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Vernon Search & Rescue find lost snowmobiler

Male, 19, went missing in Hunter’s Range area near Enderby
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Snowmobilers at Hunter’s Range. (Photo/Contributed)

Vernon Search & Rescue found a lost snowmobiler who went missing late Sunday afternoon and spent a frigid night in the bush.

Leigh Pearson, with Vernon Search and Rescue, said the 19-year-old male became separated from a group he was snowmobiling with at Hunter’s Range, a popular snowmobile area between Highway 97 and Mabel Lake near Enderby.

Pearson said the search effort started at 5:30 p.m. last night and the lost snowmobiler was extracted from an area considered unsafe to venture into using an air winch with the assistance of the RCMP helicopter.

“The conditions in some spots in that area are strictly off-limits and he was found in one of those areas,” said Pearson.

The RCMP helicopter crew initially spotted the snowmobiler and was able to help a search and rescue air winch technician to elevate him to safety at about 9 a.m. this morning.

“The helicopter was helpful in the search and to do the airlift as sometimes the weather isn’t always cooperative for that,” Pearson noted.

Pearson said the lost snowmobiler was “a little cold and tired” but didn’t suffer any serious injuries.

“This time it was a good, happy ending, ” said Pearson, noting that VSAR has been called out to find five snowmobilers so far this winter.

This search involved 25 VSAR members, six from Shuswap Search & Rescue and another four from Kamloops.


 


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Barry Gerding

About the Author: Barry Gerding

Senior regional reporter for Black Press Media in the Okanagan. I have been a journalist in the B.C. community newspaper field for 37 years...
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