Snowmobilers become lost and stranded for 15 hours in -20-degree Colorado weather

A group of three snowmobilers became lost and stranded overnight as temperatures dropped to 20 degrees below zero, Colorado rescuers said.

The men from Minnesota were snowmobiling in Colorado near Meadow Creek Reservoir on Friday, Feb. 4, when they became “lost, stuck and stranded,” the Grand County Search and Rescue team said.

The snowmobilers became separated and were in two different locations when rescue crews arrived.

“To access the location, crews had to first snowmobile 5 miles to a staging area near the reservoir where a fire was built and maintained,” rescuers said on Facebook.

Rescuers trekked through heavy woods and deep snow for a mile to reach the snowmobilers.

The snowmobilers were stranded for nearly 15 hours after becoming lost. One of the men was stuck 600 feet down a steep hillside, rescuers said.

“The first two subjects were reached at 2:30 a.m. The other at 6:22 a.m.,” rescuers said. “All rescuers and subjects were out of the field by 10:00 a.m.”

One of the men had first-degree frostbite on his foot, officials said. The search and rescue team did not reveal the condition of the other men.

Meadow Creek Reservoir is about 85 miles northwest of Denver.

This story was originally published February 7, 2022 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Snowmobilers become lost and stranded for 15 hours in -20-degree Colorado weather."