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Authorities issue safety reminder after Okanagan snowmobiler rescued

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue crews were called out to the Graystokes Provincial Park area on Sunday night to look for a missing snowmobiler. Submitted

About a dozen people rushed to help find a missing snowmobiler Sunday evening.

Central Okanagan Search and Rescue was called to the Greystokes Provincial Park area around 7 p.m. because it was getting dark and the man’s vehicle was still unattended in the parking lot, spokesperson Ed Henczel said.

“They had remembered seeing him when he pulled in, and he looked like a relatively inexperienced rider,” he added.

The missing snowmobiler was found sometime after 3 a.m., Henczel said.

“He was near a trail. He was sitting on his snowmobile,” he said.

“He had buried in the loose, powdery snow. He had just dug in, and he wasn’t able to dig himself out.”

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Henczel is reminding snowmobilers to file a trip plan.

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“If you don’t have anybody back at home, even just leave a note on your dash saying, ‘I’m going to be riding these trails today, and I’ll be back at this time’,” he said.

“That would have really sped up the search.”

It was the man’s second time snowmobiling, Henczel said.

“For his second ride out there, he probably shouldn’t have been going where he went, and he probably shouldn’t have gone by himself,” he added.

“Things could have gone seriously wrong if the weather had been much colder.”

The local man, who’s in his 60s, was very cold but didn’t require hospital care, Henczel said.

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Click to play video: 'Dog reunited with owners after North Shore rescue'
Dog reunited with owners after North Shore rescue

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