Central Okanagan Search and Rescue was called out Thursday evening to search for two lost snowmobilers in Myra Canyon.
But, according to COSAR, by the time its volunteers arrived at the Myra Canyon trailhead, the search had turned in to a rescue.
Family members of the snowmobilers reported the pair overdue at 7 p.m. but, as the search was initiated, they managed to get a cell signal from the tower on Little White Mountain and relayed their exact GPS coordinates to authorities.
Heavy fog and variable snow conditions made travel treacherous, so the two decided to stay put.
With the help of two expert snowmobilers from the Kelowna Snowmobile Club, COSAR sent in two teams to locate the sleders and lead them back to safety.
Contact was made around 11 p.m. and by 12:30am everyone was back safety at the Myra parking lot after a short detour to the Doghouse cabin to warm up, said COSAR search manager Kevin Birnie
“It was a textbook operation,” he said.
“The snowmobilers had filed a trip plan and police were notified as soon as they were overdue. When they relayed their GPS coordinates to us, they didn’t move from their location. And they had enough food, water and warm clothing to make the wait comfortable.”
Brine thanked the members of the Kelowna Snowmobile Club for their assistance.
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