June 18, 2012 - 7:39 AM
VANCOUVER - A hiker has survived a 200 metre fall on a snowfield in the rugged backcountry north of Vancouver.
The man, in his 40s, was with a group of three others on Crown Mountain, one of Vancouver's North Shore peaks, when he fell early Sunday afternoon.
North Shore Rescue spokesman Tim Jones says the man slipped while crossing the steep snowfield and tumbled into a gully, shattering his femur and lower leg.
The accident happened about 2 p.m. and Jones says crews raced an incoming storm to reach the man by helicopter.
He says a two person rescue team stabilized the victim and a brief, 10-minute respite in the weather allowed the helicopter to return and lift him to safety.
The man was hypothermic by the time he was taken off the mountain, but Jones says he is now recovering in Vancouver General Hospital. (News1130, CKNW)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012