VANCOUVER — Search and rescue volunteers braved heavy winds, rain and snow this Christmas to rescue a man from a Vancouver Island mountain.
Paul Berry of Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue says the man who is in his early 20s was backcountry skiing and had already spent one night on Mt. Beecher when he found himself stranded on a ledge.
Berry says the man used his cellphone Saturday to call for help.
He says more than two dozen volunteers from three search and rescue organizations responded by the early afternoon and spent the next 18 hours getting the man to safety.
Berry says BC Ambulance Service members assessed the man early Christmas Day and found him to be in good condition.
He says the volunteers were happy to get home and spend the holiday with their families.