Sun Peaks Resort in BC, Canada is currently exploring methods to increase their guests awareness about the dangers of going out of bounds after multiple skiers got lost in recent weeks in the same out of bounds area including 68-year-old skier Tomasz Jaholkowski was found dead last Thursday.
Most recently two skiers and a snowboarder were reported lost last Friday after failing to meet with friends at a predetermined time. Kamloops Search & Rescue (KSAR) was called in to conduct a search for the overdue trio who were last seen getting off the West Bowl chairlift at Sun Peaks at 1:08pm. Sun Peaks Ski Patrol had found their tracks going out of bounds into the gully known as Schitts Creek. KSAR got the call at 8:10pm and arrived on scene at 10:30pm.
Two ground teams, a K9 team and Humming Bird Drones were deployed to their respective search areas. At 3:45am the ground teams found a newer set of tracks crossing the gully which they then followed. The drones were repositioned to hone in on that area and located men at 4:45am.
The drone team then guided ground teams to their position. The three were cold, and exhausted otherwise okay. The above video displays how drone technology played a pivotal role in the rescue operation and captured real-time footage of the rescue efforts.
SUN PEAKS RESORT STATEMENT:
We want to inform you of another search and rescue effort that began late yesterday afternoon (December 13) to locate a group of skiers and snowboarders reported missing by friends after failing to meet at a pre-arranged time.
Search efforts, conducted by our teams in collaboration with Kamloops Search and Rescue (KSAR), continued through the evening and into the early morning hours. We are pleased to share that the individuals were successfully located early this morning (December 14). We extend our sincere gratitude to our Ski Patrol, KSAR, and everyone involved for their swift and dedicated response.
It is important to note that, in all recent instances of missing persons on our mountain, the individuals chose to ignore the roped and signed ski area boundary.
We want to reinforce the importance of never leaving the ski area boundary. These boundaries are clearly roped to ensure the safety and protection of all our on-mountain guests. Beyond these ropes lies terrain that has limited to no cellular service, is unpatrolled, often not skiable, and extremely difficult to exit safely.
The new West Bowl chairlift offers incredible opportunities for skiers and snowboarders to explore exciting new in-bound terrain suitable for intermediate and advanced levels. However, we urge all guests to remain vigilant and to respect the ski area boundary at all times. Never venture beyond the ski area boundary.
The safety and wellbeing of our guests and employees is our top priority and we are discussing what measures can be put in place to bolster public education.
Please, stay safe, make good choices, and help spread the word.
We thank all of the search and rescue volunteer team members and our own employees for their continued efforts during these challenging situations.
Sun Peaks Management Team