An amazing piece of flying by an Atlin helicopter pilot is being credited as a crucial element in Wednesday's dramatic rescue of three men from the Llewelynn Glacier near Atlin.

Dick Gilbert, Terry Jack and Leonard Parisien had become separated Monday from four others in a snowmachine convoy travelling over the glacier.

They were rescued late Wednesday afternoon and transported to Whitehorse General Hospital, where two of them were admitted.

One of them was discharged this morning, and the other is described as in stable condition, and up and about.

RCMP Cpl. Larry Burke said this morning that Atlin pilot Norm Graham of Discovery Helicopters was able maneuver his Bell 206 through what was described as near white-out conditions to within six metres of the stranded party.

While the mountain guides the pilot was ferrying into the site to assist with the rescue are crediting a fine piece of flying as central to the rescue, the pilot is crediting the mountain guides with stepping forward to offer this assistance in extremely difficult conditions.

Word was received in Atlin Tuesday morning that the three men where overdue from the trek across the glacier. Attempts by two friends who left Atlin shortly before daybreak Tuesday morning to assist were quashed by the relentless howling wind and white-out conditions on the glacier, Burke explained.

The local search and rescue co-ordinator and the RCMP were contacted immediately after the two returned, but the nasty conditions on the glacier continued to thward attempts to rescue the men Tuesday.

It was a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 which had arrived Wednesday to assist that picked up a mayday signal over the radio shortly before noon, though visibility remained next to nil. Upon further contact, the three were able to transmitt their GPS co-ordinates.

And back in Atlin, three local mountain guides working for Klondike Heli-Skiing for the season approached Graham to suggest if he could get them to within five kilometres of the site.

Michi Cater, Haabs Rieser and Mike Beedell told him they could then ski in the rest of the way, as they now had the GPS co-ordinates, and at least help the three stay alive until they could be taken off the glacier.

One of the three, Cater, is a professional high-mountain and glacier rescue expert, he said.

But as Graham flew the 206 into the area, the conditions allowed for some visibility, though limited, but he was able to get the crew to exact location.

'We landed near their snowmachines, and watched them come out of their snowcave,' Graham said. 'They were sure glad to see us.'

The guides loaded the rescued men into the chopper, unloaded the emergency gear they'd brought, and remained behind as Graham flew the men off the glacier.

Enroute from Juneau, however, was another private helicopter coming over to assist, with obvious experience in high-altitude and glacier work, Graham said.

The Juneau chopper, he said, was able to make it into the site, and pick up the three guides.

Graham said had it not been for the assistance of the U.S. Coast Guard and its ability to make contact and receive the GPS co-ordinates, and had it not been for the three guides offering their services, there may not have been a rescue.

And with temperatures hovering around -35 C atop the glacier, with 40-kilometre winds, another night on the Llewelyn Glacier would have been extremely difficult for the three, he suggested.

It was learned at press time this afternoon that the three dug a deep cave and covered the entrance with a blanket to keep as much of the elements out as they could.