Fernie Search and Rescue

Rescue - Exhausted snowboaders

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Starts at Sunday, 31 December, 2017 - 15:14
Ends at Sunday, 31 December, 2017 - 18:00
Location Fish bowl

Three snowboarders were snowboarding in fish bowl outside of the boundaries of the Fernie Alpine Resort and at the end of the run they encountered very deep powder on a low angle/uphill slope.  The three were not equipped for travelling on snow in this terrain as they had to remove their snowboards so were just sinking with every footstep.  As a result they became exhausted trying to make their way back to the ski resort.

With the temperature at the time were around -27C and the reported location in avalanche terrain Fernie SAR anticipated a CDFL rescue therefore sent a team via helicopter to locate the subjects.  Due to the low temperatures the subjects decided to carry on attempting to reach the ski resort and the team in the helicopter spotted the subjects just as they has managed to make their way back into the ski boundary of Fernie Alpine Resort and saw they were moving under their own power back towards the resort.

In the meantime Fernie SAR had dispatched another team by vehicle to the ski resort to and whilst discussing the situation with the Fernie Ski Patrol we were notified the subjects had made their way back to a ski lift and ski patrol were dispatched to retrieve the subjects via snowmobile.

Ski patrol brought the subjects to their first aid facility where they were assessed by the Fernie SAR members and apart from being cold were unharmed.

This web site has been created by and is provided by VolunteerRescue of SKRPC Holdings Inc., Fernie, BC, Canada.