UPDATE: Overdue snowmobilers rescued near Enderby

ENDERBY – A pair of snowmobilers spend the night huddled around a fire in blizzard-like conditions in the Mabel Lake area near Enderby this weekend.

The men were reported missing Saturday around 10:30 p.m.

They were rescued by Vernon Search and Rescue Sunday morning.

Vernon SAR search manager Pete Wise says the two snowmobilers were with a larger group who were sledding on Park Mountain between Mabel Lake and Sugar Lake.

When their group headed for home Saturday afternoon, the men decided to stay behind for one more run.

One of the sleds ran out of gas so both men hopped onto one snowmobile.

By this time, a storm had blown in and the men were faced with blizzard-like conditions and a complete white out.

Wise says they got turned around and lost. Then their remaining sled ran out of gas and they found themselves in deep, powdered snow.

“They were fortunate enough to find a fallen tree and they were able to get in behind that tree and get fire going,” Wise says. “That’s where they spent the night.”

Sunday morning, the RCMP helicopter and a Canadian Air Force search and rescue fixed-wing aircraft joined the search.

The crew in the chopper spotted the lost men at about 9 a.m. They landed, loaded up the snowmobilers and flew them out.

Wise says the men were very wet, cold and hungry, but otherwise, uninjured.

To contact the reporter for this story, email halexander@infotelnews.ca or call 250-491-0331.

– This story was updated at 1:04 p.m. to add details provided by search manager Pete Wise.

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