West Vancouver (BC), Canada – A 42-year-old backcountry skier was rescued late Sunday night after becoming lost near Cypress Mountain Ski Area.

Cal Nairne, of Vancouver, was skiing alone when he phoned his wife at around 1:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon to say that he was lost in unfamiliar territory near Hollyburn Mountain just east of the ski area boundary. After losing contact with Nairne, his wife called police, who brought in the non-profit North Shore Rescue, which began looking for the man at around 7 p.m.

In the meantime, Nairne found a cache of emergency supplies, one of several left in the North Shore Mountains by North Shore Rescue, stocked with sleeping bags, ropes and other safety gear.

Searchers found Nairne just after 11:30 p.m. at the bottom of a steep gully that they termed an avalanche terrain trap.  North Shore Rescue team leader Mike Danks told the CBC that Nairne was lucky that he wasn’t hit by one of the avalanches that occurred in that gully on Sunday.

Avalanche danger in the North Shore Mountains on Sunday had been rated as high. More than 100 cm of snow fell at Cypress Mountain ski resort in the preceding week, including 5 cm overnight on Sunday. While Nairne was carrying an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe, he was skiing without a partner, rendering such equipment essentially useless.

“Big thanks to Tony, Alec, Bruce, Peter and the rest of the North Shore Rescue team I didn’t meet last night,” Nairne posted to Facebook on Monday, promising a “substantial donation” to North Shore Rescue. “You guys provide an incredible and selfless service, even though I wish I hadn’t had to call on it. I am, of course, embarrassed and humbled by the whole event, and can never say sorry enough for worrying my wife (and loved ones) and taking up your valuable time and resources.”