Central Okanagan Search and Rescue members conduct a training exercise with snowmobiles.
Image Credit: Contributed/COSAR/file
April 27, 2014 - 9:23 AM
KELOWNA – Two men in there 20’s have been rescued after ending up stranded on the top of the mountain in Okanagan Mountain Park Saturday night.
The pair had been camping by Okanagan Lake and decided to hike to the top of the mountain to spend the night, according to a media release from Central Okanagan Search and Rescue.
As the men approached the top of the mountain, hiking in 3 feet of snow, a couple of short but intense storms drenched them.
They were soaked to the skin.
“The males did the correct thing by stopping and fighting the effects of hypothermia,” COSAR spokesperson Duane Tresnich says in the release.
He says the men realized they couldn’t make it back down the mountain in the state they were in so called the RCMP who called in Search and Rescue.
Three separate teams were sent up the mountain in an attempt to get to the men in the shortest time possible.
The rescuers on snowmobiles and ATV's reached the men at around 12:30 a.m.
They were taken to the SAR staging area and warmed up until their families arrived to take them home.
“COSAR would like to remind people that at this time of year the weather can change quickly and catch people off guard,” Tresnich says. “Please ensure that you have all the necessary survival equipment to help you get through the first 24 hours.”
News from © iNFOnews, 2014