A snowmobiler was rescued in Colorado’s Grand County in recent days after getting stranded in the backcountry while blizzard conditions approached. According to Grand County Search and Rescue, the situation unfolded on the evening of February 18 near Gravel Mountain, which is located outside of Grand Lake.

The snowmobiler was alone in the backcountry terrain when his vehicle got stuck in deep snow while traveling in a drainage area. Unable to free the sled on his own and with dangerous winter weather imminent, the snowmobiler knew he needed to call for help. While cell phone connection wasn’t available in the area, the snowmobiler was able to use the satellite-based emergency notification functionality of his Apple device to request assistance at about 5:32 p.m.

The rescue team was able to reach the snowmobiler about two hours later. With the help of the team, the snowmobile was successfully freed and the man was guided back to the trailhead without issue or injury.

This rescue story thankfully has a happy ending, highlighting how important it is to ensure you maintain a means of communicating while venturing into the backcountry. With high elevation areas in Colorado getting two feet of snow or more in recent days, it’s easy to see how bad this situation could have been had the snowmobiler lacked the ability to call for help.

For safety tips related to snowmobiling, check out this recent guest column OutThere Colorado published from Colorado Search and Rescue Association’s Anna DeBattiste.

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