Okanagan-Similkameen search and rescue teams carry out mock avalanche rescue

Penticton and District Search and Rescue ran its 2026 Winter Response Training at Apex Mountain where 29 rescuers from regional teams practiced an avalanche rescue and recovered a buried mannequin named "Ruth".

Penticton and District Search and Rescue held its 2026 Winter Response Training on Apex Mountain this weekend, with formal training starting at 8:30 a.m. Preparation began weeks earlier and included snow safety analysis, clearing an access route, and burying transceivers and a training mannequin called "Ruth." Teams travelled into the backcountry using the Apex chairlift and a Utility Task Vehicle to simulate an avalanche response. Training details: - The exercise involved 29 participants from Central Okanagan Search and Rescue, Princeton Ground Search and Rescue, Oliver Osoyoos Search and Rescue, and Avalanche Safety staff from the Ministry of Transportation and Transit. - Two Members in Training (MITs) acted as subjects with minor injuries while the mannequin "Ruth" was fully buried to create a critical rescue scenario. - Responders practiced life-sustaining care including CPR and airway management before transporting the mannequin out by a snowshoe team. - Cold temperatures and strong winds tested equipment and team coordination as groups refined search techniques, medical response, and coordinated backcountry rescue skills. - Oliver/Osoyoos Search and Rescue acknowledged the collaboration, and teams concluded the day with a meal at Apex Fire Hall; PenSAR reported that "Ruth" made a full recovery. Summary: The exercise gave regional teams an opportunity to sharpen search, medical and coordinated backcountry rescue skills while reinforcing mutual aid relationships. Undetermined at this time.