MAPLE RIDGE, B.C. — Three teenagers who planned to camp on a mountain near Maple Ridge, B.C., had to be rescued when their equipment turned out to be insufficient for sub-zero temperatures.
Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue said in a statement on its Facebook page that the three males sent out a distress call on their emergency satellite beacon Saturday evening while camping on Alouette Mountain.
Rescuers called the group and determined they were not fully prepared to spend a night in the snow.
A team sent out to retrieve the trio encountered a slowdown with a punctured tire on its off-road vehicle and a second rescue team was forced to hike to the camping site.
RMSAR was paged at 19:40 Saturday night for a report of 3 young males in their mid to late teens requiring assistance on...
Posted by Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue on Sunday, 11 February 2018
The statement says rescuers reached the teens after midnight and "determined that the situation was a little more critical than initial information indicated."
Two of the teenagers were soaking wet from the hike up, and without a stove or other heat source they were beginning to suffer from hypothermia.
"They did have a tent and sleeping bags but these were not suitable for a mountain environment in winter," the statement said.
Rescuers kept the teenagers warm, giving them dry clothes, food and water.
A helicopter picked them up at first light Sunday, and they were sent to hospital for evaluation.
