15-Year-Old Skiers Rescued After Being Trapped 'Chest-Deep' in Mass. Snow for 3 Hours
Getty
Two young skiers have been rescued after they got lost while exploring a remote area of Wachusett Mountain in Massachusetts this week.
The 15-year-old boys were outside of ski area boundaries on March 14 in what the Princeton Fire Department described as "an extremely remote area."
With their cell phones at only 9 percent battery and fast running out of power, they called 911 to ask for help.
"They were found with the help of dispatch technology that can target a cell phone signal and lock in GPS coordinates. Their phones were only at 9 percent. They were approximately 2 miles from any civilization," a post on Princeton Fire Department's Facebook page said.
Princeton Fire Chief John Bennett told local outlet WCVB that the boys were stranded in chest-deep snow for about three hours. Bennet said he was "worried" and the teens ended up "on old fire roads on the back side of the mountain. So they had gotten a long way from the ski area."
RELATED: Man Trapped Inside Submerged Car Saved by Deputies Tracking Phone Distress Signal
The skiers shared body heat to survive the freezing conditions and "battled the elements, darkness and dangerous snowpack," the Princeton Fire Department said. "This could have ended tragically but these boys are very lucky and used their heads."
The Wachusett Grooming Department and Ski Patrol helped firefighters reach the lost boys, and an ambulance was on standby, though the teens declined medical help after the rescue.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Between March 13-15, the National Weather Service recorded 29.5 inches of snow in the Princeton area.
Wachusett Mountain is situated north of Princeton and is about a 1.5-hour drive west of Boston.
