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VANCOUVER — A young man who was stranded high in B.C.'s North Shore mountains, as winds whipped at near 100 kilometres per hour, can thank a helicopter rescue crew for saving his life.
Local search and rescue teams couldn't reach the hiker, who was hunkered down at 1,600 metres on Hat Mountain in Cypress Provincial Park, as a storm moved in Wednesday night. So a heli-rescue crew from Canadian Forces Base Comox was called in.
Capt. Jean Leroux, commander of the Cormorant helicopter crew, said they had to cut through 85 km/h winds in near-whiteout conditions as they flew through storm clouds pressing down on the mountains.
"This was one of the most challenging missions of my career," Leroux told CBC News. "The helicopter was subjected to strong turbulence because of the 85 km/h winds coming down on us. We also had to deal with very little visibility since we were at the clouds' level. We had to attempt multiple passes until the visibility was good enough for us to fly over the man's location."
According to reports, the stranded hiker signalled his position to the helicopter crew with his headlamp, and the pilot hovered about 20 metres above as a rescuer dropped from the chopper using a long-line, harnessed the hiker and lifted him to safety.
He was in good condition, and well prepared for his mountain hike, according to the rescue crew.

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