Two skiers have been dramatically rescued from a New Hampshire mountain after becoming trapped in blizzard conditions with a critically low mobile phone battery.
A Desperate Call for Help
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received an urgent alert on Saturday afternoon concerning two individuals stuck in severe weather on Mount Moosilauke. The skiers, identified by NBC Boston as Romain Tronchi, 30, and Gabriel Mahe, 32, both from Massachusetts, had lost the trail due to powerful winds and poor visibility.
They found themselves immobilised in waist-deep snow and facing a dire situation: their only means of communication, a mobile phone, had plummeted to just 2% battery life. The pair also lacked the necessary equipment to extricate themselves or continue their journey.
A Challenging Night-Time Rescue Mission
Responding to the crisis, the Pemigewasset Valley Search and Rescue Team launched a complex operation. Rescuers first used snowmobiles to travel four miles up the mountain located near Benton, before continuing on foot for another mile and a half through treacherous terrain.
"The conditions and terrain made for slow travel," the rescue team later stated. Battling through deep snow and dense woodland, the team finally located the two men at approximately 11 p.m.
Safe Return After a Harrowing Ordeal
Once found, the rescuers guided the skiers back to the established trail. The group then hiked to the waiting snowmobiles and were all returned safely to the trailhead by 2 a.m. on Sunday morning. Fortunately, neither skier sustained any injuries during the incident, as reported by WMUR 9.
This successful rescue comes months after a tragic event at a nearby ski area, underscoring the dangers of backcountry skiing. In April, 39-year-old Eric Page was found unresponsive off-trail at the Black Mountain Ski Area and later pronounced dead, despite life-saving efforts by officials.
