Stowe Mountain Rescue came to the aid of three teenage boys who were backcountry skiing on Monday night. The trio got lost near Spruce Peak and were stuck on a icy cliff in the dark. Stowe Mountain Rescue located the boys, lowered them down one by one and returned them to Barnes Camp.
Stowe Mountain Rescue reflected on the rescue in an “After Action Review” and said a series of bad decisions led to their situation including starting late in the day, not having headlamps, being underdressed and not having charged cellphone. Read the full statement from Stowe Mountain Rescue below.
Stowe Mountain Rescue Statement:
Last night three teenage boys got lost while skiing in the backcountry off Spruce Peak. Unfortunately it was right at the end of the day, and a cold one at that. When we reached them they were cliffed-out in darkness and starting to suffer. One of our team members climbed above and lowered them one-by-one down the icy cliff band. We then shuttled them down the steep terrain using a series of rope belays, good team work and some words of encouragement. The final leg was a hellishly cold ATV ride down to Barnes Camp and waiting parents.
Every misadventure results in lessons learned and one of the boys was quick to volunteer some critical factors in their situation. One was that they had started late in the day (and weren’t carrying headlamps), another was insufficient clothing to cope with the cold once things went wrong – and then there was the serious matter of a dead cell phone. That spirit of honest reflection will serve him well in life – and those around him. Let’s hope these boys share their story at school so that others can benefit from their lessons learned. In our world we call that an After Action Review and it’s something we believe in and adhere to!
