That is a very scary trip.
Living in Alaska and doing most of my riding around the base of Mt. Denali, I don’t go riding without the gear to spend the night outside, and I have had to a couple of times, both times riding at night and a storm came in with it snowing so hard that we could not keep the headlights clear to see where we were going. A $10 bivy sack and a $35 shovel can be the difference between bad night in the woods and a story to tell when you get back home.
This is a list of what I take with me every time I go out. Please feel free to add to the list if you have something else.
Complete change of clothing – If we plan to be crossing and creeks that day we have someone else carry our clothing, so if one person gets wet their extra clothing does not.
First Aid kit
GPS and a compass
Aerial signal flares
Cell phone
Shovel
Bivy sack
Flashlight
25’ of rope
Peep and probe – I have never had to use these thankfully
Food and water
Waterproof matches
Folding saw
And my hotdog cooker is an Army mess kit so it can be used as a pan and the lid as a pot to melt snow
I keep all this in a backpack and it weighs about 25 to 30 pounds, so when I go ridding all I have to do is put it on and go.
Snowmaching is not a thing to do - its a way of life