A search and rescue helicopter was called to help a Salmon Arm woman after she broke her leg while backcountry skiing east of Sicamous on March 5.

According to Shuswap Search and Rescue search manager John Schut, the 48-year-old woman suffered a broken tibia while out in a backcountry skiing area known as the Gorge at around 10:30 a.m.

Schut said the injured woman鈥檚 companions were able to contact members of the Eagle Valley Snowmobile club using an FRS radio and they passed the distress call on to the search and rescue group.

Schut said 10 Shuswap SAR members responded, including some with backcountry ski skills who planned to ski in with rescue equipment if necessary. They were eventually able to enlist the help of Vernon Search and Rescue鈥檚 winch helicopter crew, making a ski rescue unnecessary. The helicopter arrived by 1:30 p.m. and Schut said that by 2:15 the woman had been winched aboard and was on her way to the hospital.

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