Rescue crews were dispatched to the Greystokes Protected Area last night after a snowmobiler hit a tree hard enough to crack his helmet.
“Fortunately he was with some other riders and one of them had an emergency locator beacon,” said search manager Duane Tresnich. “They called for help and then transported the injured rider 800 metres to the Kelowna Snowmobile Club’s Hilton Hut.”
Weather conditions prevented rescue helicopters from flying, so Central Okanagan Search and Rescue was tasked with extracting the man.
Three members were on snowmobiles while two others rode the tracked-equipped UTV to the hut. Deep powder made access difficult but the injured rider’s colleagues were contacted via radio and came out with their sleds to pack the trail.
Around 10 p.m. the subject was transported by UTV to an ambulance waiting on Forest Service Road 201 near the Big White access road.
The injured rider had initially been snowmobiling by himself but joined the other riders when he encountered them on the trail.
“Although he filed a trip plan, he was still riding by himself. He may have had a much longer wait if it wasn’t for the other riders,” warned Tresnich.