North Shore Rescue called to conduct after-dark helicopter rescue in B.C. Interior

North Shore Rescue and Talon Helicopters were called to the B.C. Interior for an after-dark helicopter rescue Friday night. (Facebook/NorthShoreRescue)

A rescue crew from the Lower Mainland was called to assist a team in the B.C. Interior in finding a lost skier Friday night.

The incident occurred near the Baldy Mountain Ski Resort in Oliver, B.C.

Oliver-Osoyoos Search and Rescue said in a social media post that it received a call from the province's Emergency Co-ordination Centre about a skier who had gone out of bounds.

"We were able to make phone contact with the subject and asked him to stay where he was," the post reads. "As members were getting ready to deploy, we were able to get the subject’s co-ordinates to give us a general location."

A four-person team was dispatched to the ski area on two snowmobiles, but as they were preparing to make their way to the skier, OOSAR was still considering other options.

"With the cold temperatures and knowing that we might be dealing with a number of trees down on our access route due to the recent heavy snowfalls, a request was made to ECC to see if the night-vision-and-winch-equipped helicopter from Vancouver was available," OOSAR said in its post.

Talon Helicopters and members of North Shore Rescue trained to handle night time helicopter rescues were available and able to make their way to the missing skier.

"Our members secured the Baldy parking lot for a landing zone and the helicopter dropped a very cold but very thankful skier off with us to reunite with his friends," OOSAR said.

The team said the skier did the right thing by calling 911 as soon as he realized he was lost and staying in one location while awaiting rescue.

OOSAR thanked North Shore Rescue, Talon Helicopters and Baldy Mountain Ski Patrol for their assistance in the operation.