'Pretty treacherous': Search teams rescue 2 climbers from remote gully on Vancouver Island

Trapped climbers hope rescue serves as lesson Two climbers who became trapped on a Vancouver Island mountain hope their ordeal can become a teachable moment for others.

Two men were rescued from a steep gully on Vancouver Island thanks to the efforts of search and rescue crews from the island and the Lower Mainland.

The Alberni Valley Rescue Squad (AVRS) says it was alerted to the two stranded climbers on Mt. Arrowsmith by RCMP around 10 p.m. Saturday.

The men were traversing up the Main Gully route while equipped with gear including ropes and anchors, according to the AVRS.

The pair was able to make it to the "West Ridge" of the mountain before they decided that it was too late and too difficult to finish the route.

"As the night progressed they tried to find their way down after realizing they wouldn't be able to make the route totally," said Rick Johns, search manager with the AVRS.

The climbers then rappelled off of West Ridge into a gully, where they became trapped.

"The gully led into a big snow moat (where rock meets snow) that was steep, exposed and impassable," said the AVRS in a social media post Monday.

Once they were in the gully, the climbers were unable to scramble out or descend further, at which point they called for help, according to the Mid-Island rescue team.

Johns says the AVRS had to tackle some "pretty treacherous" terrain before they were able to locate the climbers.

The search team used "sound sweeps" to narrow down where the climbers were before they were able to spot their headlamps. Unfortunately, due to the darkness and steep terrain the men were stuck in, the AVRS was unable to reach them and extract them safely.

The search team then contacted North Shore Rescue and Talon Helicopters to access the stranded pair.

While the helicopter team was on its way, AVRS members kept an eye on the climbers overnight using flashlights and headlamps.

The helicopter, equipped with a search and rescue hoist team, reached the climbers the next morning around 4:14 a.m., according to North Shore Rescue.

Both climbers were then pulled from the gully uninjured and were dropped off at the Qualicum Beach Airport, according to Johns.

The search manager says the men were "fairly well equipped" for their trip. However, he says they could have benefited from scouting the area before they set out for the day.

"Make sure you're on a route you're aware of," he said.