A snowmobiler who was reported missing Sunday night was found alive by search & rescue Monday morning, the Revelstoke RCMP report.
The 48-year-old Hinton man was reported missing after he didn’t return with his friends after a day of snowmobiling on Boulder Mountain.
Revelstoke Search & Rescue launched a search until 4:30 a.m. to no avail. In the morning, the RCMP closed down Boulder Mountain and the search continued by snowmobile and helicopter.
With light on their side, searchers were able to find the man and escort him to the base of the mountain. Police say he was disoriented and tired, but in good condition.
Staff-Sgt. Kurt Grabinsky of the Revelstoke RCMP said the man was only about 100 metres off the Veideman trail when he got turned around and disoriented. After spending time trying to get back to the trail, he got tired and decided to hunker down until morning.
“At six o’clock in the morning, he started moving again and he was really disoriented from where he was trying to go,” said Grabinsky. “SAR helped him out and off he went.”
Grabinksy said they closed the mountain because it made it easier to conduct a search.
“If the mountain’s quiet and you hear that one sled moving around, you know it’s your guy,” he said. “As soon as you have a couple hundred out there, you can’t hear anything. You can’t discern which ones the subject. The helicopter can know whatever’s moving is the person we’re looking for.
Grabinsky thanked SAR for their effort overnight and this morning to find the missing snowmobiler.
“The RCMP and Revelstoke Search & Rescue appreciate the patience of the public during the brief closure,” he said. “Boulder Mountain is again open for recreational activity. The closure of the mountain allows for effective searching, without the distraction of other riders.”
Our initial story follows:
Boulder Mountain is closed while Revelstoke Search & Rescue looks for a snowmobiler who has been missing since late Sunday afternoon, reports the RCMP.
The RCMP initiated the search after they were notified about the missing person on Sunday, Feb. 19, at around 8:30 p.m.
Police say a group of snowmobilers were returning from the mountain to Peaks Lodge when they noticed a member of their group was missing.
SAR was activated and immediately began a search of areas where the man was known to have been. They stayed out until 4:30 a.m. looking for the missing person.
On Monday morning, Boulder Mountain was closed to make the search easier during daylight hours.
The missing snowmobiler is a 48-year-old man from Hinton, Alberta. He was riding a red Polaris 800 snowmobile and was wearing a bright green jacket and black pants. He is said to be an very experience snowmobiler.
The last time the mountain was closed was in December 2015, when SAR went looking for Travis Allen Brown. His body was found the day after the search was suspended and the mountain was re-opened to snowmobilers.
