The Cormorant helicopter staffed with search and rescue technicians carried three distressed skiers off Mount Arrowsmith late Sunday, Jan 10. (Royal Canadian Air Force)

By Ian Holmes

mountain rescue

Hikers rescued from steep section of Mount Arrowsmith, 1 person seriously injured

Jan 18, 2021 | 12:05 PM

PARKSVILLE — Three people endured a harrowing ordeal on Mount Arrowsmith, stranded for hours and unable to move on a steep section of the mountain.

Dozens of military and volunteer search and rescue resources teamed up to safely hoist the young hikers from Victoria to safety in a Cormorant helicopter late Sunday, Jan. 17.

Emergency Health Services (EHS) confirmed to NanaimoNewsNOW one person is in serious condition, while another is considered stable after a call for help was received at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

Dave Poulsen, Alberni Rescue Squad search manager, said the hikers clung together on a narrow, steep portion of the mountain.

“They were basically all stuck together holding on,” Poulsen said. “They were in a position had one of them let go more than one of them would have fallen at that point.”

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Poulsen said the hikers all in their early 20’s had the required gear, but none could access items like additional clothing at the risk of falling down a steep drop-off.

EHS reported the patients were flown to the Comox air base Sunday at 11 p.m.

Poulsen said it was a challenging rescue due to darkness setting in and lack of access for aircrafts.

“Through experience we know there’s nowhere to actually land the helicopter on the Judge’s Route trail, so we had to start at the top of the mountain and work down from there.”

Two females were hospitalized and a male was uninjured, Poulsen said.

He said initially rescuers were told the distressed trio were skiers, but said it was later revealed they were hiking.

“From reports from other hikers that we encountered on the way up and down was that they had left trail and were hiking in unchartered territory, they weren’t following any known path down,” he said.

A Buffalo aircraft from 19-Wing Comox and two other private choppers produced necessary light during the rescue, Poulsen said.

SAR officials advise people planning a trip in the backcountry to reference AdventureSmart.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes