One hiker is dead after being caught in an avalanche that swept across Runner Peak, a hiking trail just east of North Vancouver's Mount Seymour Monday morning.
North Shore Rescue volunteers recovered the body of Surrey man Remigiusz Michalowski on Wednesday afternoon. He was 39.
North Shore Rescue volunteers board a helicopter before resuming the search for Surrey hiker Remigiusz Michalowski. Photo by Mike Wakefield/North Shore News
Michalowski was descending the 13-kilometre trail with a friend when the snowpack shifted. His friend survived, and was found by rescuers clinging to a tree overlooking a cliff. But the avalanche carried Michalowski past the tree line, over the cliff, and down between 400 and 600 feet of 鈥渧ery steep terrain,鈥� according to NSR team leader Mike Danks.
Citing the high avalanche risk, NSR called off the rescue attempt Monday night, resuming the search in more stable conditions Wednesday morning.
Searchers found Michalowski after several hours spent digging through avalanche debris.
鈥淪ometimes these things just happen,鈥� Danks said. 鈥淓ven if he had his avalanche safety equipment with him, it would not have made a difference.鈥�
Danks offered condolences to Michalowski鈥檚 friends and family.
The recovery operation was 鈥渁 tough one鈥� for NSR members, Danks said.
鈥淧eople need to take into consideration the responders that are going to these calls ... it鈥檚 not an easy thing to handle,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is when we need to bring the team in closely and we need to monitor them and check in with them and make sure that they鈥檙e doing OK.鈥�
Wednesday鈥檚 search involved two aircrafts, dog handlers from Whistler and North 麻豆传媒映画RCMP as well as avalanche forecasters, said Danks, who thanked each agency.
While it鈥檚 possible no equipment would have saved Michalowski鈥檚 life, Danks reiterated his call for hikers to carry a transceiver, probe and shovel.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 wait for an organized rescue to come in for someone who鈥檚 been buried in an avalanche,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ime is of the essence.鈥�
