Snowmobile Riders Rescued on Boulder Mountain, Utah
23 Jan 2018Snowmobiling is a fun pastime for many visitors to Boulder Mountain in Utah. One wrong turn, though resulted in a harrowing experience for two young men who were forced to spend a night in frigid temperatures after becoming lost and short on fuel.
The young men were carrying avalanche gear with them when their snowmobile became bogged down in a gully, but they did not have sat phones or personal GPS tracking devices with them. A mistake that could have proven fatal had they not been resourceful and stuck together during their experience on the mountain.
As daylight was fading, the two young men decided to focus their final hours of light building a shelter where they could hunker down for the night. When they didn’t return Saturday evening, it triggered an alert that had people combing the mountainside in search of them.
It was their footprints in the snow that alerted rescue helicopters to their presence and quick thinking on their part that had them shooting flares to help rescuers zero in on their location for a fast rescue Sunday.
When they were found the men were cold and wet, and beginning to feel more than a little panic that they would not make it home.
Today, the men are grateful to rescuers and happy to be alive, warm, and with their families who shed plenty of happy tears upon their return.
Gary Vanos of Revelstoke Search and Rescue credits the fact that the young men stuck together for their survival, stating how important that was in their efforts to remain safe throughout the ordeal.
Other things snowmobilers can do to avoid similar harrowing ordeals is to always ride prepared with GPS tracking, satellite phones, and find safety in numbers. The more people in a group, the better the odds of a rescue if something happens to one of the units.
With the right kind of GPS tracking units, snowmobilers can not only send out signals alerting others to their plights, but also receive directions to help them find their way home if their snowmobile becomes disabled.
Fortunately, for these young men, quick thinking and sticking together kept them safe and alive in a situation where the wrong moves could have resulted in a much sadder outcome.
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