A 43-year old Vancouver hiker was badly injured and a fellow 21-year-old hiker was hurt in a 200-metre fall from a Squamish glacier Sunday afternoon, according to Squamish Search and Rescue (SAR).
The two men were part of a party of eight in a Vancouver hiking group, according to SAR manager Katy Chambers.
“They were on their way up to Sky Pilot and were on Stadium Glacier,” she said. “Both of them independently fell.”
A team of 29 search and rescue personnel rescued the men, according to Chambers.
The older hiker sustained massive head injuries and was transported by air ambulance to hospital in Vancouver, where he is currently in intensive care, Chambers said.
The younger man, who had minor injuries, went by B.C. Ambulance Service to Squamish General Hospital.
The men were wearing helmets and carrying appropriate equipment but had limited mountain experience, she said.
“Right now the glacier is just down to bare ice, so you are basically sliding over very rough sandpaper,” she said.
The rest of the hiking group was able to hike out, she said.
Squamish resident Mike Schauch and two friends, Garret Schumacher and Adam Hart, were hiking on the glacier when they saw the men fall behind them.
“Just as we were coming off the glacier and onto the rock, one of the members of the party of two lost his footing, I guess, and slid all the way to the bottom,” he said, adding the first, younger faller was 15 metres away from them when he fell.
They called down to the man who fell and he responded he was OK.
“His friend turns around and somehow lost his footing and slid all the way down as well, but he went face-first… rocketing down 30 or 40 kilometres per hour, or maybe faster.”
Schauch and his friends called 911, gathered their supplies and made their way down to the men. They were able to comfort the younger man, keep him warm and give him tea and food, while they kept the older, unconscious man warm and waited for rescuers to arrive, Schauch said.
“Not really what I expected when I was walking out the front door,” Schauch said Monday.
Chambers said it is important for people to be prepared for the conditions when they head out hiking.
“Know the terrain; know your gear and how to use it. And this time of year, the daytime hours are getting shorter as well, it is not as warm out there and there isn’t any snow left on the glaciers,” she said.
Video submitted by Schauch
