Family makes it out of Vernon backcountry safely after getting stuck

Photo: Vernon SAR

A family made it out of the Vernon backcountry safely Saturday afternoon after they had gotten their side-by-side UTV stuck in the snow.

The group of two adults and three children activated their SOS beacon at about 3 p.m. when their UTV became stuck in the deep snow while on the Silverstar snowmobile trails.

Vernon Search and Rescue quickly established an incident command post at the Silverstar Snowmobile trails parking lot near Sovereign Lake, and began preparing for a rescue.

“While setting up the sled teams we were informed the subjects had 'unstuck' themselves and were on their way to the parking lot,” Vernon SAR said in a Facebook post.

“Soon they arrived, the kids smiling and still interested in playing in the snow.”

Vernon SAR praised the family for being well prepared in case of an emergency.

“This situation was the best we could have hoped for: the subjects were well-prepared for the cold weather and very capable, they kept calm and methodically tried to dig themselves out. They stayed together with their vehicle and didn’t try to walk out alone,” Vernon SAR said.

“Once they realized they could be facing a night alone in the mountains, and considering the potential danger to the children, they wisely activated their SOS beacon, which in turn led to mobilizing our team.”

Vernon SAR says it's important to call for help early in similar situations.

“The longer you wait, the higher the potential risk to the subjects and to our SAR team,” Vernon SAR said. “Remember, Search and Rescue is free and our volunteers train hard to be able to respond any time of the day or night.”