A climber who fell 40 feet (12 meters) down a waterfall at the MacBeth Icefield north of Kootenay Lake was evacuated by air Saturday.
Local emergency responders were unable to reach the injured man, so aircraft from 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron were dispatched at about 9 p.m. by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria.
They sent a CC-115 Buffalo airplane with a crew of six and a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter, with a crew of five.
“We made it into the area under flares, which were being dropped by the Buffalo,” said Capt. Wayne Atwood, commander of the Cormorant, in a news release.
“It took us a few tries to land on a steep ridge above the waterfall from which the patient had fallen. Once there, we dropped off our two search and rescue technicians and took to the air again.”
The technicians hiked about 500 meters before reaching the man, who suffered “extensive” injuries in the fall.
“Fortunately, the patient’s leg had got caught between some rocks, and this prevented him from going down the rocky stream any further,” said Sgt. Dwayne Guay.
“When we arrived, he had already been stabilized by his climbing partner, who was a doctor.”
Despite the narrow canyon, the Cormorant’s flight crew positioned the helicopter overhead and within 10 minutes the patient and fellow climber were hoisted aboard.
The patient was flown to Trail in stable condition. His condition is unknown.
The climber’s name, age, and hometown were not released.
The search and rescue techs are based at Canadian Forces Base Comox and respond to incidents throughout BC and Yukon.