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Two Kelowna sledders among party rescued after night on mountains near Sicamous

Call made to search and rescue after one of the men didn’t show up for work
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A Shuswap Search and Rescue team of six helped to rescue three men, two Kelowna residents and one from the Sicamous area who, after spending the night in a ravine between the Owlhead and Blue Lake cabins, were airlifted to safety on Monday, March 29, 2021. (File photo)

A trio of snowmobilers were airlifted to safety after having spent a night in the mountains near Sicamous.

A helicopter was brought in following a call made to Revelstoke Search and Rescue after one of the missing sledders failed to show up for work on Monday morning, March 29.

“One guy was never late for work and that’s when they realized that these guys are missing,” explained John Schut of Shuswap Search and Rescue, which was called in at 11:30 a.m. that morning. The subjects of the search were two Kelowna residents and one a resident of the Sicamous area.

Schut said the sledders were out the day before and got stuck in a deep drainage located between the Blue Lake and Owlhead cabins.

Read more: Shuswap Search and Rescue saves two stranded sledders

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“They had gone down into that area and the walls of this ravine are so steep, it’s just hard to get out again,” said Schut. “So they just kept going farther and farther down and couldn’t get back out.”

The three had supplies with them and were able to make a fire to help keep them warm during the cold windstorm that blew through the region.

The six Shuswap Search and Rescue volunteers involved in the effort located the missing men quickly. They were escorted to an area where the helicopter could land and were transported to the Owlhead parking lot.

Schut said the search wrapped up around 1:30 p.m. on Monday.



lachlan@saobserver.net
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