Snowmobilers get lost in snowstorm near Brian Head

BRIAN HEAD, Iron County — Two inexperienced snowmobilers lost in a heavy snowstorm were lucky to be rescued Saturday night, officials said.

The couple, both 24 and from Las Vegas, left a yoga retreat near Brian Head Ski Resort at 2:30 p.m., planning to ride for about two hours, according to Jared Burton, Brian Head Public Safety spokesman.

"They went off the beaten path, went down into a big canyon and got stuck" about seven miles west of the ski resort, Burton said.

A search and rescue crew headed out to look for the couple around 7 p.m. and found them about 3 1/2 hours later. The pair had walked roughly two miles uphill in snowboard boots, Burton said.

They were unhurt except for some "really big blisters," but they would have been unprepared to stay out through the night, he said.

"It was his birthday, and he'd never been on a snowmobile," Burton said. "They probably took off before it started to storm. They got really lucky."

— Paul Koepp