highaltNM
Member
Guys,
I NEVER thought this could happen to me. I have been ducking the rope for years at my local hill and it went horribly wrong on Friday. I am still shaken up bad and the blisters on my toes and fingers will take some time to heal.
Please be smart when going out of bounds because I wasn't sure I was gonna live through this.
Seriously A-holes, be careful.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/new_mexico-news/ci_14414459?source=email
Two skiers rescued from the mountain
subtitlebylineJim Kalvelage jkalvelage@ruidosonews.com
datePosted: 02/16/2010 09:11:53 PM MST
secondary date
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Two wayward skiers were rescued Saturday morning, after spending a
chilly overnight in the deep snows of the northern Sacramento Mountains.
Ryan Adair, 27, and Catherine Murphree, 23, both from the Dallas area,
had gone to Ski Apache Friday and had gotten off course, and traveled
beyond the resort's boundary. The father of one of the skiers notified
police when they failed to return back to the family home near
Cloudcroft.
"Their car was still in the parking lot (at Ski Apache) after closing
last night," New Mexico State Police Lt. Eric Garcia said Saturday. "A
search was planned, but the snow conditions were too difficult to
really bring in searchers at night."
State Police Officer Sam Houston found Adair's car in the lot, said White Mountain Search and Rescue (WMSAR) member Tony Davis.
"The usual sweep of the mountain, the daily routine at closing time
each day, had already been performed, but the staff of Ski Apache
conducted an additional search of the ski area, as well as a search
outside the boundary to the north, but no skiers or tracks were found,"
wrote Davis and WMSAR base camp officer Joyce Westerbur.
About 11 p.m., Friday, search and rescue organizations were mobilized,
with an incident commander from Las Cruces was brought in to direct the
operation.
During the night, searchers from the U.S. Border Patrol used night
vision goggles and heat detection equipment to scour Ski Run Road, but
there were no signs of the couple. WMSAR members Rich Adams,
Bob Dragoo and Mark Younger search-ed a possible location for the pair without success.
Early Saturday morning the Ski Apache Ski Patrol performed another
sweep of the area. Ski Apache operations director Justin Rowland and
ski school manager Larry Schneider searched the southern border of
Apache Bowl. Two sets of ski tracks were found leading into a ravine
below Sierra Blanca.
A New Mexico National Guard Blackhawk helicopter was requested to
search from the sky. And the all-terrain rescue vehicle acquired by the
Lincoln County Office of Emergency Services was brought in because of
the deep snow.
"The discovery of the sets of tracks by Rowland and Schneider had
narrowed greatly the area the helicopter would have to search, and soon
after it arrived in the Ski Apache environs the missing skiers were
spotted," wrote Davis and Westerbur. "The couple and their gear were
winched aboard as the copter hovered. A medic aboard the helicopter
examined the couple and found them hungry and tired, but otherwise OK."
The Blackhawk landed on the Alto Lakes Golf and Country Club links near
the clubhouse, where Adair and Murphree were escorted to a waiting
vehicle.
Westerbur attributed the happy outcome to the skiers' savvy.
"First of all, the two subjects of the search were young, athletic,
experienced skiers and in very good condition. As night fell and it
became apparent to them that they would be out all night, they found a
large boulder and scooped out the snow on its downwind side. They lined
the snow with pine branches for insulation and despite overnight
temperatures in the lower 20s, were able to stay warm by huddling
together. These survival skills allowed them to continue on in the
morning.
"During the night, the young man heard what at first he thought was an
elk bugling. He remembered that this is not the season for elk to
bugle, and realized the sound was probably from searchers looking for
them. He got up and yelled, but heard nothing further."
Rowland and Schneider were lauded as true heroes.
"Their discovery of the tracks and efforts to follow the tracks down
through complicated terrain narrowed the search area down to where the
helicopter could readily find the lost skiers. Search and rescue could
not help but be impressed by the dedication of all the Ski Apache
personnel."
I NEVER thought this could happen to me. I have been ducking the rope for years at my local hill and it went horribly wrong on Friday. I am still shaken up bad and the blisters on my toes and fingers will take some time to heal.
Please be smart when going out of bounds because I wasn't sure I was gonna live through this.
Seriously A-holes, be careful.
http://www.lcsun-news.com/new_mexico-news/ci_14414459?source=email
Two skiers rescued from the mountain
subtitlebylineJim Kalvelage jkalvelage@ruidosonews.com
datePosted: 02/16/2010 09:11:53 PM MST
secondary date
var requestedWidth = 0;
if(requestedWidth > 0){
document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px";
document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px";
}
Two wayward skiers were rescued Saturday morning, after spending a
chilly overnight in the deep snows of the northern Sacramento Mountains.
Ryan Adair, 27, and Catherine Murphree, 23, both from the Dallas area,
had gone to Ski Apache Friday and had gotten off course, and traveled
beyond the resort's boundary. The father of one of the skiers notified
police when they failed to return back to the family home near
Cloudcroft.
"Their car was still in the parking lot (at Ski Apache) after closing
last night," New Mexico State Police Lt. Eric Garcia said Saturday. "A
search was planned, but the snow conditions were too difficult to
really bring in searchers at night."
State Police Officer Sam Houston found Adair's car in the lot, said White Mountain Search and Rescue (WMSAR) member Tony Davis.
"The usual sweep of the mountain, the daily routine at closing time
each day, had already been performed, but the staff of Ski Apache
conducted an additional search of the ski area, as well as a search
outside the boundary to the north, but no skiers or tracks were found,"
wrote Davis and WMSAR base camp officer Joyce Westerbur.
About 11 p.m., Friday, search and rescue organizations were mobilized,
with an incident commander from Las Cruces was brought in to direct the
operation.
During the night, searchers from the U.S. Border Patrol used night
vision goggles and heat detection equipment to scour Ski Run Road, but
there were no signs of the couple. WMSAR members Rich Adams,
Bob Dragoo and Mark Younger search-ed a possible location for the pair without success.
Early Saturday morning the Ski Apache Ski Patrol performed another
sweep of the area. Ski Apache operations director Justin Rowland and
ski school manager Larry Schneider searched the southern border of
Apache Bowl. Two sets of ski tracks were found leading into a ravine
below Sierra Blanca.
A New Mexico National Guard Blackhawk helicopter was requested to
search from the sky. And the all-terrain rescue vehicle acquired by the
Lincoln County Office of Emergency Services was brought in because of
the deep snow.
"The discovery of the sets of tracks by Rowland and Schneider had
narrowed greatly the area the helicopter would have to search, and soon
after it arrived in the Ski Apache environs the missing skiers were
spotted," wrote Davis and Westerbur. "The couple and their gear were
winched aboard as the copter hovered. A medic aboard the helicopter
examined the couple and found them hungry and tired, but otherwise OK."
The Blackhawk landed on the Alto Lakes Golf and Country Club links near
the clubhouse, where Adair and Murphree were escorted to a waiting
vehicle.
Westerbur attributed the happy outcome to the skiers' savvy.
"First of all, the two subjects of the search were young, athletic,
experienced skiers and in very good condition. As night fell and it
became apparent to them that they would be out all night, they found a
large boulder and scooped out the snow on its downwind side. They lined
the snow with pine branches for insulation and despite overnight
temperatures in the lower 20s, were able to stay warm by huddling
together. These survival skills allowed them to continue on in the
morning.
"During the night, the young man heard what at first he thought was an
elk bugling. He remembered that this is not the season for elk to
bugle, and realized the sound was probably from searchers looking for
them. He got up and yelled, but heard nothing further."
Rowland and Schneider were lauded as true heroes.
"Their discovery of the tracks and efforts to follow the tracks down
through complicated terrain narrowed the search area down to where the
helicopter could readily find the lost skiers. Search and rescue could
not help but be impressed by the dedication of all the Ski Apache
personnel."
