Central Okanagan Search and Rescue received an early Christmas gift this week: a $15,000 donation.
Making the donation were two Kelowna residents who were rescued by COSAR three years ago during a snowmobile trip near Revelstoke.
According to COSAR, Andrew MacLeod and T.J. Dumonceaux were test-riding rental snowmobiles when they ran low on gas and decided to head back to the trailhead.
However, fog enveloped the mountain and, somewhere in the whiteout, they missed a turn, dropped into a ravine and got stuck.
COSAR said as darkness fell, and with their spare clothes soaked because of a ruptured water bottle, the two dug a shelter in a tree well and lined it with branches.
However, the search agency said sweat from digging in the snow, combined with condensation from their breath, made everything they were wearing damp. In turn, Dumonceaux set an alarm for every 15 minutes so they wouldn’t sleep and fall into hypothermia.
“I’ve never been so cold in my life,” MacLeod told COSAR.
The next morning, it was still foggy at 7 a.m., so the two began walking out, though it was slow going through waist-deep snow.
“It was so cold, I couldn’t use my hands,” said Dumonceaux.
COSAR said the two were dehydrated and severely hypothermic, and were looking for another place to spend the night when they heard snow bikes.
Dumonceaux set off a flare and a few minutes later members of the Revelstoke SAR snowbike team arrived, rescuing them.
COSAR says the donation is welcome, with more snowmobilers enjoying the local Graystokes range and the huge increase in callouts this year. So far this year, COSAR has had 103 callouts, smashing the previous record of 84 in 2020.
“We are extremely grateful for the donation,” said COSAR president Brad Trites. “This money will go towards snowmobile and avalanche training for the team.
“We do mutual aid with all the regional search and rescue groups, including Vernon, Shuswap, and Revelstoke, and this donation will benefit them as much as it will benefit us.”
For more about COSAR, visit the organization’s website.