North Shore Rescue plucks injured skier from north Vancouver Island mountain

North Shore Rescue battled gusts of wind, deep snow and poor visibility to pluck an injured skier off a remote north Vancouver Island mountain on Sunday night.

Team leader Mike Danks said the rescue on Mount Cain, about 75 kilometres northwest of Sayward, was a complicated event due to the conditions and the tricky location of the fallen skier on the edge of a bowl.

“It was in avalanche terrain that was uncontrolled, so it was determined it wasn’t worth the risk of trying a (land) rescue and putting several people at risk,” said Danks.

He said crews had to assess the weather, which included wind gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour, downdrafts and clouds as darkness fell.

He said North Shore responded with Richmond-based Talon Helicopters, including a pilot and hoist operator, along with a physician and two night-trained hoist technicians. Due to the timing of the rescue in the darkness of early evening, pilots and lifters used night-vision goggles, which North Shore Rescue is accredited to use.