For the second time this week, the search is on at Sun Peaks Resort for skiers who travelled out of bounds and became lost.
Kamloops RCMP Staff Sgt. Lane Jumaga said Mounties and members of Kamloops Search and Rescue have been searching for two people — a 17-year-old and a 21-year-old, believed to be sisters since about 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27.
Police and search and rescue members are trying to locate their cell signal as the women did make a call to family members when they found themselves in trouble.
A third skier is also missing, though the search for that skier is separate from the search for the two teenage girls.
All three skiers are believed to be lost in a backcountry, out-of-bounds area in the northeast section of the resort known as The Gils.
The out-of-bounds area has avalanche danger and is clearly marked for skiers to see.
On Monday, Dec. 23, three 14-year-old boys from Kamloops decided to ski out of bounds and managed to call for help on their cellphones, but not before enduring a 14-hour outdoors ordeal.
A year ago this month, Sun Peaks Resort warned skiers and snowboarders who intentionally go out of bounds that they may face charges for the costs associated with their rescues.
“There should be no reason for resort skiers to venture beyond the boundary, particularly with the immense amount of powder within bounds,” Jamie Tattersfield, a 20-year veteran director of mountain operations at Sun Peaks, told KTW in December 2012.
Wind and intense snow flurries can combine to create hazards in the backcountry. Heavy snowstorms reduce visibility, create deep hazardous tree wells and lead to instabilities in the snowpack that can result in avalanches.
Inside the ski area boundary, Tattersfield said, slopes and trails are monitored by experts on a daily basis to increase safety.
“Skiing is a healthy and exhilarating activity,” said Tattersfield
“Thanks to thoughtful trail design and natural attributes, Sun Peaks is regarded as one of the safest destinations in the country. But, like most ski areas in the province, Sun Peaks and local search and rescue respond to lost persons that have purposefully ducked under a roped boundary and ventured knowingly out of bounds.
“These unprepared skiers and snowboarders often make uninformed decisions that lead to a necessary rescue effort.”
In cases in which the mountain resort is required to conduct a rescue, the individual is responsible and may be charged for the cost of their rescue.
In December 2012,, Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver confirmed it was planning to send a $10,000 bill to 33-year-old Sebastien Boucher, a snowboarder who got lost after going out-of-bounds.
It took rescue crews 48 hours to find him.
