Vermont rescue team sees surge in calls as social media lures skiers into danger

STOWE, Vt. (AP) — A rescue team that covers Vermont’s tallest mountain has been responding to calls in the area for decades, but in the last few years, the organization has seen an alarming rise in calls from inexperienced skiers.

Influenced by social media videos of skiers chasing fresh powder tracks in the backcountry, people are increasingly skiing out of bounds, finding themselves lost in the woods and in need of rescue.

On Nov. 29, Stowe Mountain Rescue responded to a 911 call from a skier and snowboarder lost in the woods on Mount Mansfield. The two 19-year-olds had decided to drive up from New York to ski in the backcountry outside Stowe Mountain Resort after seeing videos of others doing so on social media, according to the rescue team.

“They referenced a TikTok video which had influenced them,” Stowe Mountain Rescue chief Jon Wehse said. “These people are unprepared, they’re ill-equipped, they’re not in the right shape and they have no spatial awareness of where they are on the mountain, so it causes a problem very quickly.”

Stowe Mountain Rescue now sees around eight missions to help groups of lost skiers per season, up from around three such calls only five years ago, and that doesn’t include rescues by Mount Mansfield Ski Patrol in bounds at the resort.

With Vermont already seeing record snowfall this winter, many ski resorts opened early for the season, which has only exacerbated the problem, Wehse said.

“We have intermediate skiers that have no business being in the backcountry,” he said.

Another problem, Wehse said, is that skiers are getting off the lift at Stowe and blindly following tracks left behind by other skiers that are taking them out of the ski boundary and into areas where they can no longer navigate back to the resort.

In a social media post, Stowe Mountain Rescue urged inexperienced skiers to simply stay on the trails.

“Keep in mind that those tracks you see in front of you might just be from Stowe Mountain Rescue’s last subject,” the crew cautioned.

A lifelong skier, Wehse understands the pull to find fresh snow, but says there are ways to ski other areas on the mountain more safely.

“I love social media, I love watching the videos myself. However, what I would urge everyone to do is to learn how to do this carefully. The best place to start is in bounds.”

Looking for ways to address the response to social media videos of “whooping skiers in knee-deep powder,” Stowe Mountain Rescue is considering the source. The crew plans to create social media posts teaching skiers and riders how to enjoy the backcountry responsibly.