2 dumb-ass snowboarders rescued at Togwotee
As a former/recovering snowboarder myself, I usually don't say things like 'dumb-ass' and 'snowboarder' is an oxymoron, but...
http://www.jacksonholenews.com/article.php?art_id=2568
Snowboarders rescued
By Katy Niner
December 27, 2007
Two snowboarders spent Christmas Eve lost in the Buffalo Fork drainage after taking the wrong backcountry route off Angle Mountain near Togwotee Pass.
Teton County Search and Rescue retrieved the two men, 17 and 22, about 10 a.m. on Christmas morning.
The two Wisconsinites were en route to Pinedale when their group of between six and eight people stopped about noon for a snowmobile excursion into Bridger-Teton National Forest, according to a report from the Teton County Sheriff’s Office and from Togwotee Mountain Lodge general manager Jeff Golightly. They climbed onto their own vehicles and headed into the backcountry just east of Togwotee Mountain Lodge.
The snowmobile driver who six-hours later reported them missing said he dropped them off on Angle Mountain, arranging to meet them at the bottom.
He said he had warned them not to snowboard down the north side, terrain that had a high threat of avalanches. The snowboarders lacked backcountry rescue gear and had no knowledge of the local avalanche conditions.
At 5:42 p.m., the driver reported the men missing to the snowcat rental shop at the lodge. Lodge personnel encouraged him to contact Teton County Search and Rescue. In the meantime, two lodge snowcat guides went out to look for them, spotting tracks off the north side. Because of harsh weather, Teton County Search and Rescue decided to begin its search at daybreak. The lodge gave the worried group free lodging Christmas Eve.
“We all thought the worst,” Golightly said. “We were all pleasantly surprised.”
After being rescued, the two men reported that they had snowboarded down the north side all the way to the Buffalo Fork, thousands of vertical feet and at least 3.5 miles, Golightly estimated.
They spent the night walking around the drainage while the temperature dipped from 16 degrees at 6 p.m. to a low of minus 4 degrees at 9 a.m., according to the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center’s 8,710-foot weather station at Togwotee Mountain Lodge.
One of the men took off his shirt to start a fire with matches he found in his pocket. At daybreak, they hiked up the ridge line, where they found cell phone reception and called one of the men’s dad in Wisconsin. They then called 911.
Teton County Search and Rescue had already dispatched 20 people to Togwotee Pass, including a medic and a helicopter. The lodge sent between four and six guides to assist. Rescuers received the cell phone call while the helicopter was in flight and the snowboarders directed them to their location.
Ambulance staff looked them over, but the men declined medical treatment. After reuniting with the rest of their group, they ate cheeseburgers at the lodge.
“This one turned out to be positive,” said Capt. Jim Whalen of the sheriff’s office. “So often in the middle of winter, they don’t turn out positive.”
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Let's see. Didn't know the mountain. No avi knowledge. No avi tools. Fuck :nonono2:
