Two Revelstoke snowmobiling areas will remain closed on Wednesday as the search for a missing snowmobiler heads into a third day.
Travis Allen Brown, 42, was reported missing Monday morning after he failed to return to his home in Drayton Valley, Alberta, following a solo snowmobiling trip to Revelstoke on the weekend.
Members of Revelstoke and Golden Search & Rescue have been searching Boulder Mountain and Frisby Ridge for signs of Brown since Monday morning.
On Tuesday, both areas were closed to snowmobilers to prevent interference while SAR searched for Brown’s transceiver.
SAR staged at two helicopter hangars off Westside Road, and flew numerous flights over the mountains throughout the day. Meanwhile, a ground team went out on their snowmobiles.
Frisby Ridge and Boulder Mountain will be closed again on Wednesday while the search continues.
Police say Brown left his home early Saturday morning to go sledding in Revelstoke. He called his family at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday to say he was heading up the mountain by himself. His family attempted to contact him that day at around 3:30 p.m., but the call went straight to voicemail.
On Sunday, Brown’s vehicle was found in the Boulder Mountain Parking Lot. When his car was still there on Monday, Revelstoke RCMP got in contact with Brown’s family and found out they hadn’t heard him from all weekend, said Cpl. Thomas Blakney.
At that point he was reported missing and a search was launched.
Brown is described as a 42-year-old white male, 185 centimetres tall, weighing 77 kilograms, with blond hair and brown eyes. He was believed to be wearing a bright green Helly Hansen snowmobile outfit with a green leaf pattern on the jacket. He would have been wearing a motocross-style helmet, with green camo goggles and riding a red and white 2014 Polaris RMK.
Staff-Sgt. Kurt Grabinsky told the Review that a man matching that description was seen in the area of the Boulder Mountain cabin at around 3 p.m. on Saturday. Police don’t know where he went from there.
Saturday was a stormy day in Revelstoke, with poor visibility and deep snow reported in the mountains. The avalanche danger for the area was rated as considerable at all elevations by Avalanche Canada.
Anyone with information on Brown’s whereabouts is asked to contact the RCMP at 250-837-5255 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
