Photo courtesy of Vernon Search and Rescue / Facebook

By Liam Verster

Missing Snowmobilers

Three sledders, two whom were missing for days, rescued from Hunters Range area

Dec 15, 2025 | 11:47 AM

Three snowmobilers are recovering after getting lost in the Hunters Range area last week, two of whom were out in the wilderness for multiple days.

Vernon Search and Rescue (VSAR) said a pair of sledders went out riding in the LaForge area of Hunters Range Tuesday, Dec. 9, but did not return home.

The following day VSAR received a report of the missing riders and dispatched teams to the area to try to locate them, but were unsuccessful at the time.

“Conditions were heavy snow, with ice, fog, and wind. Visibility was not good and new snowfall made distinguishing newer vs. older tracks very difficult,” the search and rescue group said in a social media post.

While searching for the sledders Wednesday evening, VSAR also received an iPhone SOS request for a rescue of a solo rider in the Cooke Creek area of Hunters Range.

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VSAR put the focus on the second call, as locating the first two sledders in the poor conditions was not feasible. The soloist was found in an area that could only be accessed on snowshoes, so the team donned the equipment and managed to safely extract the soloist.

Once the weather cleared VSAR was able to send out fresh resources and a helicopter, which led to the search and rescues locating the first two sledders.

The pair were successfully extracted and rescued mid-day Saturday.

“All in, our initial team was on the mountain for some 16 hours, and we very much thank the support from Shuswap SAR, Central Okanagan SAR, as well as Hunters Range, Silver Star, and Lumby Snowmobile Clubs for their assistance and manpower they brought to effect the successful conclusion of these two tasks!” VSAR said in the post.

“As always, please play safe out there!”