***  Avalanched Skier Rescued in Garibaldi Park ***

From: kpowell@whistler.net Keith Powell - Whistler SAR

February 25th, 1996: - Whistler Mountain, BC.

Brendan Connolly left his girlfriend, a novice skier, at Whistler
Mountains Express gondola mid-station at about 1.30pm on February 25, 1996.
He was a good skier and told her he was going to the peak and was going to
ski something on the "back of the mountain." Not much after 2pm, he had
gone outside the ski area and done exactly that.

He was south-west of Piccolo Peak, and believing that he was too low, was
"booting" his way back up towards the area boundary using his skis as a
climbing aid when the snow fractured right at his feet. He was immediately
knocked down and carried downwards at great speed.

He remembers thinking that he had heard about "swimming" if caught in
an avalanche. He let go of his skis and poles right away and swam hard and
managed to stay on the surface. Brendan recalls suddenly going from the
surface to being down in the still sliding snow. He swam even harder and
managed to get back on the surface. Again, he was sucked back into the snow.
Then he was thrown about 10 feet (3 meters) into the air! He described it
as "feeling like a rag-doll" as he tumbled on downwards.

Then he hit his first tree. Below it, he kept swimming for his life.
Striking yet another tree, he was knocked unconscious briefly. At this
point, he felt the avalanche was carrying him very fast. Next, he smashed
into a third tree - really a stump. Most of the trees in the chute had their
tops missing, ripped off by avalanches over the years.

His left ski boot became wedged between two trees. The still rapidly
flowing avalanche pulled his upper body downwards - doing substantial knee
and ligament damage. The avalanche had carried him about a thousand vertical
feet (300 meters) and continued on another 700 vertical feet (213 meters)
below him.

After freeing himself from the tree, he managed to crawl to the
side of the slide path. His toque and gloves were gone. He managed to kick
a depression in the snow under a tree and lined it with branches and
sat down. Brendan remained by this tree for the rest of the afternoon.
The alpine temperature was about -14 C during the afternoon, but fell to
about -20 C overnight. He spent a long and cold night under the tree.

Denise reported him overdue that evening when he didn't show up.
Whistler Mountain staff searched the perimeter - especially on the "back of
the mountain" and Whistler Search and Rescue went in to the Cheakamus Lake
parking lot and on to below the 'Cake Hole', a popular wrong way to go down,
not too far west of the avalanche that had carried Brendan down.

He was spotted the following morning at 10.15 am by members of
Whistler Search and Rescue on board the RCMP helicopter AIR-1. The machine
had five minutes fuel left at that time and had to return to the valley. It
took until 11.48 am for ground team members to reach the subject. With a
very real danger of another slide, it was felt that no teams should work
above them. Whistler Mountain Patrol placed guards above them to keep any
members of the public from causing further hazards to the subject and team
members.

Because of the existing avalanche hazard, and the danger involved and
time it would take to do either a 1000 foot raise (300 meters) or a 1500
foot lower (457 meter) and no suitable heli-pad nearby, HFRS (Helicopter
Flight Rescue System) became the only viable option to remove the subject.

Arrangements were made with Blackcomb Helicopters, and HFRS-trained
patrollers from Blackcomb Mountain performed the extrication, lifting him
off the mountain at 2 p.m.. During the wait, he was given a down jacket,
down booties and placed on a thermo-rest pad by the Whistler Search and
Rescue team.  Also a charcoal heater that had recently been purchased was
used for the second time since its delivery a week ago. He was safely
delivered to the clinic at 2.19 p.m..

The team that had both originally spotted the subject from the air,
and also the first to reach him, were left with the exhausting task of
climbing straight up the slide path - over a thousand vertical feet (300
meters) before they could put their skis back on and complete their exit
from the extremely hazardous area. It took over two hours from the time
they left the rescue scene until they were able to call in and say they
were "out of danger."  They finally arrived in the valley at 458 p.m..

Brendan Connolly suffered a laceration to his forehead, a skull
fracture and sustained injuries to a knee in the avalanche. Not only did he
miraculously survive the avalanche, he spent a very long and cold night
awaiting his eventual rescue. In spite of being able to stand and wave when
he was first spotted, the phrase "having trouble stabilizing the patient"
was used at one point at the Whistler Clinic. Almost his entire body was
black and blue as a result of his terrifying slide. He was later transported
to hospital where his knee will require surgery. Whistler Search and Rescue
sincerely hopes that he is able to make a full recovery and return to the
sport that he loves.

Many people selflessly worked long and hard in the search and the eventual
rescue of Brendan, including members of Whistler Search and Rescue,
Whistler RCMP, Whistler Mountain Ski Patrol and other staff, including CARDA
(Canadian Avalanche Rescue Dog Association,) the pilot of the RCMPs AIR-1,
the HFRS trained members of Blackcomb Ski Patrol all contributed to this
difficult SAR operation.

Brendans girlfriend Denise received help in coping with her own
ordeal from a Whistler Firefighter trained in stress counselling and another
counsellor.

With less regard for their personal safety than they should have had,
some members of Whistler SAR - a group of highly trained and dedicated
volunteers who routinely give of their time and expertise and take
calculated risks to rescue people who are strangers to them - went far above
and beyond the call of duty on this day. Way to go Billy and Paul!  You are
truly heroes.  You risked your lives and managed to save the life of a
fellow human being who had made an almost tragic mistake.

Keith Powell  Whistler Search & Rescue
kpowell@whistler.net

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