Men stranded on Kebler overnight

Search and rescue got called, but pizza chef makes the find

Two snowmobilers who were stuck on Kebler Pass overnight during the weekend were found safe and sound during a search operation on Sunday.

Although a search and rescue team was in the area, the two men were spotted by local pizza chef and Secret Stash co-owner Jeff Graceffa, who was out riding his snowmobile with friends.
Crested Butte Search and Rescue team leader Ian Hatchett says the two men from Paonia, ages 34 and 35, drove to Erickson Springs at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday to go snowboarding in the backcountry. They shared a single snowmobile to access higher terrain. “They bogged their machine up near the Dyke Trail,” Hatchett says.
When the men didn’t return home Saturday evening, some of their friends took snowmobiles and searched the lower area on the west side of Kebler Pass. On Sunday morning Crested Butte Search and Rescue was called in to look for the missing snowboarders.
Paonia-based West Elk Mountain Rescue was also called in for the search operation, and the two teams split up the terrain, with the Crested Butte team searching the area on the east side of the pass.
Hatchett says the search and rescue team was also assisted by Gunnison resident Dan Lochnikar, an avid snowmobiler who volunteered to use one of his souped-up machines to break trail in the deep powder areas.
High avalanche danger complicated the search effort, and Hatchett says the teams initially made their observations from established trails and roads. In order to expand the search effort, “We stationed one of our people at the trailhead at Kebler to stop anyone going out for a snowmobile ride or backcountry ski and tell them ‘Hey, we’re looking for these guys,’” Hatchett says.
Graceffa, who was stopped by the search and rescue member stationed at the trailhead, spotted the two men trudging through the snow toward the road just after noon.
“We were just riding around on the back side of Kebler, past the bridge,” Graceffa says.  “We were about to turn around and head out when these two guys came stumbling out of the woods… they were stoked (to see us).”
“They started hiking down at 7 a.m. and it took them five hours of wallowing in deep, heavy snow to get to the road,” Hatchett says.   The two did have snowshoes on.  
Hatchett says the two had survived the night by siphoning gas from their snowmobile and lighting a fire, “which was very clever.” They were both found in good health.
“They were definitely pretty scared, cold, tired and ready for it to be over.  Nice guys though,” Graceffa says.  
 “It’s always nice to have a happy ending,” Hatchett says.
On a similar note, on Tuesday three other snowmobilers were rescued in Gunnison County only a few miles from the Delta County line. They were reported missing on Sunday night, and search and rescue teams based in Mesa County spent Monday and Tuesday searching for them. The Rocky Mountain News reports that the three male snowmobilers walked into an oil and gas company office on Tuesday morning, 34 hours after they were reported missing. They were also in good health, but dehydrated.