San Pedro Couple Missing on Colorado Cross-Country Ski Trip Found Safe

A California couple said they survived a snowy night in subzero temperatures in the 9,425-foot Rabbit Ears Pass by cross-country skiing all night.

Mitchell Dion, 32, and his wife, Sydney, 25, of San Pedro were found in good condition on Christmas Eve, nearly 24 hours after leaving on a three-hour cross-country ski trip, authorities said.

‘Ski or Die’

“It was either ski or die. That was the choice,” Dion said from Routt Memorial Hospital, where he and his wife were admitted for observation and later released.

Dion said he suffered frostbite on a toe.

Routt County Search and Rescue Squad members began looking for the couple after a relative reported them missing about 5 p.m. Friday.

By morning, about 30 people and a helicopter were involved in the search. The helicopter crew found the couple descending Walton Creek in Rabbit Ears Pass in northwest Colorado.

Dion said he and his wife left on the ski trip about 11:30 a.m. Friday carrying two baked potatoes and a quart of water.

“We just wanted to get warmed up. But, then I got us completely lost,” he said. “I didn’t think that kind of thing could happen to me.

“We got so far away (from where we intended to be) that even the searchers couldn’t find us. Once we realized that we just had to survive, our fatigue went away, and we never got tired or hungry after that.”

Braved Storm

The couple braved a snowstorm for several hours, but the snowfall stopped about 3 a.m. Saturday. They figured out where they were with the help of the moonlight, Dion said.

He recognized a canyon that would lead them out, but the route was a difficult one, Dion said.

“It was very steep and with rocks and brambles. We didn’t know how hard it was going to be,” he said. “We were heading toward the main highway when the helicopter found us.”