Bonneville County reports 3 rescue missions in 3 days

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)-Bonneville County Sheriff’s deputies and Search and Rescue have responded to three separate incidents of lost snowmobilers over the past three days.

At 4 p.m. Monday, a 66-year-old man was reported late to return to Alpine, Wyoming after a trip to the McCoy Creek area.  His snowmobile broke down about 11:30 a.m. and the rest of his party continued on.  Deputies found the man about 8 miles from the McCoy Creek Bridge under a space blanket and 6 inches of snow. He was treated for exposure in a Search and Rescue Snow Cat.  

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, deputies were called to the Bone area, where a woman snowmobiling in the Wolverine area became separated from her companion.  Search and Rescue volunteers and an Air Methods helicopter were sent to the area.   The woman’s snowmobile broke down and she was walking back toward the parking lot when she called for help.   A rescue snowmobile found her on the Long Valley Road.  She was uninjured.

Deputies were called to the Meadow Creek area, southeast of Ririe, at about midnight Wednesday.  A man and woman rode into the Meadow Creek area at around 2:30 p.m. and did not return on schedule.   They were found safe at Mud Springs.  One snowmobile had broken down and the couple were attempting to ride out of the area on one machine for most of the night.  Both were reported uninjured when the rescue ended at around 4 a.m. Thursday.

The Sheriff’s Office reports all of the people involved were approaching a dangerous level of risk to their safety by the time help arrived. 

They advise people venturing into the outdoors to be aware of conditions, including avalanche danger, and be prepared for emergencies.   Make sure others know where you are going and when you expect to return. 

Here’s a quick link to avalanche information for the entire region.