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UPDATE: Alberta snowmobiler confirmed as man found dead off trail near Revelstoke

The B.C. Coroners Service confirmed Monday the body of 42-year-old Travis Allen Brown, from Drayton Valley, Alta., was found after a snowmobile incident near Revelstoke Dec. 5.

It’s believed Brown went snowmobiling by himself in the Boulder Mountain area northwest of Revelstoke on Saturday and disappeared.

READ MORE: Snowmobiler goes missing near Revelstoke

The next morning, the parking lot attendant noticed his red pick-up truck was still in the parking lot. For three days, rescue officials searched for any sign of Brown.

“Two helicopters are up there running a transponder which should locate any transceivers to find the missing,” Revelstoke RCMP Staff Sgt. Kurt Grabinsky said on Tuesday.

“We [have] information that people saw him at around 3:00 on Saturday afternoon on Boulder,” Grabinsky said. “We are concerned [about] hypothermia. We also know there is five to six feet of fresh snow that is up on the mountain, so it is challenging conditions up there [for] riding anyway.”
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On Wednesday, the RCMP suspended the search due to weather and snow conditions.

READ MORE: Recreation area closed as search continues for missing snowmobiler near Revelstoke

When the mountain was reopened to snowmobilers on Dec. 10, a group found Brown’s body near his sled. He was found “in a remote area off the main trail,” the B.C. Coroners Service said.

It added that no avalanches had occurred in the area.

The B.C. Coroners Service and RCMP continue to investigate the death.

Travis Brown found dead after snowmobiling on Boulder Mountain in Revelstoke. Courtesy: RCMP

READ MORE: Snowmobilers reminded to be safe when hitting the trials 

Last Monday, other sledders had a close call in the Revelstoke area.

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Neil Lauzon and his nephew had to leave their sleds behind after they ended up in a spot too steep to sled out of.

“We [were] coming back up together…to no avail, so we hunkered down,” Lauzon said. “We were quite prepared. [We] had warm clothes, lots of food, lots of water [and] sat phones. [We] made a couple calls to search and rescue just to let everyone know we were safe.”

Lauzon said search and rescue advised the pair not to spend the night and to hike out instead.

“It took us approximately two hours on our hands and knees following our snowmobile track to get back up,” he said.

But they were able to get to the top where search and rescue was waiting. Lauzon is thankful for their help and wants to remind other sledders it pays to be prepared.

“We carry so much extra gear that feels like it is cumbersome to have, but last night, I was quite happy to peer into my bag and [see I] had two headlamps, I had two pairs of spare gloves [and] we had [a] reflective blanket,” he said, adding he could have stayed the night or two if necessary.
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The pair now plans to hire a helicopter to retrieve the snowmobiles.

The RCMP recommends snowmobilers travel in groups, have avalanche equipment, and be prepared to stay overnight.

*EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published on Dec. 8. It was updated on Dec. 14 when officials confirmed the identity of the victim.

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