VANCOUVER

2 weeks after vanishing, search resumes for missing hiker Liang Jin

CTV Vancouver Published Tuesday, January 13, 2015 8:43AM PST

Liang Jin, also known as Leon Joy, may have gone hiking on the North Shore Mountains. He hasn't been heard from since Dec. 31, 2014. (Handout)

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VANCOUVER - The search for a missing 21-year-old hiker on Vancouver's North Shore mountains is back on.

North Shore Rescue previously called off looking for Liang Jin because of harsh weather conditions and difficulty narrowing down a search area.

But spokesman Doug Pope says the search can now resume thanks to higher temperatures and considerable snow melt in the Hanes Valley, where Jin is believed to be.

Crews plan to start the search at around 9 a.m. and will scour the area by both foot and helicopter.

However Pope says there will be challenges with slippery boulders, and says the likelihood that Jin has been able to survive on the harsh terrain is low.

Jin was last heard from on New Year's Eve, when he sent a text message to his father to let him know he was going on a hike, although he didn't specify where he planned to walk.