Rescuers had to be flown in by helicopter to help a hiker stranded on a mountain south of Lake Louise in Banff National Park.
The unidentified man had made it to the almost 2,800-metre summit of Fairview Mountain on Wednesday, but got into trouble when he tried to go down using an unfamiliar route.
Safety specialist Stephen Holeczi says the man realized by nightfall that he wasn't going to make it, so he used his cellphone to call for help.
But the terrain was too tricky — especially in the dark — for a crew to hike to his aid, so he was told he'd have to spend the night on the mountain.
Safety specialists were flown in early Thursday morning to a ledge below the man and climbed to where he was.
The hiker was not seriously injured.
"He was fine. He was just cold," said Holeczi. "We were able to drop him off at his car and he was able to go on his own."
Holeczi said rescuers couldn't land near the hiker because an overhang restricted direct access.
"The team had to build an anchor, climb a 15-metre pitch up to where he was, secure him in a harness and lower him back down to the original ledge," he explained. "Everyone was heli-slung from that point."
Holeczi said the hiker made a bad call when he chose to descend the mountain where he did.
"It was later in the day and he decided to try and go off the other side of the mountain ... because it looks like a shorter way down," he said.
"If you're at the top of the peak, looking down that way, it actually doesn't look very steep. There's no trail, but it's not that steep ... but as you start getting lower and lower on the mountain, the terrain gets steeper and steeper."
Holeczi recommends hikers take measures to ensure they do not find themselves at the mercy of challenging terrain.
"Just go back the way you came if you're unsure about any other routes down the mountain. It's best to just retrace your steps."
(CTV Calgary)
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