A climber was airlifted to hospital after taking a fall in Cheakamus Canyon on Monday.
BCEHS spokesperson Pamela Gole said the patient is in serious but stable condition.
Two ground paramedics and an air ambulance rushed to the scene after authorities received a 911 call at around 3:15 p.m.
Squamish RCMP closed the highway for a time to allow air ambulance to land.
Tyler Duncan, a manager on the Squamish Search and Rescue team, told The Chief a climber fell between five and 10 metres while descending from a climb in Cheakamus Canyon near Squamish.
Duncan said he was told the injured man is a Squamish resident.
The fall on May 27 was the second climbing incident that Squamish SAR has responded to at the same location, known as Electric Avenue, so far this year. It was the third this year in the general area, Duncan added.
A couple of months ago, Duncan said, another climber had a significant injury after a fall in the same area. He said during the earlier incident, there wasn't enough rope and there wasn't a knot at the end of the rope, so it went through the belayer's hands.
Duncan said the cause of the May 27 fall is still unclear.
"It sounds like it was an accident during the lowering phase of the climb," he said of the most recent fall.
He described the climbing area as popular for beginners but noted the route lengths are longer than other beginner areas in Squamish.
"Our key point is trying to get that preventative message across of following those key safety points, especially for beginner climbers when they're moving outside. Making sure you have those knots at the end of the rope, being aware of how long the climb is, good communication with your belayer is always key," he said. "That seems to be the general theme of accidents in this area."
Please note, this story has been updated since it was first posted to add new information.
-Video by Melanie Tremblay
