A 17-year-old teen boy is dead after getting lost and suffering a fatal fall into a gully while hiking Hat Mountain on Sunday.
Lions Bay Search and Rescue and North Shore Rescue responded to the Lions Bay area for two missing hikers on Sunday at 3:34 p.m.
Sea to Sky RCMP were notified the hikers had been separated and were lost in the Lions Bay area.
Sources confirmed the two were hiking to Hat Mountain, a challenging route that is not advised in the spring months.
Dave Barnett, a search manager with North Shore Rescue, confirmed the pair was en route down when they got off trail.
One of the hikers fell and slipped down a steep snow filled gully. The other person had left the trail to try to locate their friend and called 911.
The search went into the early hours on Monday morning.
Lions Bay Search and Rescue was the lead on the search, with NSR providing medical and air support. North Shore Rescue responded with Talon Helicopters and was able to locate one of the hikers in steep terrain and hoisted him out.
"Ground teams were inserted into the area and an air search was conducted for the second hiker,” said Barnett. "The ground search required hundreds of feet of rope and highly skilled rescuers in technical terrain."
The second hiker, who fell, was located unresponsive. An NSR doctor was immediately hoisted into the location and first aid was provided.
"As it was now past sunset the helicopter crew switched to night flying protocols with NVGs (night vision goggles). The hiker was hoisted out and flown directly to [Vancouver General Hospital],” said Barnett.
Early in the morning on Monday, the helicopter returned and the remaining SAR members were lifted out of the area.
Lodestar Media has confirmed the two boys are from B.C.
'Tragic rescue'
Video and photographs shared to social media show search and rescue members in steep terrain with ropes and heavy snow.
The route follows the Brunswick Mountain trail; Brunswick Mountain is the highest peak on the North Shore at 1,788 metres and is considered a more challenging hike. It is advised to hike only from July to October. The mountain is located near Brunswick Beach and looks out to Howe Sound.
“Our thoughts and condolences go out to the friends and family of the deceased," said Sgt. Dallas Langley of the Sea to Sky RCMP (Squamish).
The North Shore Rescue manager said it was a "tragic rescue with another young person losing their life."
"Unfortunately, in the last month, the North Shore has had a number of fatalities and serious injuries as a result of slips on steep snow,” said the manager.
On April 19, a woman died after sliding nearly 200 metres down an icy slope on a North Vancouver mountain.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated the teen who died was 16. He was 17.
