Current:Home > My23 skiers, snowboarders rescued from Vermont backcountry in deadly temperatures -FutureFinance
23 skiers, snowboarders rescued from Vermont backcountry in deadly temperatures
View
Date:2025-04-18 18:33:00
First responders in Vermont rescued 23 skiers and snowboarders from the backcountry after they were reported missing amid a blast of arctic air that dropped temperatures into the single digits, authorities said.
The police department in Killington, a town in the Green Mountains of central Vermont, received a call that seven to nine people were missing in the backcountry at about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, the department said in a social media post. After the state police's search and rescue team was brought in, it was determined that 21 people, including six juveniles, were missing.
The search team hiked and snowshoed about 5 miles in freezing temperatures. After each person was found, they were warmed up in firetrucks or the personal vehicles of first responders.
Just as the rescuers were preparing to leave, an additional call reported that two other people were lost. By 9:30 p.m., the two skiers also were brought to safety.
Over the weekend, temperatures in much of the Plains, the Midwest and the Northeast plunged into the single digits; wind chills were as low as minus 20 to minus 30 degrees in some areas. The arctic air, which stretched across much of the country, followed a series of deadly winter storms last week that had killed 91 people as of Sunday.
The dangers of snow sports
Earlier in the month, an avalanche barreled down a California ski resort near Lake Tahoe, killing one and injuring three others.
The incident reminded winter recreationists across the country the dangers of snow sports. Skiers and snowboarders have been advised by industry experts, such as the National Ski Areas Association, to be aware of dangerous weather, changing snow conditions, machinery working on slopes, and other recreationists.
Over the 2022-23 U.S. ski season, the national association reported 46 skier and snowboarder fatalities in ski areas. The total number of fatalities for the season was slightly higher than the 10-year industry average of 42 fatalities a season, according to the group.
The primary factors of fatal incidents included speed, loss of control and collisions with objects on slopes. The season also had record-breaking snowfall, the ski areas association said, which contributed to an "unusually high number" of deep-snow immersion fatalities.
veryGood! (62333)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Wisconsin Democrats combat impeachment of court justice with $4M effort
- Watchdog group files suit seeking to keep Trump off Colorado ballot under 14th Amendment
- Officers fatally shoot man in South Carolina after he kills ex-wife and wounds deputy, sheriff says
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Chris Jones' holdout from Chiefs among NFL standoffs that could get ugly in Week 1
- Suspect wanted in 2019 ambush that killed 9 American citizens is arrested in New Mexico
- White supremacist signs posted outside Black-owned businesses on Martha's Vineyard
- Average rate on 30
- NASA tracks 5 'potentially hazardous' asteroids that will fly by Earth within days
Ranking
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Former White House aide Gabe Amo wins Rhode Island Democratic House primary
- Tom Brady will toss passes for Delta Air Lines. The retired quarterback will be a strategic adviser
- Trump's public comments could risk tainting jury pool, special counsel Jack Smith says
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Spanish women's soccer coach who called World Cup kissing scandal real nonsense gets fired
- Carl Nassib, the NFL's first openly gay player, announces his retirement
- Dinosaur tracks revealed as river dries up at drought-stricken Texas park
Recommendation
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
Every Hollywood awards show, major movie postponed by writers' and actors' strikes
The dementia tax
Lidcoin: Strong SEC Regulation Makes Cryptocurrency Market Stronger
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Maryland officer suspended after video shows him enter back seat of police car with woman
Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion nationwide
NBA owner putting millions toward stroke care, health research in Detroit