South Cariboo Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteers are praising the quick thinking and backcountry survival sense of a 17-year-old snowmobiler who was successfully rescued Saturday night, Jan. 16, 2021.
The teen was out riding in the South Cariboo, north of Mahood Lake, when he went missing after getting separated from his group.
“This young man did everything right after things went wrong,” SAR noted on a Facebook post Sunday morning.
Once he realized he was lost in unfamiliar terrain, the teen parked his sled in a wide open area, walked to a nearby treed location and built himself “an incredible snow cave” in preparation to spend the night on the mountain.
“When our team members came across him he was in the shelter with food and water,” said SAR. “This young man made our task a little less difficult by staying in place and having some backcountry winter survival knowledge.”
SAR also credited the other backcountry users in the area for calling them and the 100 Mile House RCMP in to assist.
“By doing this, it kept this task as a search for one person and not multiple. The actions of everyone involved was spot on for leading to a successful outcome.”
We would like to commend the 17 year old missing snowmobiler from the search last night. This young man did everything…
Posted by South Cariboo Search & Rescue on Sunday, January 17, 2021
100 Mile House RCMP said they received the call for help at 6:15 p.m. and searchers sent a message at 10:34 p.m. saying they had found the youth in good condition.
“100 Mile House RCMP wishes to thank the South Cariboo SAR team for their professionalism and for bringing this search to another positive outcome,” Cpl.Ryder Birstwistle said. “We in the south Cariboo are very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of well-trained volunteers to assist in times of need.”
