Four Backcountry Skiers Needed Help in Stowe. Here’s What They Did Right.

Earlier this month, Stowe Mountain Rescue, a team that serves the ski town of Stowe, Vermont, drew media attention when it revealed that unprepared skiers and snowboarders were being lured into the backcountry by enticing TikTok videos.

Now, in a social media post on December 14, 2025, the rescuers are sharing the steps a group of four skiers took after getting lost in the snow around Stowe Mountain Resort. 

“They had several good things going for them,” Stowe Mountain Rescue wrote.

For one, the skiers knew the terrain well enough to avoid major hazards. In contrast, when Stowe Mountain Rescue first warned of the influence of social media, the organization noted blindly following tracks that led outside the ski resort could prove dangerous.

However, the recently rescued skiers knew not to trust other people’s tracks, Stowe Mountain Rescue said. And given their knowledge of the area, they realized that they were above a series of cliffs in Smugglers’ Notch. 

“This triggered alarm bells,” Stowe Mountain Rescue wrote. Then, with night falling, the skiers had the good sense to call for help.

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Stowe Mountain Rescue instructed the skiers to retrace their tracks until they hit a local hiking trail. By the time the rescuers arrived, the skiers had “emerged from the darkness safe and sound, so we simply scooped them up and brought them back to civilization,” Stowe Mountain Rescue wrote.

However, in the post, Stowe Mountain Rescue meditated on how the rescue could have gone differently. Had the lost skiers continued going downhill, a dangerous high-angle rescue in frigid temperatures—that may have proven fatal—could have been required. 

Instead, the actual outcome was more positive. Stowe Mountain Rescue confirmed that backtracking was required, and the lost four “essentially rescued themselves,” the team wrote.

“If you think you might be in trouble in Stowe’s backcountry, call 911 and ask for our team,” Stowe Mountain Rescue wrote in the conclusion of their post. “We would prefer to help talk you out of your predicament during daylight hours than carry you out in the dark.”

Stowe Mountain Rescue is funded primarily by the Town of Stowe and doesn’t charge for its rescue services. 

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