Snowmobiles freeze up in minus-15 degree search for lost skier and her dog in Colorado

Rescuers searching for a missing 61-year-old skier and her dog overnight faced dire conditions on Grand Mesa in Colorado, sheriff’s officials reported.

“Three teams of snowmobilers searched for hours in temperatures nearing minus 15 degrees,” the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release on the search.

The woman, a visitor from New Mexico, had been reported missing at 9:30 p.m. Mountain time Tuesday, Feb. 1, from a backcountry ski trip, the release said.

Searchers found her vehicle at the Mesa Top trailhead. Helicopter and ground teams began looking for her despite the rapidly dropping temperature.

“Fresh snow on the ground also made it difficult to track where she may have gone,” the release said. “It was so cold electronics on the snowmobiles kept freezing, and one team of searchers became stranded.”

A team heading to aid the stranded rescuers found the lost skier and her dog in a heavily wooded area at 4:30 a.m., sheriff’s officials said.

“The woman was found in an area of dense trees which made it impossible for her to be seen by the searching helicopter,” the release said. “Search crews said it was a miracle not only (that) she was found but also that she and the dog survived that long in the freezing weather.”

The woman was treated for exposure but was otherwise in good health.

Mesa County sheriff’s officials warned people to bring warm clothes, food, water and supplies to start a fire on winter trips outdoors. Also, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to return.

This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 9:09 AM with the headline "Snowmobiles freeze up in minus-15 degree search for lost skier and her dog in Colorado."