VERNON — UPDATE: Rescuers used a winch attached to a helicopter to pull two stranded sledders to safety Tuesday morning. The snowmobilers, two men in their early 30’s, spent the night in a large canyon that proved too difficult and steep for rescuers and their helicopter, according to Trevor Honigman, Vernon Search and Rescue’s Public Information Officer.
Tracks in the snow helped lead to the rescue, said Honigman.
“The snow and weather condistions are very dangerous back there,” said Honigman about the back country in the Okanagan Valley, which is under a special avalanche alert.
It was a chilly night for two North Okanagan men after failing to return from a day of snowmobiling.
Vernon Search and Rescue began looking for the two sledders Monday night.
An RCMP helicopter found them this morning in the Cook Creek area of Hunter’s Range.
Officials say the two sledders had to be air lifted from the area.
With files from Lauren Pullen.