Lyonel Doherty, Times Chronicle
A lost skier on Mt. Baldy did the right thing by staying where he was as first responders coordinated his rescue on Jan. 20.
Oliver RCMP Cpl. Paul Symons praised the “excellent” work done by all partners involved, noting the skier was extremely lucky to have this coordinated expertise quickly at hand.
Symons reported that Ferry County Sheriffs in Washington State received a 911 call from the male who ventured out of bounds on the north side of Mount Baldy ski hill.
“The male was lost and stranded with very limited cell phone service. Fortunately, 911 operators were able to determine some very accurate GPS coordinates to his location,” Symons said.
The skier was told to not stray from his location and was praised for doing the right thing by calling 911.
Washington State law enforcement contacted Canadian 911 operations and relayed the information and provided further updates.
Oliver RCMP were advised of the situation and immediately enlisted the services of Oliver Osoyoos Search and Rescue (OOSAR). Crews quickly
mobilized and worked with Mt. Baldy staff to determine a probable location and access points to the area where the skier was believed to be in.
“As the sun set, it was not clear if the area was safe to enter due to possible avalanches,” Symons said.
Local rescue crews reached out to Vancouver’s North Shore Search and Rescue and Talon Helicopters for assistance. The aircraft was equipped with a winch and infrared technology for night missions.
“The helicopter arrived and within minutes the crew was able to get eyes on the lost skier and set down to rescue him,” Symons said.
By 9 p.m. the male was extracted and flown to the Mt. Baldy ski lodge where first responders checked him over.
Symons said evening temperatures had dipped into the minus double digits, and after spending approximately six hours in the frigid backcountry the skier was very cold but did not require immediate medical attention.
Kyle Fossett, OOSAR team lead, said the rescue would have been a challenging one if they had to access the area by snowmobile.
“The usual route into that area did not look like it had seen any snowmobiles on it yet this year,” he said, pointing out the hazard of recent heavy snowfalls that had brought down trees and caused issues for the resort.
Fossett said they were very fortunate to have North Shore Rescue available to run a night mission. He noted this is a new provincial resource that was approved this past October.
“The helicopter saved us a long night.”
Without this resource they would have either had to request the Cormorant helicopter from 442 Squadron in Comox or snowmobile in and deal with any fallen trees that were in the way.
“At the best of times, the ride into where the subject was can be an ugly ride.”
As for skiing out of bounds, Fossett said if you are prepared and know what the terrain is like, he doesn’t see an issue with it. He noted there are a lot of great resources to help plan for skiing out of bounds. Those resources include the AdventureSmart website at adventuresmart.ca, and mapping apps like FATMAP, CalTopo, and Gaia GPS that can be used for planning your route in and out.
Fossett said a number of comments on Facebook suggested the skier should have been monetarily charged for the rescue. But he stated there is no charge for this service.
“If this person on Friday felt that they were going to be handed a bill for the rescue they likely would not have made the call to 911, but instead would have called friends who may not have had the skills or resources to make the rescue safely.”
If the call had been received later, the skier could have been very hypothermic or worse, Fossett said.
