VANCOUVER -- This weekend Krisha Maclang and Kayren Sanghera were planning to hike to the Bowen lookout in West Vancouver, when they realized they might not be prepared.

The pair stopped by the AdventureSmart tent at the base of Cypress before heading on their hike, and were told there was still a significant snow pack on the upper trails.

“I was not expecting there to be snow,” Sanghera said, and when he came across it on the trail he realized that his shoes wouldn’t up to the task.

Making the right decision, the pair turned back, deciding instead to find another trail at a lower altitude.

But not everyone made that same wise decision this weekend.

North Shore Rescue had a busy Saturday, with four different calls for help. This included a serious back injury when a hiker slipped and fell into a tree well, a twisted knee and a twisted ankle.

Then, on Saturday evening they received a call for an apparent avalanche with four people hit, and one with a broken leg.

“We scrambled very fast,” said search manager Peter Haigh.

But when crews got to the mountain they discovered there hadn’t actually been an avalanche.

“We eventually figured out that yes there was a snow slide, a bit of snow came down and one person got pushed into a tree and twisted their ankle.”

Two helicopters and up to 20 volunteer SAR crew members responded to what ended up being a much less serious call.

“That’s the best way to have it of course, as an outcome, but it would be nice to get a realistic report as to what the situation is,” Haigh said.

At this time of the year people are often fooled into thinking the mountains will be as warm as the city, when in reality it's still snowy and cold up on the hills.

“There’s still a snowpack (on the North Shore mountains) so we need to consider footwear, still using microspikes (on boots), a walking stick, sun screen, it’s kind of that season we need to think of everything because the conditions will change,” said Sandra Riches, the executive director of BC AdventureSmart.

“Take the time to trip plan, have the proper training and take those essentials with you, every single time.”

North Shore Rescue says its most common calls are for twisted ankles, which can often be prevented by wearing hiking boots with proper ankle support.

It’s currently on track for another record-breaking year of rescue calls.

“In British Columbia every year on average there’s about 1,700 search and rescue calls, last year we had just over 2,000 search and rescue calls,” Riches said.

“We need to be responsible hikers.”

Despite the stern warnings, both organizations say that any hiker who finds themself stranded, injured or lost should still call for help, which can be done by calling 911.

“There’s no charge for search and rescue and you don’t need insurance for search and rescue to come find you,” Riches said.

For Sanghera and Maclang they said they’ll plan better for future hikes, by making sure they have layers and the right equipment.

“(AdventureSmart) gave us this kit which I thought was really nice ... it has a blanket, a whistle and just like general tips,” said Maclang.

For more information on what to bring, and how to prepare, AdventureSmart offers weekly seminars.