Whistler Search and Rescue (WSAR) saw call volumes rebound in 2025-26 after a brief dip the year prior, with volunteers responding to more than 105 requests for assistance and mobilizing on 83 incidents over the 12-month period, according to the team’s latest manager’s report.
The figures mark a return to the pre-2024 upward trajectory, even as broader provincial statistics showed a temporary decline in calls last year.
Locally, WSAR leaders say the nature of incidents—including the people getting into trouble—continues to evolve in ways that are reshaping how the volunteer-run team prepares for the future.
“Every year it changes a little bit, and the trends are subtle, but that’s why we do [the reports],” said WSAR president Brad Sills in an interview. “It just gives a snapshot in time [of] what the team is facing, so that we can better prepare ourselves [for] what’s coming down the pipe.”
Call volumes rebound, serious incidents persist
Between March 1, 2025 and March 1, 2026, WSAR handled more than 105 calls for help, with 83 resulting in full team mobilizations. Another 13 incidents were resolved through self-rescue—an increasingly important tool for the organization.
The rebound follows a quieter 2024-25 season, when WSAR responded to 90 calls, down from 110 the year prior. That decline broke a four-year trend of rising call volumes.
During the most recent reporting period, WSAR reported a “slight rise in serious incidents” in line with neighbouring North Shore and Squamish teams.
The 2025-26 season included 27 medical rescues, 20 search missions, and 17 evacuations, with volunteers credited with saving 23 lives and assisting 13 people in imminent danger.
Two incidents were fatal.
Nearly 5,000 volunteer hours logged
Responding to those incidents required approximately 4,863 volunteer hours across 157 events, underscoring the growing workload placed on the 100-per-cent volunteer organization.
That pressure is one of several factors driving internal changes within WSAR, including a push to modernize governance and distribute responsibilities more evenly across the team’s now 37 members.
“It’s one thing to run an organization of 15 to 20 members, but the team’s 37 now. That model just doesn’t work anymore,” Sills said. “There’s too much work that needs to get done.”
The organization is also grappling with broader shifts in the search-and-rescue landscape, including increased regulatory requirements and administrative demands. In his annual report, Sills noted those pressures have grown “beyond that what can be reasonably provided by volunteers,” prompting plans to hire a part-time administrative assistant.
Self-rescue program continues to expand
One of the more notable trends in recent years has been the growth of WSAR’s self-rescue program, which allows stranded individuals to find their own way out with remote guidance from rescuers.
In 2025-26, 13 calls were resolved this way, with SAR members providing GPS tools, medical advice, and reassurance over the phone.
Sills said the approach reflects a broader shift in how people interact with search and rescue.
“We’re seeing more people calling for help initially, [and] then finding their own solutions, which is exactly what we want to see,” he said.
The trend builds on previous years, when teams increasingly relied on technology to assist lost or fatigued users without deploying crews into the field.
Who’s getting into trouble—and where
WSAR assisted 123 individuals over the reporting period, with a near-even gender split.
That balance reflects a longer-term shift toward gender parity in outdoor recreation incidents.
“I don’t think it’s a secret that women have taken up adventure sports much more so than in the past,” Sills said. “If they’re doing it at the same volume as men, it’s likely that the statistic is going to be somewhat equal.”
Age distribution is also flattening. While the 26-to-30 cohort remained the largest group at 39 individuals, WSAR reported a much more even spread across age categories than in previous decades, when incidents were dominated by young males.
Geographically, the Garibaldi Lake area once again topped the list with 18 responses, followed by Wedge/Weart with 15 and the Resort Municipality of Whistler itself with 12.
Sills said those numbers reflect both popularity and risk.
“Garibaldi Lake is just an absolutely incredible place to go hiking, so the numbers are huge just because of the visitation,” he said.
Wedge, meanwhile, is drawing a different kind of user—often inexperienced hikers funnelled into challenging terrain.
“A lot of people are getting turned away at Joffre or Garibaldi and they’re going, ‘Well, where else can we go?’” Sills explained. “And so we’re getting a lot of very inexperienced people being funnelled into the most challenging of all the terrain.”
Activity trends shift with conditions and use
By activity, hikers continued to account for the largest share of incidents, with 29 calls, followed by ski mountaineering (seven), climbing (seven) and mountain biking (six).
Ski mountaineering and out-of-bounds skiing incidents declined year-over-year, while snowmobiling remained below older highs but rose from last year.
WSAR noted a “notable rise” in climbing, trail running and mountain biking incidents contributing to major trauma cases.
Those trauma-heavy incidents—often involving high-speed impacts or falls—are one reason WSAR operates primarily as a helicopter rescue team.
“So much of our call volume is trauma, and so there’s a necessity of having to get there very quickly, which is one of the reasons why we’re predominantly a helicopter rescue team,” Sills said. “That, and the fact that there’s only one road out of [Whistler].”
The team also entered “a whole new era” of operations this year, earning night-vision certification that enables helicopter rescues after dark.
Preparing for growing demand
Even as call volumes remain high, Sills said there are signs that education and awareness efforts are having a positive effect on backcountry users.
“I do believe that people realize that they need to be more prepared than they were 15 years ago,” he said, pointing to a broader shift toward better planning and risk awareness among those heading into the mountains.
At the same time, Sills noted those gains are being offset by “exponential” growth in backcountry use.
To keep pace, WSAR has expanded its training programs, including a graduated mountain rescue certification initiative that now counts 15 certified technicians. The team is also developing a specialty crevasse rescue capability.
Those efforts come as new infrastructure—including the planned Macbeth Hut—opens deeper, more complex terrain to a wider range of users.
“It’s going to beckon a disproportionate number of people that perhaps shouldn’t be in that terrain unguided,” Sills said.
Volunteer model remains strong
Even as workloads increase, WSAR leaders remain confident in the long-term viability of the volunteer model in Whistler, where recruitment remains strong and member retention is high.
“The membership longevity averages 18 years [and] when we go out to bring on new members, we get a huge number of strong, qualified applicants,” Sills said.
Still, the organization acknowledges that demand is unlikely to ease; Sills wrote in his president’s report, “It is not likely that the need for our services is going to diminish any time soon.”
The WSAR president was also recently recognized nationally for his decades of service, receiving the national Search and Rescue Volunteer Association (SARVAC) Award for 50 years of volunteer work.
“Oh, you know, it’s pretty corny,” Sills said about his five decades in SAR. “But I love that it’s just about helping people. It’s kind of like a calling. I’ve just always felt the rewards from giving my time to search and rescue [are] immensely gratifying.”