In the last couple weeks, search-and-rescue has hauled 45 lost Vermonters out of the backcountry. The spike probably happened because there was a lot of snow at a time when a lot of people didn’t have a lot of work to do, so there were more folks with time to get lost in the woods. Vermont, unlike most states, has a law that allows them to charge people who ski out of bounds at resorts and end up lost, but they’ve been reluctant to enforce it. But why?

“If there’s a concern in the back of their mind that there might be a big bill waiting for them at the end of the day, that can be a disincentive for people to call for help when they really need it and that can ultimately cause worse outcomes both for the people who are lost and makes our jobs more difficult as well,” Neil Van Dyke of Stowe Mountain Rescue told a local news station.

Charging for rescues could end up costing more for rescues. Though it should be noted that this guy works at Stowe, and charging for rescues (or having a bunch of skiers die each week) would also be bad business.

Tags: rescue, vermont

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