HANCOCK, Mass. — Emergency rescuers found two snowboarders lost in the Pittsfield State Forest after a four hour search.
According to police, Shaun Maynard and Anthony Shufelt, two Pittsfield residents in their late teens were snowboarding on the backside of the forest when they got lost.
The two used a cell phone to dial 911, which called into Rensselaer County Sheriff's Department, shortly after 6 p.m. The phone then lost service and the snowboarders attempted to hike back from where their starting point.
State police were coordinating the efforts by the environmental police, Hancock Fire and Rescue and the state Department of Recreation. The hikers were found at 10 p.m. by the environmental police. Neither were injured but both were taken to Berkshire Medical Center for evaluation.
Some 5 to 8 inches of snow had fallen over the region since Monday night and temperatures were plummeting as a cold front moved into the area along with high winds. Forecasters were predicting temperatures overnight to dip below zero with a wind-chill factor of 10 to 20 degrees below zero.
Searchers were reportedly using sirens in the area of Goodrich Hollow Road.
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It's to bad that all that effort was used because 2 people don't have enough common sense to board in an area that they know and then wait until dark to determine that they are lost.
i am a mounten biker i have been riding in that area in the summer it is not hard to lose your way couldent think of it in the winter the only good thing is about it u leave tracks in the snow
Good things they had their cellphone on them for getting the two snowboarders rescued. Bringing cell phone serves a lot of purpose anyway. I used to travel usually for work, and I am using my mobile phone not just to get hold with my family, but as well as for safety purposes. I register to a safety program that could help during an emergency. It is a mobile security application that has a one-click emergency access to family, friends, and police. Also, they could be alerted where you are in an emergency when a dangerous situation occurs. If needed, gets the emergency directly to the nearest 911 dispatcher. For emergency help, you can check out http://SafeTREC.com/
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HANCOCK, Mass. — Emergency rescuers found two snowboarders lost in the Pittsfield State Forest after a four hour search.