By Stephanie Ip, The Province
NORTH SHORE — A snowboarder who went missing on Cypress Mountain on Friday has been found dead.
The 40-year-old Surrey man was reported missing Friday after he split off from his friends around noon and failed to meet up later in the day.
West Vancouver police, who initially received the call, then brought in North Shore Rescue to help with the search.
A crew of about 20 volunteers and a police helicopter were sent out Friday evening to search for the man.
“We were out all night searching and the last point we knew he was at, was at the top of a waterfall,” said Doug Pope with North Shore Rescue.
Pope said that once morning light returned, searchers flying overhead in a helicopter spotted the man’s body at the bottom of the waterfall, near Motizambert Creek to the west of Mount Strachan.
A longline team lowered into the area determined the snowboarder had likely slipped off the waterfall and died.
“Every year, we get people in the Montizambert gully and we either find them at the top, where they stop and realize it’s not safe to continue, or at the bottom,” said Pope.
“But he kept going and that’s what caused the unfortunate incident, because the gulleys don’t lead back to the ski resort like some people think.
“He got into a very difficult situation.”
On Friday, while searching for the missing snowboarder, North Shore Rescue also discovered two missing skiers who had become lost but had not yet been reported missing.
The skiers called for help after spotting the police helicopter overhead.
“We had RCMP Air 1 helicopter in the area, searching the creek for our missing snowboarder and the two lost skiers called into Cypress and said the helicopter had gone over them,” Pope said.
The pair was safely escorted out late Friday.
Pop again reiterated the need for skiers and snowboarders to be prepared and responsible while out enjoying the North Shore mountains.
“It’s not just your own life at risk,” he said. “It’s the rescue team’s life to go and try and rescue you.”
The B.C. Coroners Service is now probing the death.