2 skiers missing at Crystal Mountain

spook · 03-05-2010, 09:16 AM

didn't see this anywhere, but i didn't look very hard...

2 skiers missing at Crystal Mountain

Posted on March 5, 2010 at 7:02 AM
******

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, Wash. (AP) — A search is under way for two skiers missing at the Crystal Mountain resort on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park.

Pierce County sheriff's Deputy Dan Hudson told KIRO-TV the sheriff's office received the report from the Ski Patrol early Friday, and searchers found the car of the two Seattle skiers in a parking lot.

Searchers followed tracks in the snow into an out-of-bounds area that led into Yakima County, so the Yakima County sheriff's office has been called in.

Hudson says the search Friday will use aircraft with beacon-tracking equipment.

___

Information from: KIRO-TV, htthttp://www.kirotv.com/index.html

**Sessiøn** · 03-05-2010, 09:19 AM

+++VIBES+++

spook · 03-05-2010, 09:40 AM

a little update:

Skier and snowboarder missing at Mount Rainier's Crystal Mountain resort
By Kimberly A.C. Wilson, The Oregonian
March 05, 2010, 7:21AM

Searchers are scouring Washington's Crystal Mountain resort on the east side of Mount Rainier National Park for a pair of missing men.

KIRO-TV reports that the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department learned early Friday that the car of the two Seattle outdoorsmen -- a skier and a snowboarder -- remained in a resort parking lot.

Hudson said tracks have been found in an out-of-bounds area and they are getting "pings" from a cell phone that place the pair near Union Creek and Bullion Basin in Yakima County.

The men are wearing emergency radio beacons that can be picked up by search aircraft.

A mobile command post has been set up in a parking lot and Tacoma Mountain Rescue will join in the search.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/nwheadlin...r_missing.html

**Wes Mantooth** · 03-05-2010, 09:51 AM

Sounds like these guys are prepared, which is good, but still ++vibes, hope they get out okay

**ey_allen** · 03-05-2010, 10:48 AM

Damn, hopefully they get out alright. A lot going on a Crystal right now apparently...

**moose pit** · 03-05-2010, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Wes Mantooth

Sounds like these guys are prepared, which is good, but still ++vibes, hope they get out okay

prepared?

cuz they has emergency radio beacons, that does not equate to preparedness.

**killclimbz** · 03-05-2010, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Moose Pit

prepared?

cuz they has emergency radio beacons, that does not equate to preparedness.

Well better prepared than not having one.

+++ vibes for a good outcome...

**Zesty Not Spicy** · 03-05-2010, 12:19 PM

They showed up at a Ranger Station! Not much more info yet...

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...skiers05m.html

**SeatownSlackey** · 03-05-2010, 01:44 PM

glad they are ok but seriously, how can you have an emergency beacon but not something as simple as a topo and a freaking compass??

**Right Coaster** · 03-05-2010, 01:54 PM

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/a...-Mount-Rainier

Two Vermonters
reportedly missing
on Mount Rainier

CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, Wash. — With daylight
Friday a helicopter is joining the search for two
missing skiers at the Crystal Mountain resort on
the east side of Mount Rainier National Park.

Pierce County sheriff's Deputy Dan Hudson says
the two men from Seattle were reported overdue
Thursday night, and the Ski Patrol found the car
early Friday in a parking lot.

Searchers followed tracks in the snow into an
out-of-bounds area that led into Yakima County,
so the Yakima County sheriff's office has been
called in.

Hudson says the two men carried avalanche
beacons and are wearing ski clothing with
sensors that also may be detected with tracking
equipment.

The two are reportedly college students
originally from Vermont.

**smitchell333** · 03-05-2010, 01:59 PM

Spokeswoman Patty Wold estimated the pair traveled 17-18 miles, likely following Highway 410, which is closed in the winter, and crossing to Highway 123 then down to the ranger station. "They thought they were heading back the right way and they weren't," Wold said. "It would have meant less walking if they'd turned other direction."

Leaving the ski area with no idea which way is the right way back = priceless.

**ACH** · 03-05-2010, 02:46 PM

http://www.nwcn.com/news/washington/...-86580602.html

Hiked 20 ~ 35 miles according to this report...
From Vermont = unfamiliar with the area or surrounding terrain.
No map or compass? WTF?

**Zesty Not Spicy** · 03-05-2010, 02:56 PM

I thought that if you had a beacon then you were fully prepared to enter the b/c? After all, the only danger is an avalanche and if you have a beacon you're immune, right? Are you guys saying that you actually need other basic tools and the knowledge to use them to safely travel outside of the boundary's??? Pretty sure that concept is foreign to about 51% of the backcountry travelers out there!

**PNWbrit** · 03-05-2010, 03:26 PM

Just once perhaps the media could actually report the real fucking stupid angle of these stories rather than turning them into some Shackletonesque epic.

Shame the morons back to the groimers, signs and trail maps.

**smitchell333** · 03-05-2010, 03:29 PM

Originally Posted by AlpenChronicHabitual

http://www.nwcn.com/news/washington/...-86580602.html

The video there has them claiming they ran into someone on highway 410 in a car who told them to go the way they went b/c Crystal was only about 5 miles. WTF???

**PNWbrit** · 03-05-2010, 03:34 PM

Once you get to a road and stop a car are you really still lost?

So they actually got lost at least twice?

**smitchell333** · 03-05-2010, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Once you get to a road and stop a car are you really still lost?

So they actually got lost at least twice?

Depends on how you define getting lost. If you never have any idea where you are or where you're going, can you technically 'get lost'?

I'm wondering if the guy in the car wasn't some smartass,
'oh yeah Crystal, its like 5 miles up that way. When you get to the end of the road, just keep going.'

**ACH** · 03-05-2010, 06:36 PM

If your head is stuffed up your ass and you can't see, wouldn't that technically count as being lost?

Didn't they mention the guy in the car as being from Florida?

**PNWbrit** · 03-05-2010, 06:45 PM

So folks the moral from this is:

Never trust directions from someone sitting in a car, while you're wearing skis and he's listening to Jimmy Buffett.

**oftpiste** · 03-05-2010, 07:05 PM

Maybe I'm missing something here, but....
1. If you were lost in the mountains, found your way to a road and actually saw someone in a car, wouldn't you ask for a ride or some help?

2. 410 is closed after Crystal until nearly White Pass, right? How/ where did they run across someone in a car?

3. If they were on an open road, wouldn't there have been other cars?

It's all so very odd.....

**Kyle Miller** · 03-05-2010, 07:07 PM

First off thanks for the kind comments.

I was sure that they were heading towards the Eastern side of 410 so I rode down the South face of Pickhandle peak to the flats of Morris Creek. Long behold there was a ski and bootpacking track. I followed there track which literally ran in circles for miles but I decided to turn back before I got stuck in Eastern Washington and a rescue party would search for me.

Thats the beauty of 410, its a catch line

So if I'm correct here is what happened.

They went powder hunting and got disoriented. Somehow they dropped off the backside of Silver Basin into Morris Creek. They followed the creek down say 6 miles to the Eastern end of 410 where a car was sittting. The person pointed them up Chinook Pass? They followed the road and went left instead of right at Cayuse pass. Followed the road thinking they were heading to Crystal but in all actuality they were heading towards Packwood. Then they found a vacant spot at the Ohanapecosh Campground as it is closed for the winter.

Crystal is only 5 miles, but not on the road!

Congrats on a wild mountaineering Traverse ?

As for the snowpack south facing slopes were starting to Whoomph. so I chose a mellow anchored climb up to Gun barrel pass instead of Bear Gap.

Be careful out there

**BenWA** · 03-05-2010, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by oftpiste

Maybe I'm missing something here, but....
1. If you were lost in the mountains, found your way to a road and actually saw someone in a car, wouldn't you ask for a ride or some help?

2. 410 is closed after Crystal until nearly White Pass, right? How/ where did they run across someone in a car?

3. If they were on an open road, wouldn't there have been other cars?

It's all so very odd.....

I had the same questions. If I recall, 410 east of Crystal is currently clear of snow, so maybe the person in the car was poaching the closed portion of the road...?

Kind of a wacky story, really.

EDIT: just read Kyle's reply -- holy crap, if they went down Morse Creek then took 410 to 123 or whatever it is toward Packwood for a ways, that indeed is quite the tour...

I have no idea how far up 410 is closed from the east end.

**oftpiste** · 03-05-2010, 07:47 PM

Jeez, Kyle, somehow I missed the part where you were out searching for them.....

Props dude. Glad you got out OK, and glad you have the skillz you do.

Still odd to me that there was a car out there (at all) and they didn't ask for a ride? What about the driver? If you were that guy wouldn't you offer to help two guys in the middle of nowhere ON A CLOSED ROAD who were obviously lost?

Still wacky to me.

**WK Monoskier** · 03-05-2010, 11:45 PM

Two east coast bastadges in search of the pow at Crystal but end up heading towards the Palouse during a shite season=Muppets.

Lone dude in car= Hunting Humans?

Glad made out ok...