Boulder County, Colo. - A 50-year-old man from Louisville was reported overdue after a snowboard trip on U.S. Forest Service land near the old Caribou Townsite, located approximately 4 miles west of the Town of Nederland in unincorporated Boulder County, on Sunday, February 26.

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the possible overdue snowboarder in the early hours of February 27. Deputies attempted to check the Caribou Townsite area for his vehicle, but were unable to traverse the roads due to gusting wind and blowing snow. At first light on Monday morning, February 27, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Service’s staff located his vehicle at the trailhead and initiated a large-scale search.

Approximately 40 search and rescue personnel worked throughout the day using a multitude of resources including snow mobiles, tracked UTV’s, searchers on skis and snowshoes. Weather conditions through the morning into early afternoon were not conducive for air operations. Once the winds and cloud ceiling lifted a Colorado Army National Guard helicopter was utilized for an air search along with UAV’s (drones).

The male was unfamiliar with the area and became lost after snowboarding down what he thought was Klondike Mountain. Once it became dark, he was able to build a small shelter and stayed warm by running in place. At daylight on February 27 ,he began hiking to self-rescue and was found later that evening by searchers at approximately 6:30 p.m. The male was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he was treated and released.

We want to thank everyone who assisted with the search and rescue efforts, especially given the very challenging weather conditions and terrain. Crews worked for up to 12 hours in near white out conditions, with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour. It truly was a team effort.

The following agencies and organizations assisted with the search and rescue: Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Alpine Rescue Team, American Medical Response, Boulder County Public Works, Boulder Emergency Squad, Colorado Army National Guard, Colorado Avalanche Information Center, Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Nederland Fire Protection District, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, and the United States Forest Service.

The associated Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number was 23-1090.

###

/s/ Emergency Services – Candice Bott