Hikers airlifted after becoming exhausted near Cypress Mountain

Talon Helicopters worked with search and rescue teams to airlift hikers from an area near James Peak on the Howe Sound Crest Trail. (Lions Bay Search and Rescue)

A couple became exhausted after attempting a one-day hike of the B.C.’s Howe Sound Crest Trail on Sunday and had to be rescued via helicopter.

In a Facebook post, Lions Bay Search and Rescue said the couple began their hike from Cypress Mountain at about 9 a.m., but realized they were unable to continue.

Search and rescue staff tell CTV News the hike is nearly 30 kilometres long and explain the couple stopped to call for help at James Peak, which is about a quarter of the way through.

Lions Bay SAR were called at around 8:30 p.m., and said they partnered with Talon Helicopters to conduct a night hover rescue, a first for their team, as daylight was fading by the time they were called. Three search and rescue members were “inserted near the hikers and both subjects and the rescue team were subsequently extracted by hover.”

Staff said the call was stood down by 10:30 p.m.

“The hikers on the Howe Sound Crest Trail were poorly equipped for the demands of the trip. The Howe Sound Crest Trail is a long, strenuous, and committing backcountry route that requires careful planning, appropriate equipment, sufficient food and water, and a realistic understanding of the time and fitness required to complete it,” reads the Facebook post from Lions Bay SAR.

While search and rescue staff say completing the Howe Sound Crest Trail in a single day could be possible, they say it should only be attempted by “extremely fit parties.”

“One day pushes could take 14 to 18 hours. Most people take two to three days and camp at Magnesia Meadows,” they said, in an email to CTV News.

Search and rescue staff ask anyone attempting the full Howe Sound Crest Trail to come prepared for delays and pack enough equipment to camp overnight.