Searchers comb Red Mountain resort for overdue U.S. Boy Scout skiers

ROSSLAND, B.C. – A search and rescue team is looking for two Washington state Boy Scouts lost on Red Mountain in the Kootenay region of British Columbia.

RCMP say the two 16-year-olds were reported overdue by resort officials Thursday afternoon after they failed to return from a day of skiing.

Rossland Search and Rescue volunteers began a search right away and located tracks they believe belong to the pair on the back side of Grey Mountain, a new 405-hectare ski area that opened this season.

Cpl. Dave Johnson says the search continues today, with the help of a helicopter.

Another group of 10 skiers from Washington state spent a cold night on Grey Mountain last week after inadvertently venturing into the backcountry.

Already this winter searches have been undertaken for dozens of skiers who have gone out of bounds on B.C. mountains, prompting discussion about the possibility of fines or other means of recuperating search costs.