Risky Rescue

Treacherous weekend on Mount Brunswick for hikers

View from Mount Brunswick, Easter weekend, 2025.

First Responders were called into action this long weekend as hundreds of hikers headed for the snowy trails above Lions Bay.

A late call on Friday night started on a confusing note, according to Lions Bay Search and Rescue (LBSAR) manager Ed Langford. While the initial call came in about a party of six having difficulty in the deep snow on Mount Brunswick, rescuers discovered that the group had actually split up.

"It turned out that a group of three was struggling in the snow, and two others were in fact lower down and started to descend," said Langford in a debrief after the event. "The third individual was totally unaccounted for."

Langford noted that the zone in which the party had called for help has previously resulted in serious injuries from sliding on steep hard spring snow. "Past cases have seen broken limbs and punctured lungs, (so) with this knowledge the response was considered high urgency," said Langford.

The team was equipped with ice axes and crampons, and Langford said that for part of the descent a rope was required to reach the stranded hikers.

After assessment and minor treatment the group was escorted to a waiting rescue truck. The other pair of hikers were able to hike down and were met by rescuers.

Langford said the missing person had taken two largely uncontrolled slides of more than 200 metres each, and yet somehow managed to avoid injury. He said the hiker managed to navigate down the northern tributary of Magnesia Creek and was met by a rescue crew at the Magnesia bridge and logging road.

"This was a first time in more than 40 years an individual was able to descend this creek system without injury," said Langford. "This group of six will have quite the graduation story as they head off to university,"

Rescuers noted that the hikers set out with a reasonable selection of equipment, including snowshoes and a camp stove, but that in this case lack of proper footwear was a major factor.

It was a treacherous weekend for hikers throughout the North Shore mountains. On Sunday, North Shore Rescue reported recovering the body of a 28-year-old hiker who had been camping on Mount Seymour, and slipped off an icy cliff in the early morning hours.

"Hiking parties need to do the research to any given hiking objective in advance and plan accordingly," said Langford. He noted that above 900 metres, winter conditions are still prevalent despite the season.

LBSAR provides rescue services without question or charge. Donations to help replace equipment and gear can be made HERE.

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