Kamloops Search and Rescue members had a less-than relaxing family day when they had to jump to action and save a family of skiers on Monday.
At about 3:30 p.m., Kamloops Search and Rescue (KSAR) manager Alan Hobler was called to rescue a family of six who were skiing in the back country at Sun Peaks.
According to Hobler, they had “ducked the ropes,” skied out of bounds, and ended up stranded on an avalanche slope.
“The father thought that would be a shortcut back down to the village … unfortunately that wasn’t the case, it was taking them directly away from the village,” said Hobler.
When the father realized he had made a mistake, the four kids, who ranged in age from 6 to 13, and the mother, stopped, and the father called ski patrol.
Luckily, the family had cell phone service and were able to give the coordinates of their location to KSAR.
There is a level two avalanche technician on the team, who thought it was pretty risky for the family to be out in the backcountry.
The description the father gave of the snow surrounding them gave strong indications of high avalanche conditions.
“I was quite concerned for him and his family,” said Hobler.
The Kamloops RCMP helicopter, called Air-4, was deployed in the rescue mission, although daylight was fading fast and landing conditions were unpredictable.
“It definitely worked out in the end,” said Hobler.
Within hours, the family was home safe and sound.
