"No Warm Gear or Light to Continue": Skiers Rescued From Deep Snow in New Hampshire's White Mountains

Two skiers were lost and later rescued on New Hampshire’s Mount Moosilauke amid blizzard-like conditions on Saturday, January 17, 2026, local authorities said. 

New Hampshire Fish and Game said it heard of the two skiers at 4:55 p.m. They told rescuers that because of the strong winds and limited visibility, they had gone off trail and become stuck in waist-deep snow. Their phone only had 2% of its battery life left, and they had no warm gear or light to continue, Fish and Game said.

Using snowmobiles, conservation officers and volunteers from the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue team travelled four miles up Mount Moosilauke. Then, they proceeded by foot for another mile and a half, reaching a drainage on the north side of the mountain, Fish and Game said. 

Finally, after pushing through deep snow and thick trees, the rescuers reached the two lost skiers at 11 p.m.

The Pemi Valley Search and Rescue team said that because of the conditions and the terrain, it was slow going getting back to the trail. Once there, the group reached the snowmobiles, returning safely to the trailhead at 2 a.m.

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Perched at almost 5,000 feet, Mount Moosilauke is one of New Hampshire’s many backcountry skiing areas. The Carriage Road route on the mountain is more than ten miles round-trip.