Multi-day Vernon Search Rescues 3

UPDATE - VSAR Confirms Two Separate Rescues in Hunters Range, Including Missing Snowmobilers

December 13 2025 - Vernon Search and Rescue (VSAR) has provided details surrounding a complex multi-day response in the Hunters Range, confirming that crews handled two separate rescue incidents under challenging winter conditions.

VSAR says the first call came Thursday afternoon for two missing snowmobilers in the LaForge area of the Hunters Range, last seen the previous day.

Seven VSAR members and three local snowmobile resource members responded on sleds, encountering heavy snowfall, ice, fog, wind, and poor visibility that made tracking difficult.

Later that same evening, VSAR received a second emergency request, triggered by an iPhone SOS signal, for a solo snowmobiler in the Cooke Creek area of the Hunters Range.

With conditions deteriorating and search areas limited by safety concerns, crews split resources briefly before committing fully to the solo rider rescue and postponing the search for the missing pair until daylight.

On the solo rescue, teams were forced to abandon sled access due to steep terrain, eventually snowshoeing more than a kilometre down into a drainage and back out to safely extract the rider.

With fresh crews and daylight on Saturday, VSAR resumed the search for the two missing snowmobilers, supported by a helicopter equipped with a RECCO unit provided by Air Rescue One Helicopter Winch Society.

The pair were located in a drainage and successfully rescued by mid-day Saturday.

VSAR says the initial response team spent roughly 16 hours on the mountain, and credited Shuswap Search and Rescue, Central Okanagan Search and Rescue, and members of the Hunters Range, Silver Star, and Lumby snowmobile clubs for their critical assistance.

Search and rescue officials are once again reminding backcountry users to plan carefully, carry reliable communication devices, and be prepared for rapidly changing winter conditions.