Sunshine Coast Search and Rescue crews safely located a group of three teenagers Sunday afternoon in Tetrahedron Provincial Park.
Search manager Alec Tebbutt said SAR was called around 9:30 a.m. when the three teens missed their check-in time.
"With the weather socking in and the trails getting more and more obscured by snow, we decided it was best to go out during the day rather than wait until later," Tebbutt said. "The teens were snowshoeing in the Tetrahedron. Since we had not heard from them and we couldn't get in contact with them, we were not sure which cabin they went to, so we deployed various teams. As it went, we met them on their way out around 2:30 p.m. and we were able to bring them down."
In all, 17 members were involved in the search, which proved to be a good chance for the volunteer organization to use its new UTV.
"We just acquired, through a BC Gaming grant, a new UTV, also called a side-by-side," Tebbutt said. "Our UTV seats five people and it's a really high-end machine that allows us to get into terrain that normal vehicles can't. It worked great. We transported the teens down because they never would have made it out on their own."
Tebbutt said it is important that people plan for conditions, and make sure to leave a plan with a reliable contact person when out in the back country.
"Many people think that you will be able to get cell phone coverage in the Tet, but cell phone coverage really doesn't exist," he said. "With all this snow, there is a good avalanche danger in the area too. If you don't understand that danger, you are better off not to go there or make sure you take avalanche gear with you."
