A 47-year-old man and his 17-year-old son were found safe this morning in Garfield County after snowmobiling off course and spending the night in a snowstorm, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The two found a place to build a fire and waited for morning. A spokeswoman for the Garfield County Sheriff’s Department said she was not sure of the accommodations, but thought they had spent the night outdoors.
Their names were not released.
The pair had intended only a 4-mile ride near Rifle, but instead of going north, as they had intended, they wandered more than three miles to the southeast, according to the sheriff’s office.
At dusk, a winter storm overtook them and they hunkered down for the night. Search crews were called at 9 p.m. and searched until 3 a.m. when the search was postponed in whiteout conditions.
The two were found shortly after daylight as they searched for a trail out.
