Revelstoke Search & Rescue was called into action on Friday, Mar. 1, after two snowmobilers failed to return to a rendezvous at a cabin on Sale Mountain north of Revelstoke.
Revelstoke RCMP said a 28-year-old Revelstoke man and his sledding partner from New Zealand were due to meet up with his father at the Sale Mountain cabin. When the pair didn’t show, the man contacted the RCMP just before 8 p.m. on Friday, March 1.
The area was ripe for avalanches following a heavy layer of fresh, wet snow that blanketed the area the night before. The Canadian Avalanche Centre issued an extreme’ avalanche risk warnings for the alpine in the region that day.
Rescuers geared up for a Saturday morning search, but it was soon called off.
The father phoned just after 8 a.m. on Saturday to say he’d been in touch with the pair. They’d got lost and sheltered outside for the night. They made their way back and were uninjured.
Here are some of the recent incidents Revelstoke Search & Rescue has been involved in:
Feb. 26: Nine Revelstoke SAR members responded to a call of two sledders missing in the Frisby Ridge area. The search was called off just as the search party was getting ready after the sledders phoned a family member to say they were walking out of the area.
Feb. 25: A skier got lost in the Montana Creek drainage below Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Two searchers responded, but the skier eventually managed to hike out.
Feb. 24: RCMP ask for help looking for two missing skiers at RMR. They are eventually located in a bar at the ski hill – presumably uninjured.
Feb. 22: Seven SAR members respond to a fatal avalanche in the backcountry near the Revelstoke Mountain Resort boundary. Three of five skiers were buried and one died of his injuries. On Feb. 23, SAR returns to recover the body using a helicopter long line rescue.
Feb. 17: SAR responds to two lost snowboarders at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. The pair eventually make it out of the area on their own.
Feb. 16: Seven SAR members search for a lost snowmobiler on Boulder Mountain. The subject is located in good condition and escorted out.
Feb. 16: Seven SAR members search for another lost snowmobiler in the Revelstoke area. He eventually finds his own way out.
Feb. 11: Eight Revelstoke SAR members respond to rescue an injured skier and her four companions on Mount Mackenzie. The injured woman is airlifted out and her companions are returned to the ski hill area.
Feb. 11: The imposing Mac Daddy Face on Mount Mackenzie claims a skier who falls over a cliff. Her friends call for help but eventually find her in good condition and call off help from the searchers.