DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — The storm that slogged through Colorado Wednesday and Thursday brought heavy rains and hail to the metro area, but it also socked the mountains and higher foothills with heavy, wet snow. Enough snow fell along Rampart Range Road in Pike National Forest to strand three men in their car.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO) said dispatchers received a call from a man at around 3 p.m. Thursday. The man said he and two friends were in a car that had become stuck in the snow and that they needed to be pulled out.
The man said the car was on Rampart Range Road about five miles north of the Douglas-El Paso-Teller county lines, DCSO said.
A Douglas County deputy found the men and their car near Fern Creek Road. The deputy tried to pull the car out of the snow, but wasn't able to dislodge the vehicle, DCSO said. The deputy decided to transport the men, but only had room in their truck for one man at a time, the sheriff's office said.
The deputy took the first man to Woodland Park in Teller County since that was the closest town. As the deputy went back up to bring the next man down, the snow had worsened and he was not able to get to the remaining two men, the sheriff's office said.
Deputies called Douglas County Search and Rescue to help rescue the other two men, DCSO said. The heavy snow had caused trees to topple over which blocked rescuers' access to the stranded men. Search and rescue crews worked throughout Thursday night with chainsaws to cut the trees up to pass through but they still couldn't safely get to the men.
Men rescued after getting stuck in snowstorm in Douglas County
Early Friday morning, Colorado Air National Guard was called in to attempt an air rescue of the two men, DCSO said. Just before noon, the men were picked up by helicopter and flown to Centennial Airport.
The men were then taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out, deputies said.
The National Weather Service reported 12-18 inches of snow fell around Woodland Park during this week's storm.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
