Off duty RCMP officer rescued by U.S. military on Mt. Rainier

A member of the RCMP from Surrey survived a frigid night on Mt. Rainier in Washington State — without overnight gear — after he was separated from his group.

27-year-old Dennis "Endo" Cui spent nearly 24 hours at an elevation of more than 3700 metres before a team from the U.S. Army Reserve and Air Force was able to pluck him off the mountain using a military helicopter.

According to officials from Mt. Rainier National Park, Cui and two friends were nearing the summit of the mountain on Wednesday when he began feeling ill and told the group he couldn't continue.

The friends decided they would all go back down the mountain together, but Cui immediately left on his own.

Cui's friends called 911 and that's when park rangers were contacted.

Poor conditions for a rescue

A mountain guide spotted Cui signaling with his headlight in an area called Gibraltar Rock — that's when park rangers reached out to him.

"We were able to connect with him via text message that morning to confirm his location and encourage him to remain in the same position," said Kevin Bacher, with Mt. Rainier National Park.

But because of poor weather and low visibility, park rangers couldn't get to Cui on Wednesday night.

"The worst of the issue was simply that the top of the mountain was in the clouds and it was hard to see anything," said Bacher.

At 5:20 a.m. on Thursday,  Cui responded to the texts with a request to be rescued, explaining that he was "freezing" and had no overnight gear.

24 hours alone

As conditions improved, Park rangers were able to see where Cui was, but strong winds prevented them from going in with their own helicopter.

That's when they called in the military.

"We have a partnership with a military base that's nearby here — Joint Base Lewis–McChord. They brought in one of their Chinook helicopters which is a double rotor helicopter that's much more stable at those elevations with those conditions with the winds," said Bacher.

"They were able to pluck the climber off the mountain and bring him to safety."

By then, it had been nearly 24 hours since Cui had been separated from his friends.

An extreme case

Cui — who is from Surrey but is a Constable with Langley RCMP — was flown to Madigan Army Medical Center and treated for severe hypothermia.

He suffered no injuries and was released early Friday morning.

Bacher says an estimated 10,000 people climb Mt. Rainier every year, and with that there are always a number of rescues.

"We do in a typical year have a couple of different incidents on the mountain — people who sprain their ankles or fall and break their legs. Or more extreme cases like the one yesterday."

Bacher said Cui's climbing experience might have helped him survive the night alone.

"Based on what we know of him, he's been climbing mountains all over the world," said Bacher

"I'm sure that helped tremendously."