In two separate incidents last month, snowboarders lost in the backcountry followed their initial mistake by making decisions that probably saved their lives.
There’s a right way to get lost and a wrong way, says Dan Smith.
A veteran member of the Vail Search and Rescue Group, Smith was with the searchers who found snowboarders Christin Morton and Ben Engelsen after the two spent a cold night outside on a trail near Vail. Smith also was among the rescuers who found Alamosa snowboarder Wayne Alexander Brown, who spent three days in the backcountry near the Wolf Creek ski area.
“The difference between the people who make it and everyone else is that the survivors stop and think,” said Smith.
“They say, ‘OK, what can we do about this?’ They stop where they are and hunker down for the night.”
Here’s his advice to people who inadvertently find themselves spending the night out in the backcountry:
• Always tell someone where you’re going and what time you’ll be back, so they can alert authorities if you don’t show up.
• Never leave empty-handed, even if you plan to be out for just a few hours. Morton relied on a survival kit that includes a lighter, a firestarter, a whistle, a poncho, an emergency blanket, a map of the area and energy bars. If you carry a cellphone, keep it warm in an inside pocket: Cold temperatures deplete the battery.
• Stop and stay put as soon as you realize that you are lost.
“Surviving is 10 percent physical, and 90 percent mental,” Smith said.
“The very best thing you can do is stay in one place, and let us find you.”
Claire Martin
