8 calls for help keep North Shore Rescue busy on B.C. Family Day

North Shore Rescue crews were kept busy on B.C. Family Day with eight calls for help, including one on Crown Mountain that required a helicopter rescue the following morning.

Team leader Mike Dankssaid he believes it was the organization's "busiest day to date."

"One got solved very quickly ... but some pretty significant injuries on three different mountains," he said.

3 snowshoers helicoptered out

Six of the calls turned into significant operations for rescue teams:

• The first rescuebegan shortly after noon when crews responded to a male snowshoer who had fallenand dislocated his shoulder. Rescuers weren't able to stabilize his injuries and called for a helicopter to lift him out.
• Shortly after, another helicopter was required to fly out an injured snowshoer from between Second and Third Pump peaks on Mt. Seymour. The man had sustained multiple injuries to his leg and ankle.
• A few hours later, another injured snowshoer needed a helicopter rescue after suffering a knee injury on Hollyburn Peak.
• Crews were also called out Monday afternoon to a rescue at Quarry Rock.
• Shortly after 7:15 p.m. PT, NSRtweeted about personal locator beacon activated nearCrown Mountain, which led to a planned rescue of two snoweshoers in Hanes Valley
• Another call came in just after 8p.m. PT for someone with an ankle injury on Grouse Mountain.

Half of the rescues involved snowshoers.

"Walking in snowshoes is not like walking in your running shoes," said Greg Miller of North Shore Rescue.

"You have to lift your feet up high and it's easy when you're tired to trip on them."

He said the recent clear weather has left many backcountry areas with hard, crusty snow that often leads to snowshoe injuries.

Miller said all of the snowshoers were properly equipped for the conditions, but said many outsideenjoying the sunny Family Day weather were not.

"We saw other people on the trails today in running shoes. You need to have microspikes to head up in this kind of weather."