Woman survives being buried 20 minutes upside down in avalanche near Metro Vancouver

VANCOUVER — Rescuers say a woman is lucky to be alive after being caught in an avalanche on Metro Vancouver’s North Shore and being completely buried upside down for up to 20 minutes.

North Shore Rescue says the incident happened Sunday at the south face of Pump Peak, about 24 kilometres northeast of downtown Vancouver.

The rescue group says in a Facebook post that the woman was snowshoeing with a companion in the Mount Seymour backcountry when the avalanche struck and buried both.

Rescuers say the male victim was able to dig himself out before calling 911 then locating his companion’s snowshoe poking out of the snow.

The woman was hypothermic and discoloured from a lack of oxygen, and rescuers called to the scene were able to provide emergency care and bring her down from the mountain.

North Shore Rescue says the area where the avalanche took place had been rated as high-danger terrain, with travel not recommended and human-triggered avalanches very likely.

Rescuers say the pair did not have rescue gear such as beacons, probes and shovels.

“We cannot state strongly enough how lucky they were that the first individual was able to spot the second and dig her out,” North Shore Recue says. “Had this not happened, we would be looking at a very different result.”

Rescuers also say the conditions were challenging, with heavy snow and low visibility preventing the use of helicopters and land-based rescue teams only able to reach the victims due to relatively simple terrain.

“In conditions like we had this weekend, it is best to give anything with a slope a rest and let the snowpack settle,” North Shore Rescue says.

Avalanche Canada says the mountains just north of Metro Vancouver remain under high risk of avalanche, with “a heavy load of new snow … primed for human-triggering.”

The agency warns wind and more snow are likely to intensify and “increase an already elevated avalanche hazard in the area.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press