Skier avoided backcountry cliff by hiking to helipad: North Shore Rescue

A North Shore Rescue team is seen on a helipad in the Montizambert Creek drainage area. (North Shore Rescue/Facebook)

Rescue crews were called to an area of Cypress Provincial Park Wednesday to help a skier who ducked boundary ropes to ski in the backcountry.

North Shore Rescue said its team was called in the afternoon about a lost skier in the Montizambert Creek drainage area. The skier was new to Vancouver, NSR said in a social media post, and went under a boundary rope near Cypress Mountain's Sky Chair to ski into the drainage area.

"After skiing down he saw the signs across the drainage that warned of a cliff below and stopped," NSR said.

The man turned around and hiked up to a North Shore Rescue helipad and called Cypress Mountain Resort for help.

NSR highlighted just how dangerous the drainage area is, showing in photos a large cliff below the helipad. One year ago, rescue crews were called to that same helipad to rescue a snowboarder. As well, the structure was built using funds donated by the Billings family, whose son died in that drainage area.

"Going below this area has resulted in serious injuries and fatalities," the rescue agency said. "It should be noted that you should never go into the backcountry without avalanche training, avalanche equipment, and always go with other trained skiers or riders."

NSR said anyone who gets into trouble should call 911, not a nearby ski resort.