So my son lives out in Butte MT and was out snowmobiling the previous saturday with some friends by Anaconda, MT. They were starting to head in and he looked at his Onyx app and thought it showed they could connect to the trail by dropping down a steep slope into a bowl area. So he had his friend stay put while he dropped in. No trail there and couldn't get back out. Radioed his friend who then went back to the trail head looking for help. While he was waiting he cut a bunch of firewood and pine branches to make himself comfortable. His friend and helped showed up about as darkness was falling and they couldn't do anything to help since it was dark. So they went back and planned to come back in the morning and he settled in for the night. Spent the night at the bottom of the canyon and in the morning he tried getting back out again and couldn't so he just started crawling up the tracks he came down on. Several hours later he made it up to where the rescue team was and they got him some food and warmed him up and then hauled him out to his truck. Meanwhile two local riders dropped in because they knew a way out and thought they could break a trail and get his sled out. They spent several hours just trying to get themselves back up out of there and didn't have a chance to get his sled out. So he and his friends went in this last Saturday and were able to follow the other guys trail and get the sleds up and out. So hopefully he learned a few things about knowing where you are and not riding beyond your ability. although he is a very good rider. But the key thing to take away is to always be prepared for whatever might happen and he was. He had a saw, a way to start a fire, a space blanket, water bottle, and he took advantage of the remaining daylight to get himself set up for the night.
My sons adventure
- Thread starter elf
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mezz
Well-known member
Holy crap! that has to be a gut wrenching nightmare! At least he was somewhat prepared, but I'll bet he didn't sleep well for a couple of days. Lesson learned, despite what any app may say, when in doubt, don't. He is a very lucky guy..... Maybe he should have gone to Utah with you instead.
Glad to hear your son made it out okay. The high-country mountains are a totally different animal when comparing to riding the Midwest trail system or even some backcountry hill climbing. Our kids live in and run sleds in Leadville and Alma Colorado. They wear avalanche transmitters, flotation vests, shovels, search rods, EPRB, first aid, etc.... and they always sled with what I call a Float Plan. Boy scouts may be prepared and Marines semper fi, but mountain sledders and sledding is a totally different animal. My wife and I ride the Midwest trails with a few tools, a spare belt, a beer and 2 cell phones. 
Glad to hear your son made it out okay. The high-country mountains are a totally different animal when comparing to riding the Midwest trail system or even some backcountry hill climbing. Our kids live in and run sleds in Leadville and Alma Colorado. They wear avalanche transmitters, flotation vests, shovels, search rods, EPRB, first aid, etc.... and they always sled with what I call a Float Plan. Boy scouts may be prepared and Marines semper fi, but mountain sledders and sledding is a totally different animal. My wife and I ride the Midwest trails with a few tools, a spare belt, a beer and 2 cell phones.
Yep, we've been making sure he has the right gear. Last couple of christmas's we've outfitted him with a beacon and a Avy bag, probes, survival kit, etc... But you can have all the proper gear in the world and shit can go wrong so it was good to see he kept his cool and stayed smart.
