Snowmobilers stuck overnight in Hunter’s Range rescued by helicopter

VERNON – Two missing sledders were found tired, cold and damp but otherwise alright after spending the night stranded in the Hunter’s Range area.

Vernon Search and Rescue was called out around 8:30 p.m. yesterday, March 28, for a report of two overdue snowmobilers just east of Enderby.

About 16 members of Vernon SAR assisted in the search, and around 6 a.m. this morning managed to locate the pair with the help of an RCMP helicopter, search manager Leigh Pearson says.

“They were fine. Very tired, cold and wet, but no injuries of any sort. They just got stuck and couldn’t get out,” Pearson says.

The RCMP helicopter was unable to reach the men, so the search and rescue winch helicopter team was brought in. That helicopter managed to land, and the men were flown out.

Pearson estimates it was the 13th or 14th time Vernon SAR has been called out to locate missing snowmobilers this year.

“It’s way too many and who knows why,” Pearson says.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.