‘If you send an SOS call, don’t move’ says COSAR

The first call of 2023 for the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR) team, was to track a group of snow bikers caught in a ravine in the Greystokes area.

However, the search on Saturday took several hours longer than expected due to the subjects moving further away from the coordinates of their first SOS call.

“In this case they sent off their inReach, which produced an SOS call that they were in trouble. We don’t know what kind of trouble… but if you do that, please, don’t move,” COSAR search manager Duane Tresnich told Kelowna10. “We get sent the GPS coordinates of that device and that’s where we’re going.”

Kelowna RCMP received an SOS call from a snow biker who had ridden into a ravine and became stuck after damaging their snow bike.

The expedition involved 10 COSAR volunteers and three Kelowna Snowmobile Club members.

Tresnich said on this call out, they dealt with more manageable temperatures compared to previous years where they’ve encountered temperatures in the low minus 20s.

“Normally it’s very awkward for us to get in those areas. There’s lots of snowfall, the roads are usually covered,” he explained. “When we’re sending people in, we’ve got to make sure we’re dressed properly to deal with the elements that are out there, and hoping our subjects are also dressed enough for the elements that are going on.“

As a general rule, he called on anyone going in the backcountry to not hesitate to call out for help if they desperately need it.

“If you’re in a situation where you feel you’re in trouble and you have the capabilities, call 9-1-1 or if you have an inReach, ZOLEO, or SPOT, use the emergency beacon and let us come and get you,” Tresnich said.

All the subjects in the rescue were uninjured and returned around 12 hours after the initial call.

Tresnich added it’s important to be prepared before you go out: carry food, water, a way to make a fire, and a GPS device to send a distress signal. Or set up a contact at home and let someone know where you’re going.

Last year was the third busiest in COSAR’s 68-year history responding to 84 calls, down from 107 in 2021, and 86 in 2020.