Pair saved by search and rescue pay it forward

Two people who were saved by Search and Rescue three years ago have paid it forward.

Andrew MacLeoad and TJ Dumonceaux have made a $15,000 donation to Central Okanagan Search and Rescue (COSAR).

In 2018, the two men were test riding rental snowmobiles near Revelstoke when they ran low on fuel.

The mountain was enveloped by a fog and the pair got lost while trying to return to the trail head . They missed a turn, dropped into a ravine, and got stuck.

Darkness fell and they dug a shelter in a tree well , but the sweat from digging in the snow, combined with condensation from their breath made everything damp, and Dumonceaux set an alarm to go off every 15 minutes so they wouldn’t fall asleep and succumb to hypothermia.

The following morning, the pair got up and started walking. It was still foggy and the snow was waist deep, making it difficult to make any progress.

The pair were looking for another space to set up for a second night when they heard snowbikes. Dumonceaux set off a flair and members of the Revelstoke Search and Rescue (SAR) snowbike team arrived a few minutes later.

The pair were given hot soup and dry clothes and transported back to safety in a heated Utility Terrain Vehicle.

On Dec. 24, 2021, the pair gave back to with donations to COSAR through their companies TJ & Steph Real Estate Group and the Co-Operators: Solve Insurance Service Inc.

They gave the money to their local SAR organization because of the increased numbers of riders in the Greystokes snowmobiling area and the increase in call outs COSAR this past year.

“We are extremely grateful for the donation,” said COSAR president Brad Trites.

“This money will go towards snowmobile and avalanche training for the team. We do mutual aid with all the regional search and rescue groups, including Vernon, Shuswap, and Revelstoke, and this donation will benefit them as much as it will benefit us.”