Injured Comox Valley hiker rescued in heavy snowfall, steep terrain

Heavy snowfall in the Comox Valley over the weekend made it difficult for crews to rescue a hiker who fell and injured himselfafter leaving a marked trail.

The 19-year-old man was hiking with a group near Comox Lake when he fell and dislocated his knee, said Paul Berry with Comox Valley Ground Search and Rescue.

"The challenge was the heavy snow and the fact that they were off the trail," he said.

It took several hours for rescuers to reach the injured hiker on Saturday evening and transport him to a waiting ambulance.

"He was in a lot of pain and was quite hypothermic when we finally did reach him."

Search and rescue membersmanaged to transport the injured man more than three kilometres in snowy conditions.

"Many times the team was travelling up an down very, very steep terrain," Berry said.

The group was not prepared to be out in winter conditions for an extended period of timeand did not have any supplies to deal with a medical emergency, Berry said.

Comox Valley search and rescue teams have responded to several calls this winter where hikers have been caught off guard by winter conditions, he said.

Berry also said the rescue is a reminder forhikers to bringnavigational aids such as a map and compass rather than relyingon the GPS function on a smartphonethat may not always have coverage.