Mounties are searching for a snowmobiler from Whitehorse who went missing near the British Columbia-Yukon boundary.

Police say in a news release that three snowmobilers set out to retrieve a broken down snow machine from the area of Haines Pass in northwestern B.C. on Friday.

They say around 4 p.m. that day, one of them was separated from the group and the two others returned to the parking lot area and waited for him to return.

The RCMP say they were alerted about the missing man by his sister, a Whitehorse resident, around 10 p.m. on Friday, and note in the release said he did not have any survival gear or a satellite phone and that snowy and windy conditions worsened, creating zero visibility.

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Craig Borden of the Newfoundland and Labrador Snowmobile Federation says, beyond a shovel, there are many items snowmobilers should carry when venturing out on the trails, or in the backcountry.

RCMP search-and-rescue teams have been staging in the area since daybreak on Saturday, police say, and searches by helicopter have also been attempted during short windows of visibility.

They say Mounties from both B.C. and Yukon are assisting in the search, and police are warning anyone against doing their own search.

“This is extremely dangerous, and well intended actions could very well result in RCMP diverting resources to search for additional people who are either lost, stranded or struck by avalanche,” the statement says.

“RCMP officers are at various points on the Haines Highway, please speak to them before entering the area.”