So you likely heard about those two international visitors who recently used an app to find a hiking trail in the North Shore mountains, then had to be rescued when they ran into rough conditions.
Silly foreigners, you probably thought, once again underestimating the challenges of venturing mere minutes into B.C.’s rugged backcountry.
Turns out, the province’s 3,400 search volunteers are called out about 1,750 times a year to rescue an injured, lost or overdue backcountry user, and less than one per cent of those calls come from people who don’t live here.
B.C. AdventureSmart executive director Sandra Riches says there’s a misconception that those who make mistakes in our great, challenging outdoors are people from other countries who are unfamiliar with the terrain and conditions.
She says the B.C. Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA) has no problem with people using hiking apps to find their next adventure. But it’s important to do much more than that before heading out.
First, about those apps, the BCSARA recommends using ones that the agency has vetted and that offer reliable user input, such as AllTrails, Strava and Trailforks, a mountain-biking-focused app Riches uses often herself.
Riches was a park ranger for many years before pivoting into outdoor education at Capilano University and now at B.C. AdventureSmart, the resource wing of BCSARA, which oversees 78 search-and-rescue organizations across the province.
Early in her career, Riches recalls there were far fewer people on the trails in popular spots like Mount Seymour, to the point she got to know most of them and developed friendships and learned the ropes from mentors.
Things have changed, and the level of familiarity of many backcountry users with the areas they venture into is often worryingly low. That’s where B.C. AdventureSmart comes in.
“If you know what you’re doing, the access [to the wilderness] is wonderful,” says Riches. “But it’s also there for those who don’t know what they’re doing.”
COVID-19 certainly didn’t help with that. As public health officials encouraged people to get outside during the peak of COVID, search-and-rescue calls surged 30 per cent in B.C. Needless to say, in the midst of global travel restrictions, those weren’t international visitors getting bailed out.
Along with its partners — including key ones like Destination B.C. and its network of tourist visitor centres — B.C. AdventureSmart tries to hammer home what are called the three Ts: trip planning, training and taking essentials.
The planning can include a hiking app, sure, but there are so many other online resources that can help keep you safe: weather apps, regional, provincial and federal parks websites, even basics like Drive B.C.
For example, the visitor from France who got lost near Grouse Mountain would have seen that the Hanes Valley trail he hiked on Sunday was already closed for the season — if only he had first checked AllTrails or the Metro 91原创 park site. In that case, he probably wouldn’t have headed out on the snow-covered route in running shoes.
B.C. AdventureSmart, which marked its 20th anniversary last month, is its own research hub as well. On top of outlining the three Ts, the site is constantly adding site-specific trail safety videos that are also made available on the AllTrails app. The trails are chosen because they’re notorious for frequent search-and-rescue calls.
The AdventureSmart trip plan app outlines how to prepare for a trip, including the crucial step of listing your emergency contacts and filling out an itinerary so people know where you are and when you’re due back.
All of the B.C. AdventureSmart resources, including frequent webinars, outdoor education, the trip plan app and in-person training sessions for educator volunteers, are free.
One key piece of advice Riches stresses beyond all others: Never head into the wilderness by yourself. “Do it with at least one other person,” says Riches. “I can’t stress enough that we shouldn’t be going alone.”
It’s also vital to ensure everyone in your group can handle the rigours of the journey.
“Your life is in my hands, and vice versa,” she notes.
Riches says she’s gone on some trips with other women who brought along a friend who simply wasn’t up to the challenge, and that it can put the whole group at risk.
“We can’t just go out and think that everything is going to be perfect.”
B.C. AdventureSmart also meets regularly with international search-and-rescue organizations to develop educational programs, and to share ideas that have worked globally to improve public safety in the wild.
“There are reliable resources out there. Use them,” says Riches. “Your ‘destination’ is home.”
More information on how to stay safe in the backcountry, whether you’re hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling or just taking a walk in the local woods, is at . Click on “outdoor education” for the B.C. AdventureSmart hub.
