Skiers Rescued on Mount Moosilauke in Benton

CONTACT:
CO Sergeant Christopher McKee
603-744-5470
603-271-3361
January 20, 2026

Benton, NH – On Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 4:55 p.m., New Hampshire Fish and Game was notified of two skiers lost in deep snow and blizzard-like conditions on the summit of Mount Moosilauke. At the time of the call, the two individuals explained that due to strong winds and no visibility they had lost the trail and were now stuck in a drainage in waist-deep snow. The skiers said they had 2% battery life on their cell phone and no warm gear or light to continue.

Conservation Officers and volunteers from the Pemi Valley Search and Rescue team staged in Warren and then utilized snowmobiles on the Old Carriage Road to get 4 miles up Mount Moosilauke. Rescuers then hiked another 1.5 miles to a drainage on the north side of the Mountain. Rescuers then fought through extremely deep snow and thick trees to locate the skiers at 11:00 p.m. The skiers were identified as Romain Tronchi, 30, of Cambridge, Massachusetts and Gabriel Mahe, 32, of Sommerville, Massachusetts.

Due to the deep snow and rugged terrain, it took over an hour to get the skiers back up and onto the trail. Once on the trail, the skiers and rescuers were able to hike over 1.5 miles back to the snowmobiles where everyone was relayed back down the mountain to the staging area and cleared at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, January 18.