*** Rescue of Parapenter on Wedge Mtn. - Ham Radio Saves the Day ***

October 2, 1993

- Ivan VE7IWT and his friend Eddy had hiked to WedgemountLake the day before.
Their plans were to fly their parapentes from the top of 9527 foot Wedge 
Mountain near Whistler, B. C.

With the treacherous late season conditions on the icy North ridge of Wedge,
it was not feasible to climb to the top.  Instead they launched from their
highest point on the ridge just below the peak. As Ivan had talked with John
- VE7CUU the day before, he was monitoring the Whistler repeater VE7WHR on
147.06 from his home in Squamish, B. C.

Early on the afternoon of October 2, John - VE7CUU and Keith - VE7GDH, who
was visiting, heard Ivan - VE7IWT calling for help. His signal was very noisy
into the repeater.  After several tries, the word "injured" was copied. Ivan
then managed to change his rubber duck to a half-wave and was then 
full-quieting into the repeater.  He advised that he'd had a bad landing and
had injured his foot and could not walk. Without the thermals of summer, he
had not made it to his intended landing site and while maneuvering to a
clearing in the forest, he had trouble making a turn - possibly encountering
a downdraft down Wedge Creek.

Immediately, John got on the phone to the Whistler RCMP detachment and
requested that they call out Whistler Search and Rescue.  Details were
given that Ivan - VE7IWT was at an elevation of 910 meters on the north
side of Wedge Creek and that his parapente could easily be spotted from the
air. He had come down hard on a steep slope covered in loose rocks and was
in danger of falling the remaining 10 meters into Wedge Creek. Further
transmissions revealed that Ivan had more serious injuries. He reported
having double vision, that he was bleeding from the nose and that he felt
a "high pressure in his right eye" when he blew his nose. Ivan - VE7IVN
who had also dropped in at Squamish for a coffee cut his visit short and
left for Whistler to act as a relay if needed.  After passing on the
details of the injured parapenter, John - VE7CUU and Keith - VE7GDH who
are both members of Whistler SAR departed Squamish for Whistler. While
they were in transit, Ivan - VE7IVN was in contact with Ivan - VE7IWT
and assured him that help was on the way.

By the time John & Keith had arrived at Whistler, a helicopter carrying SAR
members had landed near the injured Ivan.  They quickly made their way to
him and gave him first aid. His situation was quite precarious. More SAR
members, including John who had originally intercepted the call for help,
and additional supplies were ferried in by helicopter and Ivan was lowered
to a safer spot and with the help of a fixed line traversing a steep slope,
he was carried to the waiting helicopter and taken to the Whistler Clinic
where it was discovered he had fractures in both feet, one hand and his right
cheek - the more serious injury.

Later in the afternoon, he was taken by EHS to Vancouver. Ivans friend Eddy
had made it safely to his intended landing site and was contacted and advised
of Ivans situation about the time that the first SAR members had reached the
injured parapenter. As neither of the two was carrying a PLB (Personal
Locator Beacon) had Ivan not been an amateur radio operator it would have
been late in the day before any action would have been taken. Amateur radio
was truly a life-saver on this day.

John & Keith Powell
Whistler SAR