A skier is sharing gratitude for the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue Team after they saved him last week.
On Feb. 13, Central Okanagan Search and Rescue was called with a report of an overdue skier near Big White.
Search teams of COSAR members and Kelowna Snowmobile Club volunteers mustered in the area, and one of the teams located his tracks north of the ski area near Two John Road.
They followed the tracks into a tributary of the West Kettle River where contact was made around 2 a.m.
“The subject was in good condition but was cold and very tired, so the decision was made to hunker down and spend the night,” said COSAR search manager Dave Crawford.
READ MORE: Back country adventure near Big White takes a scary turn
“I used to scoff at people who got into these situations, but here I am. I was skiing out of bounds (pretty normal) but I was alone (pretty stupid), no one knew I was there (really stupid) and I was completely unprepared to spend any time in the backcountry,” the Kelowna man wrote on the COSAR Facebook page.
“I can’t begin to describe the relief I felt when, around midnight, I saw two headlamps come bobbing towards me through the forest and then two absolute heroes, ‘T’ and Amos from Central Okanagan Search and Rescue came into my clearing and one of them said “we heard you might want someone to hang out with.”
“I have a debt to these amazing people, who receive no payment for this work they do, that I will never be able to repay—I’m open to suggestions. My frostbitten toes have begun the healing process,” he wrote.
edit@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.