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Happens every winter, go somewhere you aren't supposed to be and then need to be rescued . Beartooth mountains are extremely rugged:


-Tribune staff

Authorities used a helicopter to rescue eight snowmobilers who became stranded this week in the Beartooth Mountains, the Park County Sheriff's Office reported Friday.

The snowmobilers were found in a rugged area that contained steep drops, deep snow and downed timber, according to a post on the sheriff's office Facebook page. They were all uninjured after spending a night outdoors in the cold.

The sheriff's office learned Wednesday that eight snowmobilers from Minnesota and Wisconsin had headed into the Beartooth Mountains and had not returned. Acquaintances of the men had received a call indicating they were in the Maryott Lake area of the Beartooth Wilderness, the sheriff's office said in the post.

On Thursday, the search began using ground teams and an airplane. A spotter in the plane noticed multiple sets of snowmobile tracks leading south from Maryott Lake in the direction of Granite Lake. Searchers spotted an abandoned snow machine, and later, a rider.




The rider began waiving, and the spotter eventually found the rest of the men. The terrain was so hazardous that the ground teams could not reach them, so helicopters were sent to the area. The men were transported from the area three at a time back to civilization.

Rescuers learned the men had been unable to snowmobile out of the rugged area and had run out of fuel. They built a fire to stay warm for the night.

Sheriff Scott Steward said riding snowmobiles in designated wilderness areas is illegal and can result in substantial fines.


"These areas are designated wilderness for a reason,” Steward said in a statement posted to Facebook. "They are filled with downed timber, steep accents, deep draws and sheer cliff faces. Much of these areas are unexplored and can be extremely dangerous if you are unfamiliar or unprepared for emergencies should they arise.”

Last weekend, two other snowmobilers were rescued after becoming stranded in the Beartooth Mountains.