Two Massachusetts skiers found themselves in a perilous situation when they became lost amid blizzard-like conditions on New Hampshire's Mount Moosilauke last Saturday. As reported by Boston 25 News, the duo, Romain Tronchi, 30, from Cambridge, and Gabriel Mahe, 32, from Somerville, faced dwindling phone batteries and a lack of warm gear or light. Conservation officers and the PEMI Valley Search and Rescue team set out in challenging conditions to locate and safely return the skiers from the mountain.
Upon receiving notification of the incident around 4:55 p.m., rescuers used snowmobiles to navigate the four miles up Mount Moosilauke's Old Carriage road, as per information provided by NBC Boston. The conditions were severe, with the skiers reporting, "due to strong winds and no visibility, they had lost the trail and were stuck in waist deep snow." With only 2% battery life left on their phones, the skiers faced a dire situation.
Upon reaching the end of the snowmobile accessible path, rescuers continued on foot, trekking an additional 1.5 miles through deep snow and dense trees to find the stranded skiers. The pair were located, against all odds, at 11 p.m. – hours after their initial call for help. Despite the adversity of nature's unforgiving elements, conservation officers and volunteers remained resolute in their mission, illustrating the relentless efforts of those dedicated to mountain rescue operations.
The return journey was equally fraught, taking more than an hour to assist the skiers back onto the established trail, before finally making their way to the safety of the snowmobiles. The entire rescue effort concluded by 2 a.m., closing a chapter on what could have been a life-threatening ordeal, for Tronchi and Mahe. According to Boston 25 News, "The full rescue was completed around 2 a.m." No further updates on the condition of the skiers or details regarding the operation have been released at this time.
