Searchers find, rescue lost snowmobiler after hours in the snow and cold near Crater Lake

CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A southern Oregon man who made a wrong turn and became separated from his group on a rented snowmobile near Crater Lake was rescued by search and rescue teams late Tuesday night after several hours in the cold he was ill-equipped for, Klamath County Sheriff Chris Kaber said.

At 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue responded to a report of a missing snowmobiler who had become separated from his group while riding in the Crater Lake National Park.

The missing man was identified as Eduardo Magana, age 38, from Winchester, Oregon. He was operating a rental snowmobile from the Diamond Lake Resort when he took a wrong turn near the rim of Crater Lake.

After several miles of backcountry riding, the snowmobile became stuck in the snow and he was unable to free it. On a cell phone, with a dying battery, he spoke to rescuers and advised them he was not dressed for the weather, was cold, and wasn’t sure where he was, Kaber said.

Klamath County SAR and the North County SAR team began a search, assisted by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office SAR. The missing man was located near midnight on Rim Drive in a hypothermic state, Kaber said. He was transported off of the mountain by a Sno-Cat provided by Douglas County SAR, then transported to Roseburg for medical attention.

The temperature at the time the man was located was 19 degrees, with an unknown wind chill factor. An approaching storm further complicated the search, the sheriff said.

"The Sheriff’s Office offers their thanks and appreciation for the SAR volunteers from both Klamath and Douglas County, who provide a great service to their community and spent most of the night saving this man’s life," Kaber concluded.