Man safe after treacherous mountain rescue

An out-of-bounds snowboarder is recovering in hospital from various injuries including a possible fractured pelvis after being caught in an avalanche on Vancouver's North Shore mountains.

North Shore Rescue says its members were called late Tuesday afternoon and braved considerable avalanche conditions to reach the man in a treacherous area north of the Cypress Mountain resort.

The slide had swept the man into a tree leaving him disoriented, hurt and hypothermic, but he was able to call a friend who contacted rescuers.

Online posts show the high-risk mission took about six hours and involved numerous avalanche and rope experts, three medical specialists and a helicopter.

A North Shore Rescue spokesman says the man was alone when the slide hit and the outcome could just as easily have been deadly.

He says the man made several serious errors, including venturing out of bounds, snowboarding alone and calling a friend rather than immediately calling 911 when he knew he was in trouble.

Photo courtesy of Istock.