Police are lauding the quick thinking of a 14-year-old Kamloops boy who hunkered down near an abandoned shed after becoming lost while skiing out of bounds at Sun Peaks Resort on Sunday.
Carson Hadwin was reported missing by his parents after he failed to return on a shuttle to Kamloops after a day at the mountain resort 40 minutes northeast of the city.
Police and search crews set out to find Hadwin late Sunday afternoon. On Monday morning, searchers in an airplane spotted footprints heading toward a shed. Kamloops Search and Rescue crews then used snowmobiles to get to the shed, where Hadwin was found safe, though cold and hungry.
“After becoming lost, the boy stayed at the shed to wait for rescuers, which is the best action he could have taken,” RCMP Cpl. Jodi Shelkie said. “We are very thankful for this outcome.”
Hadwin was taken by helicopter to the village, where he was seen walking across a parking lot and entering a first-aid vehicle to be assessed.
Kamloops Search and Rescue head Alan Hobler told KTW the location where the teen was found was difficult to access.
“I’m not sure how he would have gotten there,” he said. “I’m not exactly sure how he got that far out.”
Hobler said the shed, which he said could have been a cabin, was inaccessible.
“I believe it was a small shed or a small cabin, but it was actually covered by snow,” Hobler said. “He couldn’t get into it.”
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