Stanislav Volo, the Squamish man who disappeared into the forest above the Sea to Sky Gondola for five nights in September, has shared more of his ordeal in a video by the BC Search and Rescue Association.
In the YouTube video, “Five Nights Lost: A Hiker’s Survival Story,” published on Oct. 22, Volo recounts his story in detail, including his overconfidence as a four-hour day hike turned into six days stuck on the mountain, freezing and eating caterpillars to stay alive.
“My attitude toward the experience was more like going to the park,” Volo said, describing how he walked the trail with his audiobook playing, dismissing early signs, including direct warnings from other hikers.
“When I was about to climb up, there were a few hikers who told me, ‘By the way, it’s kind of foggy up there, so you can get lost,’” Volo said. “And instead of taking this information as red flags, I kind of took it as some sort of weather report and completely dismissed it.”
‘Your entire body is shaking’
Looking back now, Volo can see that his mindset from the start was flawed, highlighted by his minimal provisions: a few gummy bears, a granola bar and some beef jerky.
“My worst-case scenario was if I would scratch my knee, for example,” he said.
“So I had Band-Aids… No headlight, nothing of that nature, ‘cause that was not the plan. I was not planning to stay overnight.”
Volo spent that first night enduring nine hours of severe shivering in the freezing dark.
“That was the most horrible night of my life, because even though I changed into dry clothes, I couldn’t sleep all night,” Volo said. “I was shivering… to a level where your entire body is shaking… You cannot sit, you cannot lie down, you cannot stand, you don’t have strength to stand.”
While Volo faced the elements, Squamish Search and Rescue (SSAR) launched a massive operation. For Tyler Duncan, Squamish SAR’s operations director and search manager, Volo’s trip plan left with his wife proved to be crucial and possibly life-saving.
“He did a great job leaving a trip plan with his wife, which led her to give 911 a call in the early evening when she was sort of starting to expect him back,” Duncan said.
However, even with drone and infrared technology, Volo eluded rescue for five nights, as weather deteriorated and mutual aid teams were called in from around the province.
“This was a really big opportunity for us to get some good learning points out of drone use… we are using those drones to search those steeper drainages and really high steep technical areas,” Duncan explained, while stressing that technology has strict limits.
“Infrared isn’t sort of the tool that Hollywood makes us think it is, it doesn’t necessarily show you heat, it shows you the contrast of heat… at the end of the day all of these things are exactly that, they’re just tools.”
A miraculous call
By the third day, a massive storm front was rolling in, and with air support and ground teams coming up cold, Duncan faced an agonizing decision.
“Going into the afternoon and early evening of Tuesday, for me as the primary search manager, it was a major low point, because we weren’t having any success, unfortunately. We had no clues as to where Stas (Volo) was,” Duncan said. “That’s always an incredibly difficult decision to make, knowing that there’s somebody out there waiting for you to find them.”
Duncan was closing down the search Tuesday night when he got a call from the RCMP that Volo had called 911, reigniting an emergency response. “That kicked off what was potentially one of the largest overnight efforts before that storm came in that I have personally ever been involved in, in almost 20 years in search and rescue.”
Lessons from the Ridge
On the other end of that 911 call, Volo had kickstarted his battery back into life by banging his dead power block against a rock. With a three per cent charge, he sent out a call long enough for his wife to identify his voice.
Reflecting on his journey from the brink of death back to civilization, Volo emphasizes a complete shift in his perspective on risk, accountability, and transparency.
“I was completely blown away by so much support, so much care, and I felt this sort of responsibility, that I need to share this story as much as I possibly can,” Volo said.
He hopes his story will help other amateur outdoor enthusiasts to take safety in nature more seriously.
“When you’re planning your trip, make sure you picture the worst case scenario, say it out loud, say, ‘Are you OK with this, are you OK with taking on this risk,’” he said. “The worst case scenario is not just yours, it’s everyone’s responsibility, it’s a rescuer’s, it’s your family. Everyone’s going through it.”
Stacy Thomas is The Squamish Chief’s freelance civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
By Stacy Thomas, The Squamish Chief | Copyright 2026, The Squamish Chief. All rights reserved.