Not sure if you all saw this...

[phydeux]

Thanks, Tina.

Dang, sounds like he really sucked it up in the frostbite department. Ouch.

Had to laugh at this one:

His wife has vowed to strap a GPS tracker around his neck the next time he goes ...

Although, seriously, here's another example where a SPOT or PLB would have been really danged handy. Ol' man winter really ups the ante when he's in town. Y'all be safe out there.

HJ

Hate to be negative, but it has to be said. This guy doesn't need a SPOT or GPS, just needs some common sense and needs to check the weather report before heading out. Really dumb going out when a storm is forecast to come in mid-day (it did), so he should have just aborted and/or postponed the trip. He was a former ski patroler 20 years ago, but the P/E story doesn't mention if that was at a ski resort or as a backcountry patrol member, or if he had kept up with the skills

This is a great example of why a little preparation goes a long way. This is isn't some accident that occured because of a unique series of unfortunate circumstances - it could have easily been avoided with a little planning on this guy's part and not require deployment of so many SAR personnel, and he wouldn't be facing medical problems in the future. Just really dumb.

[Tim Le]

I'm still confused why he could not help himself on Sunday, the day was super clear, the Helo was in that area on multiple occasions, there was a large group of us Tramshoeing and we watched as the Helo circled that area - if it's true that he has the skills mentioned and has experience in Ski Patrol getting to the top of the closest ridge on Sunday morning should have been a priority to make himself visible on Sunday. I sure would like to know what he was doing all day Sunday?

There's a lot more technical information of the rescue on RMRU's mission report: http://www.rmru.org/missions/2011/2011-004.html

This map is really interesting:


Team 14 (China Lake) GPS way points
Legend: SC=Saturday Cave; V=subject found; LZ=hoist point
Topo map courtesy of China Lake Mountain Rescue Group

So he was on the other (south) side of Wellman Divide, about 800 ft below the Round/Long Valley plateau. He was majorly lost and far from where people were snowshoeing.

I think he was too exhausted to do much on Sunday. The article said he ran out of water by Sunday morning. The snow was too cold to eat and when he tried to melt some in his water bottle, he only got a few ounces of water. He took his skis off Saturday night to go into his snow cave and by the next morning they were buried and he couldn't find them. So he couldn't have gone far postholing in boots. SAR reports they were sinking up to 2 ft with snowshoes.

[93ludegirl]

Im with Libitmo....what was he doin all day that he wasnt found til monday. I mean as of early sun am he hadnt even been out there 24 hrs. and he LOST his skiis??? wtf?

[Rick F]

Its good to get forensic details of trips that end up with someone getting lost, injured or needing SAR help. That way more people can benefit from the lessons learned.

But sometimes we don't have all of the details so we tend to speculate. The speculation leads to second guessing the decisions made. The second guessing then leads to judging or criticizing the person, or persons involved. For everyone who suggests he's a dumb-ass for going up in a storm, going solo, or going without a GPS or for thinking he could rely on a cell phone, there's hundreds more who think we're all a bunch of dumb-asses for going into the mountains regardless of how prepared we are.

He may have done some things wrong but he also knew enough to dig snow shelters and survive two nights.

PLB's are probably good to have as a last resort but the concept of PLB's is that you're gonna rely on someone else to come and find you. Your first means of survival should be based on self reliance. In addtion to always being prepared to spend an extra day or two on the mountain, my suggestion is to use a GPS navigation unit to supplement a map & compass. If you end up in white-out conditions you could still find your way even if you can't directly navigate by seeing visual landmarks. On San J. from the tram, having two way-points in your GPS, Round Valley and Long Valley could get you headed back in the right direction.

[guest]

Hi,
Rick & Tim make good points. Spending the night in a blizzard w/ out much more than decent clothes & little water ain't easy, and remember, he did do a lot of hard skiing the day before, probably got no sleep that night, possibly the beginning stages of frostbite on his feet, etc.

I snow shoed the day after the storm, choose to look for him in an off "trail' area, and I was post-hoeing at least 2 ft. (I have 27" shoes).

So, it would have been extremely difficult to walk to where the chopper was circling, or even back up to Wellman's Divide or Round Valley, if he could even navigate there.

As Rick mentioned, we don't know what he was going through, or what kind of condition he was in. Yes, having some technology with him may have helped.

Thanks to SAR's, you guys rock, and considering the popularity of San Jac wilderness, the rescue's haven't been as frequent as some years, and to my knowledge, no fatalities at this point. Funny, seems way more people get injured & in trouble at the bottom of the walkway from the tram.

ss

[Rick F]

Note to myself and all other backcountry skiers: If you have to bivy during a heavy snow storm do one of the following,
1. Stick your ski tails firmly into the snow so they'll stand up and you can find them later if even if there's two feet of new snow. Arrange your skis into an "X" pattern.
2. If the snow is not deep enough, or not conslidated enough to stand your skis up, lash your skis to a tree where you'll be able to find them later.
3. If your skis have holes in the tips (most backcountry skis do), tie or clip a cord, strap or line that keeps you connected you to your skis.
4. Or, take your skis with you into your snow shelter.

I've momentarily lost a ski before when it released while I was descending. In white-out conditions with fresh snow dumping it can be next to impossible to find a lost ski. It can be pretty scary if you're dependent on your skis for travel.

This could apply to back country travel on snowshoes or split-boards as well. This is not intended as a criticism but is an opportunity to learn from last week's experience.