The blizzard really has intensified. It's blowing and snowing something fierce out there, and I'm thinking about my teammates who are still on the mountain. Three of them just went up the chair lift in whiteout conditions, to search First Gully from the top down. They'll be starting at 11,500 feet.
This isn't looking good. The subject--a 19 year-old male from the Phoenix area--was last seen around 3:00 in the afternoon, when he and his friends ducked under the ropes marking the boundary of the ski area so they could snowboard on fresh powder. This young man is not an experienced backcountry hiker, skier or snowboarder, and he's not carrying any survival gear or an avalanche beacon.
Our team was called out at 5:30pm, after the subject's friends reported him missing. At the time and for several hours into the search, there was no precipitation. But the news media has been warning of this series of major winter storms--combining within several days' time to be a "top-three weather event" for the area--for at least a week. And, sure enough, it started right on schedule around 11pm.
Conditions quickly deteriorated as some of our field teams snowshoed, while others did containment on Snowbowl Rd. and on a Forest Service Rd in the snowcat. We're also being assisted tonight by Snowbowl personnel, who were a huge help in getting the chair lift up and running to bring teams up the mountain.
Well, I guess I'll do what a few of my teammates are doing and find a spot on the floor to try to sleep until we get our next assignment.
*******
Later....
I was just awakened by our Captain, as he burst into the room and loudly announced, "We got him!"
It took me a moment to shake off the sleep and realize what he meant.
"He's alive, Code 4," Andy said. "He walked into our containment team in the snowcat."
Amazing! And, wow, that really highlights the fact that containment on a search is so important. Earlier in the mission, after the snowcat team had driven out and back on Friedline Prairie Road, doing sound sweeps as they slowly went along, searching for tracks, they'd called in to IC to say they'd completed their assignment, negative contact. And then they were told to do it again. And again. And thank goodness they did, because it was that containment that led the missing party to them when he saw their lights and then followed their track.
******
The missing snowboarder was located at approximately 2am, about 11 hours after he'd separated from his friends. He was transported by ambulance to Flagstaff Medical Center for evaluation.
Meanwhile, several of our team members were still on the mountain in increasingly difficult conditions, slowly making their way to pickup points along Snowbowl Rd. Once everyone was safely back at the vehicles, we carefully drove back to town on snow-packed, slippery streets. I made it home at 7am.
******
A Note To Those Considering Out-of-Bounds Skiing and Snowboarding
Be aware that a free backcountry permit is required during the winter for the Kachina Peaks Wilderness. So, if you're planning to do any recreating in this area or want to go out of bounds from the Arizona Snowbowl to do some snowboarding or skiing, be sure to contact the Peaks Ranger District at (928) 526-0866 before doing so. Permits can also be obtained at the Arizona Snowbowl at the Agassiz Lodge ticket window on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between 9:00 and 11:00 AM. For more information on these free permits and why they're required, see the Forest Service website.
Also, anyone venturing into the backcountry should have with them a pack with survival gear, including but not limited to light sources, firestarting supplies, extra layers of clothing, an emergency bivy, food and water, a fully charged cellphone (but don't rely on there being a signal), and, in the winter, an avalanche beacon. You can ask questions about gear and other aspects of winter backcountry travel when you obtain that required, free permit.
Read: Coconino Sheriff's Department Warns of Avalanche Danger in the Backcountry
