1.   A cell phone is also a good idea and has resulted in many mountain rescues and lives saved in recent years.

2.   But helicopter crashes during mountain rescues are rare, said Charley Shimanski, education coordinator for the Mountain Rescue Association.

3.   Helicopters are vital in mountain rescues.

4.   Heavy snowstorms have hampered efforts by mountain rescue to search for the tourists.

5.   A third person freed himself and alerted mountain rescue, who lost two of their emergency workers when another avalanche hit the area.

6.   Eight helicopters carrying mountain rescue and medical emergency teams were dispatched early Tuesday from Durban to search for stranded tourists and hikers.