Seventeen people died while hiking or climbing in B.C. in 2025, the latest B.C. Coroners Service data shows.
The coroners service released the “Hiking/Climbing Related Deaths in BC, 2016-2025” on Thursday (June 4). In the 10-year period, there were 143 deaths, equating to approximately 14 deaths per year.
The report shows that 2019 had the most deaths with 21, followed by 20 deaths in 2023 and 19 in 2016. The fewest deaths were in 2020 with eight.
Most of the deaths happened between May and September each year, with a peak each July.
Males accounted for 73 per cent of deaths between Jan. 1, 2016 and Dec. 31, 2025. People aged 19 to 29 accounted for 29 per cent of deaths during that time period, the largest proportion of age groups. It was followed by people aged 60 and older, representing 24 per cent of deaths.
Vancouver Coastal and Interior health regions had the highest number of hiking/climbing deaths, with 49 and 47, respectively.
The North Shore/Coast Garibaldi had the most deaths from 2016-2025 with 47, followed by 18 in the East Kootenay and 13 in Fraser East.
The report says that 81 per cent of deaths were classified as accidental and 17 per cent were of natural causes.
The three most-common means of death were by fall, with 81. It was followed by 19 from natural events and 17 from submersion.
The report notes that hiking was defined as walking outdoors in natural environments such as forests, mountains, or trails, for recreational, health or sightseeing purposes. Climbing included ascending steep terrain outdoors such as natural rock faces and mountains.