Out-of-bounds skier found safe after overnight ordeal
By Rossland Telegraph
Police are offering high praise to Red Mountain staff and local Search and Rescue teams after a mountainous search saw an Ontario man found safe.
“On Thursday, Dec. 29 at 4:40 p.m., a frontline Trail and Greater District RCMP officer received a report that a 20-year-old Thunder Bay man went missing while skiing while out-of-bounds at the Red Mountain Resort in Rossland,” said RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich. “:His parents reported him missing to the Red Mountain Ski Patrol when he failed to return from skiing at the end of the day. Ski patrol notified the RCMP and SAR, who began assisting in the search.
“Search teams were able to locate the missing man’s last known whereabouts on Gray Mountain by tracking his cell phone and air tag, and using the information obtained from the electronic ski gate records. The search for the man was paused around 1 a.m. due to darkness. It was resumed again in the early morning hours.”
Wicentowich said rescuers located the man in the morning walking down the road around the 13-km mark on Rossland-Cascade Highway, in Rossland. The man said he had made a shelter overnight before attempting to walk to safety. The man was not injured and returned to his parents.
I would like to thank Red Mountain Resort and Rossland, Castlegar and South Columbia Search and Rescue for their quick and professional responses,” Wicentowich said. “Please stay within marked boundaries and designated trails when you are skiing on any mountain resort. Skiing out-of-bounds and in the backcountry is ill-advised for the solo person who is unprepared and untrained. I would like to remind the public that hundreds of people are lost and injured in the backcountry Canada-wide every year. This number can be much lower with if you take precautions before deciding to go off-trail. It is the up to the individual to make sure that they are prepared before stepping foot into the challenging backcountry terrain.
Police urge anyone travelling in the backcountry to complete a basic Avalanche Skills Training Level One and carry the proper backcountry safety gear. For more information on backcountry safety and information on local training courses, please visit:
Summit Mountain Guides – Professional Mountain Guiding
Kootenay Avalanche Courses – Prepare for Adventure
Backcountry Guided Tours & Ski Tours BC – Kootenay Backcountry Guides
And there is safety in numbers when you join a club with experienced people and backcountry enthusiasts. For more information, please visit Membership – Kootenay Mountaineering Club
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