Two snowboarders who ventured out of bounds at Big White needed rescuing on Friday night.
According to COSAR, ski patrol told the pair to stay put. It’s believed the two were skiing in the back-country near Gem Lake.
COSAR said it responded to the approximate 4 p.m. call with 13 members. A seven-person team was sent in on snowmobiles, with the rescuers managing to get within half a kilometre of the two snowboarders. A smaller team on snowshoes then trekked through deep snow and thick forest to the pair.
The rescue team included three members of the Kelowna Snowmobile Club.
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COSAR said contact was made just before midnight, and that the two snowboarders had managed to make a small fire and stay warm.
The two were brought back to a staging area, where they were evaluated by paramedics before returning to their vehicle.
“Even though the subjects found themselves in a tough situation, they did a lot of things right,” COSAR said in a press release.
“First, as soon as they determined that they were lost, they immediately got a call out to ski patrol. Second, instead of trying to self-rescue, they remained where they were. Finally, they were prepared enough to get a fire going and stay warm until rescuers could arrive.”
On its website, Big White has a dedicated page about mountain safety, including a section warning about venturing out of bounds. That page can be found here.
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