Routt County Search and Rescue crews were forced to implement a tedious and taxing strategy on a recent mission due to whiteout conditions in the backcountry.

On the night of January 21, the team set out to rescue two snowmobilers who had become stuck in Jackson County near Grizzly Lake. Dense dog and blowing snow severely hindered visibility, limiting line of sight to just 100 feet in open meadows. This also made it impossible for the crew to follow landmarks to their target destination.

As a result of the limited visibility in open areas, the team had to use a ‘ping pong’ strategy, in which they followed a compass line back and forth between treelines, able to reorient themselves and adjust their direction once in the cover of the trees. This process took place for close to three miles of travel.

Eventually, the stuck snowmobilers were located and everyone made it safely back to civilization.

Thanks goes out to the team involved in this long and frigid search and rescue effort.

If you’re interested in supporting Colorado’s volunteer-powered search and rescue operation, one way to do so is through the purchase of a CORSAR card. It’s cheap, at only $3 per year.

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