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Spring is here, but peak Squamish SAR season has yet to begin

So far, crews have responded to 15 calls in 2023.

As March comes to an end and April begins, Squamish Search and Rescue has so far received 15 callouts this year.

Despite spring break and the beginning of less-rainy weather, rescue manager B.J. Chute said there hadn't been a significant uptick in rescue requests.

As of the morning of April 3, the 15 callouts received are roughly on track with the amount of activity crews undertook last year and the year prior.

Spring break, which typically leaves people with more spare time for recreation, did not correlate with any increase in calls.

In fact, it was a relatively quiet time, Chute said.

However, that's not to say that there wasn't anything that happened.

Chute said the most recent call was on March 24 for an ankle injury on the Stawamus Chief. The runner was on the turnoff for the Sea to Summit trail.  Crews found the injured man, splinted him and gave him walking poles. They then guided him down to safety by foot.

Before that, there was a mountain biker with a hip fracture on Rupert Trail on March 18, and a hiker who got lost on the Sea to Summit trail on March 8.

"We're not quite in that season yet where we're doing regular responses," said Chute.

With a change of seasons, adventurers still need to be aware of a few things.

"People still need to be aware that daylight is fairly limited," said Chute. "If they are in a situation where they potentially need search and rescue, they should make that call earlier rather than later."

In daylight hours, rescues are much easier. Crews can respond quicker and with a helicopter.

"It may be spring down low in Squamish, but it's still winter in the mountains," said Chute. "So people need to take that into consideration when they're recreating to make sure they are taking the appropriate gear here and in the case of travelling through snow, that would obviously include avalanche safety gear, but [also] certainly a warm layer, some extra food, water and navigation devices."

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