B.C. crews hopeful of resuming search for 3 missing climbers
Poor weather has hampered search for mountaineers last seen near Atwell Peak on May 31
Rescue crews are awaiting a break in the weather Wednesday to resume their search for three climbers who have been missing for five days in Garibaldi Park near Squamish, B.C.
The experienced mountaineers were expected to return from a climbing trip in the Mount Garibaldi area on May 31, according to B.C. RCMP.
The search for the group has been hampered due to poor weather and avalanche risk but officials say weather models are showing a clearing trend later Wednesday in the area, which is around 65 kilometres north of Vancouver.
Squamish Search and Rescue manager B.J. Chute told CBC News if weather permits, several helicopters will fly over the Mount Garibaldi area to do an assessment to determine if crews can resume the search.
"Once the clouds lift and we are confident that there's a significant break in the weather, it's going to allow us to get into the area," Chute said Tuesday afternoon.
Previous rescue attempts
The climbers were last seen on Friday morning in very difficult terrain near Atwell Peak, a 2,655-metre peak just south of Mount Garibaldi's main summit, according to search crews.
The last known communication with the group was on Friday morning.
Chute said there's very limited cellphone service in the area and communication is often an issue even with satellite communication devices.
Rescuers tried to enter the area on both Saturday and Sunday on foot and by air but efforts were called off because of the weather, Chute said.
People are being asked to stay out of the Mount Garibaldi and Atwell Peak area so that any coming search and rescue operations are not hindered.
