In the afternoon of a stormy day a 14 year old snowboarder from Exeter, New Hampshire left Northstar from Challenger Run. After he found himself lost with no lift in sight and darkness immenent, he called 911 from his cell phone. For some reason, this did not give GPS coordinates, so searchers had to work off his description, which was that he had left the top of Challenger run, and turned right all the way down. If this were correct he would have ended up below the 06 Forest Service Road, and that is where most resources were concentrated. 4 snowmobilers left Brockway Summit and searched the Fiberboard Road and the 06 Road, finding only the tracks of Northstar searchers, who were out en force. 8 skiers were transported to the top of Pluto by grooming machine and searched down from there, in heavy snow and strong winds. The searching was directed in the direction of Hell’s Gate, using his “turning right” description.

When snowmobilers went back to seach the Fiberboard Road, the victim called the deputies on his cell phone and said he heard snowmobiles. They stopped and sounded air horns and he said he heard those as well. Skiers started moving in that direction as the snowmobilers combed the area, through steep, heavily treed slopes. After about an hour they finally reached the victim who was cold but otherwise well, below the Fiberboard Road in the upper reaches of Watson Creek. He was transported out by grooming machine and the skiers were towed out by Northstar snowmobiles. The snowmobilers road back to their trailers at Brockway. (The snowcat had just deployed from Thelin Rd to run the 06 Road when the victim was found.)

This is the second of the 1.3 million people in New Hampshire that we have rescued this year and he must have made a lot of left turns to end up where he was.