Members of Stowe Mountain Rescue dealt with deep snow and blowing wind on Mount Mansfield Tuesday night to rescue an experienced skier who became disoriented.
According to a Stowe Mountain Rescue post on Facebook, members braved “epic snow” on the ridge of Mount Mansfield to help the skier who had lost the trail.
Rescuers described the skier as a fit and experienced local backcountry skier who was well-equipped and showed good judgement. He had a Gaia map on his phone and was familiar with the intended route.
Despite the skier’s familiarity with the route, the amount of snow and blowing conditions reportedly made the area look unfamiliar.
“When the snow level gets high enough, even a solid established path like the Long Trail becomes invisible, as the normal channel between the trees is buried,” stated the Stowe Mountain Rescue post. “And the blowing snow had obliterated his own tracks when he tried to retrace his route.”
Once the skier realized he had lost the trail, he pulled out his compass to try to establish a direction of travel. But rescuers said his compass was “squirrelly,” telling him North one moment and South the next, possibly due to interference from nearby radio towers.
Realizing he had no way of orienting himself and suspecting he was going in circles, rescuers said he did the necessary work to secure his safety. He dug a shelter and then called for help just before darkness set in.
Rescuers said that although the skier was carrying good equipment — headlamp, emergency whistle, a thermos of warm broth, and spare mittens — he said in the future he would want to be better prepared to ride out a long, cold wait. For him, this meant beefier environmental protection such as an emergency blanket, a second spare pair of mittens, and a full spare layer, both top and bottom.
The skier had a ski buddy earlier in the day, but the second skier had turned around. Rescuers said that had they stuck together there would have been two brains, not one, to troubleshoot the wayfinding. And in the event of an accident, having a friend with you could be the single element that saves your life.
Rescuers recommend backcountry skiers be extra cautious in deep snow conditions because the terrain looks different, especially during a blizzard.