Two out of bounds rescues yesterday and early this morning

I should have gone with my gut instinct, gone home, and contacted one of my trusted sources. I spoke to a group of SAR volunteers, two of whom called me by name, and was not told the truth as to what was up with the SAR presence here last night.

The Baldy Ski Patrol led out of bounds guests out to safety yesterday afternoon, and the SAR team rescued a cold out of bounds person in the wee hours of the morning.

My first major search was before some of these volunteers were born. The head count on the school buses did not add up. I pulled the search plan out of the desk drawer, and followed it for the successful rescue of 4 students,(we were looking for 3). We had one radio phone - I called the patrol leader in Oliver to make the RCMP/SAR phone calls and send up reinforcements. I did not get help from the valley, but the students were found at 6:15, and back in the lodge sipping hot soup by 6:30.

One of the key things in that decades old search plan was having someone record everything. Who went where, what time, what time RCMP was called - every detail. The plan had things listed that people on the hill could do while there was still daylight.

I was recruited to the recording task about a dozen years ago. I just sat at the search desk and recorded everything, including the timing of the SAR arrival, and the police car that didn't quite make it up the road. There was great celebration when the lost lad was brought back to the lodge. I insisted that there was one volunteer still out there. I had not crossed him off the list as returned. Sure enough, he was found slogging his way back, with a dead radio.

Today's SAR volunteers are highly trained and well equipped. I do ponder from time to time if the time it takes to find the person might be shortened if some of the old school stuff were included.

From OOSAR Facebook

Yesterday was a busy day for OOSAR call-outs to Baldy Mountain Resort Resort . The first task was at approximately 2:30pm and involved two young skiers who had gone out of bounds. OOSAR stood down, as both individuals were successfully brought back to safety by Baldy Ski Patrol.

A few hours later, in a separate incident a second skier exited the same area and became lost. Fortunately, the male subject was able to obtain a cell signal and call 9-1-1 for help. With darkness and heavy snow, OOSAR teams deployed on snowshoes and snowmobiles to reach him. After an extensive night search that concluded around 2:00am, the man was found cold and tired but otherwise okay and taken to hospital for assessment.

We’re reminding everyone to respect ski area boundaries and to be fully prepared—proper gear, warm layers, and working communication devices are essential when venturing into the backcountry.