{"id":375100,"date":"2025-12-29T12:36:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T12:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/375100\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T12:36:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T12:36:13","slug":"search-and-rescue-teams-prepare-for-influx-of-calls-with-fresh-snow-in-b-c-s-sea-to-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/375100\/","title":{"rendered":"Search and rescue teams prepare for influx of calls with fresh snow in B.C.’s Sea-to-Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

As winter weather ramps up in the Sea-to-Sky region, search and rescue teams are preparing for an influx of calls for help. <\/p>\n

The region, world famous for winter recreation, is as beautiful as it is dangerous, and it’s common for people to get in over their head.<\/p>\n

North Shore Rescue, for example, spent ten hours on Christmas morning searching for a missing hiker who got lost north of St. Mark\u2019s Summit. <\/p>\n

The volunteers located the person and managed to hike them to safety.<\/p>\n

Team leader Scott Merriman said the rescue was one of three calls for help the team received in 33 hours. <\/p>\n

\"SearchVolunteers were called to St. Mark’s Summit for a hiker who was stuck in a gully on Dec. 24 and spent until the morning getting them to safety. (North Shore Rescue)<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that winter’s here, I certainly anticipate that it will get a bit busier,\u201d Merriman said. <\/p>\n

Also on Dec. 24, two 16-year-olds got lost when skiing out of bounds on Cypress Mountain and called for help, although they managed to find their way out safely on their own.<\/p>\n

The next day, North Shore Rescue was notified about a group of people camping on Pump Peak, concerned about snow and avalanche risk. Volunteers communicated with them, and they were able to safely hike out. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing is it’s avalanche country out there in a lot of locations,\u201d Merriman said. <\/p>\n

\"SearchGround teams responded near St Mark’s Summit and hiked out the missing person, returning to the parking lot around 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 25, 2025. (North Shore Rescue)<\/p>\n

He\u2019s advising people to be smart with route options. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven though you’re on a well-established trail and many other people have gone there, it doesn’t mean that you should go there,\u201d Merriman said. <\/p>\n

Avalanche risk should be top of mind, and people should learn how to self rescue and carry the proper equipment. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are caught in an avalanche, your best chance of survival is the people that you’re with,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

WATCH | Search and rescue teams urge caution:\"\"<\/p>\n

Sea-to-Sky search and rescue teams give safety advice amid harsh winter conditions<\/p>\n

A blast of wintry weather has brought a significant dump of snow to the Sea-to-Sky region. Environment Canada says temperatures are going to drop further. As Alanna Kelly reports, search and rescue teams say they\u2019re bracing for an increase in calls.Drowning in the snow<\/p>\n

Over the last week, more than a metre of snow has fallen at Whistler Blackcomb ski resort. <\/p>\n

Whistler Search and Rescue president Brad Sills said it has resulted in an unconsolidated snowpack, which creates concerns for snow immersion. <\/p>\n

\u201cSnow immersion is essentially drowning in the snow. Typically, you find yourself in a head-down position, and you can\u2019t get out of it,\u201d Sills said. <\/p>\n

He suggests people always travel with a buddy. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe snow is so fluffy that you can\u2019t get a purchase on it, the more you fight it, it\u2019s like quicksand, the deeper you go,\u201d Sills said. <\/p>\n

He expects calls for help to increase as the snow continues to fall. <\/p>\n

Stay off Forest Service Roads<\/p>\n

Pemberton Search and Rescue president and search manager David MacKenzie is warning people to stay off of forest service roads, which are not maintained during the winter.<\/p>\n

\"VehiclePemberton Search and Rescue rescued a person stuck on the Hurley River Forest Service Road. (Pemberton Search and Rescue)<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are very excited to get out there but, but it\u2019s very important that they understand the conditions before they head out,\u201d MacKenzie said. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey’re putting themselves at risk and then also the risk to our team if we have to go out and save them.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, if there\u2019s not enough daylight, SAR teams won\u2019t be able to fly a helicopter in. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to be prepared to wait,\u201d MacKenzie said. <\/p>\n

\"SnowyHeavy snow blanketed the Duffey Lake Road north of Lillooet, B.C., on Dec. 26, 2025. (Jenny Goossens)<\/p>\n

A program in the Sea to Sky region ties together all of the avalanche rescue resources should an emergency take place.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a call comes in to any one of the organizations, they can call upon the rest of the organizations to come immediately,\u201d Sills said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":375101,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-375100","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/375101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}