BASE jumper rescued off B.C. cliff face

A parachutist who jumped from the top of a popular B.C. tourist spot north of Vancouver was rescued Wednesday night after he dangled from a cliff face for more than three hours.

The man had jumped off the Stawamus Chief, a 700-metre-high mountain in Squamish that is used extensively by rock climbers, at about 2 p.m. PT.

But it appears that after he deployed his parachute, wind blew him back toward the rock face, where he landed on a small ledge and managed to hang on to the side of the mountain.

A search-and-rescue specialist rappelled down the mountain and retrieved him at about 5:30 p.m.

The man, who refused to talk to reporters, appeared to have an ankle injury and was taken to hospital.

The activity called BASE jumping, often done by parachutists from high buildings and bridges, is illegal in many urban locations.

It is legal to BASE jump off The Chief, according to one search and rescue team member, who said it was just the second incident at the mountain involving a BASE jumper in the past 10 years.

Squamish is about 50 kilometres north of Vancouver.