A snowboarder who had to be rescued from Cypress Mountain became lost after going out-of-bounds to take pictures, according to search crews.
Members of North Shore Rescue were deployed around 7 p.m. Monday after receiving a call from West Vancouver police about a snowboarder who went missing from his group.
Search manager Don Jardine said the group deliberately crossed a fence at the resort, but didn't intend to do any out-of-bounds snowboarding.
"They were only taking pictures," Jardine said. "Somehow on the other side of that, (one snowboarder) got turned around."
Crews spent hours trying to retrieve the snowboarder, and by the time they reached him his gloves were frozen. Jardine said the man was extremely lucky, given how unprepared he was for the conditions.
"He was cold, he wasn’t prepared, his cellphone battery was dead, he had no light, and he didn’t have a clue where he was,” said Jardine.
The most important thing he did was stay in one place and wait for search crews to make voice contact, North Shore Rescue said. He was able to return home after having a debrief with search crews and police.
There is also a considerable avalanche warning for the backcountry. Rescuers warn anyone who ventures out of bounds may set off an avalanche in the steep terrain.
