue around noon in a backcountry area known as Canyon Creek.
"The two had mistakenly entered the area, became lost, and spent four days attempting to find their way out," said Const. Spencer Lainchbury.
The couple were reported missing by their accommodation provider on Sunday morning after they failed to check out the day before.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is 145 km west of Banff and 270 km west of Calgary.
The SAR outfit flew a helicopter over the area and says the couple managed to wave down the aircraft.
"They were cold, hungry and thirsty and grateful to have been found," wrote Lisa Roddick in an email.
The pair were flown back to the base of the resort's ski hill and were taken to hospital. They have since been released.
Not prepared
Lainchbury said the pair suffered minor injuries.
Lainchbury said the weather over the four nights was more mild than in past weeks, with nighttime lows around –10 C.
Still, he says the pair was unprepared to be outside overnight and hadn't told anyone when to expect them back.
In 2009, a Montreal woman died after spending 10 days in the same back country area where the Spanish skiers were lost. Her husband survived.