B.C. man survives BASE jumping crash into mountain that led to hours-long high-altitude rescue

A Squamish, B.C., adult male was reclaimed tues after crashing into the face of a mount while BASE jumping off Slhanay Mountain.

BASE jumping is parachuting or wingsuit flying from a fixed structure or cliff. The BASE acronym stands for four types of fixed objects from which one can jump: building, antenna, span and earth.

Squamish Search and Rescue (SAR) manager Mike Teske said that when Zachery Mayne jumped on Nov. 11, he ended up doing a 90-degree turn and hitting the rock face of the mountain.

“With his parachute collapsed, he then started to plummet to the earth, where his chute caught onto some of the rock,” said Teske.

Mayne managed to scramble to a small area and get out of his parachute so it didn’t blow him off the mountain.

Mayne's friends called for help around 4:30 p.m. PT and eventually led 30 search and rescue members to his location — about 20 metres below a cliff on Slhanay Peak.

When Squamish SAR arrived, they found Mayne hanging onto a small outcropping of rock to stop himself from plummeting more than 450 metres.

“That would have been an unsurvivable fall,” Teske said.

“He was very lucky,” Teske added.  “He got very cold … and he was in a very precarious position. He couldn't move.”

But getting to Mayne wasn't easy, Teske said.

“A significant hike through some really challenging terrain to get to an area above where he was stranded,” he said.

Squamish SAR called for assistance from North Shore Rescue and Talon Helicopters, a private company which works closely with search and rescue groups, to hoist Mayne out of the area.

It was midnight before Mayne was finally rescued.

“It takes a lot of people to facilitate a rescue like this,” said Teske. “If it's hard for you to get there, it's also very hard for us to get there and then to get you out.”

B.C. Emergency Health Services public information officer Brian Twaites said paramedics transported Mayne to hospital in serious but stable condition.

"He had some significant lower leg injuries," Teske said.

Mayne expressed his gratitude to the rescue teams involved, his friends who assisted and the community of Squamish.

“The town of Squamish itself, for the outpouring of support for my recovery, Squamish is a special place,” Mayne said.

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Teske is reminding people to be aware of the conditions when recreating outdoors in November.

“It does get dark very fast, it's also winter already in the mountains, so once that sun goes down, it gets cold really, really quickly,” Teske said.

In the last five years, there have been 14 BASE jumping incidents, which includes searches, rescues or recoveries, in B.C., the majority of which happened in Squamish.

B.C. AdventureSmart, a national program that encourages people to educate themselves about safe outdoor activity, shared data from 2020, stating that there were 10 rescues in Squamish, as well as one each in Pemberton, the Comox Valley, Chilliwack and Kent Harrison.

“The overall number remains a small sample size and comparatively low when measured against other high-risk aerial sports,” executive director Sandra Riches said.

For people who want to participate in "high-risk" outdoor activities such as BASE jumping, B.C. AdventureSmart asks people to plan ahead, be prepared and make safety the priority.

“We also remind participants to respect the community, land managers and protected areas surrounding Squamish,” Riches said.

Before people head out, Riches suggests they have proper training, certified gear and experienced partners. People should also check local weather and wind conditions, file a trip plan and carry reliable communication tools in case of emergency.

Reporter, Sea-to-Sky region

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