RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) – Vermont State Police say searches and rescues for lost skiers and snowboarders are up a bit this year, but cellular phones are making them easier.

“Most of the folks were carrying cell phones and it was just a matter of directing them out of the woods,” said Capt. James Baker, State Police assistant field force commander.

However, he said, back-country skiers and snowboarders shouldn’t rely on cell phones to bail them out when they get lost. He said a cell phone’s power could quickly run out or reception could be lost. “You can’t always depend on them,” Baker said. “You have to be better prepared than that.”

The best advice for skiers, he said, is to stay on the marked trails. Baker said no decision has yet been made whether any of the lost skiers will be billed for their rescues.

“The ski season is still going and we usually wait until it’s over to consider whether anyone will be charged,” he said. “Only two went to the length where we would consider it.”

He said those two rescues both took place at Killington. In fact, Baker said, as far as he knows, Killington is the only resort where full-fledged search-and-rescue operations took place for lost skiers and snowboarders.

One involved the first full-scale search of the year for two teenage skiers who went out of bounds in January on a bitterly cold day. One walked out of the woods safely after several hours lost. The other skier was found huddled in the snow on the mountain after nearly a full day out in the elements.

Both skiers were hospitalized for frostbite to their feet and hands.

About two dozen search-and-rescue members were assembled and spent hours battling bitter temperatures around the clock to find them. Police said temperatures dipped as low as 26 degrees below zero, not including the wind chill.

The other rescue involved two skiers who went out bounds on a warmer, mid-March day. They were safely found the next morning.

Baker said he doesn’t know the cost of the two rescues, but said they can range from $2,000 to $10,000. The searches often involve police and rescue personnel coming in from off-duty, requiring overtime pay.

AP-ES-04-12-04 0715EDT