People like to think that the mountains of Southern California are all soft and cushy. They’re not. They’re hard. Just ask 33-year-old snowboarder Timothy Triche. He went out of bounds at Mt. Baldy Ski Area on Wednesday, got lost in a storm and ended up barely surviving the night, according to a story in the Daily Bulletin.
He called 911 with his cell phone but weather conditions delayed his rescue until Thursday morning. . . . Rescuers reached Triche at 7 a.m. at the 10,000-foot level, according to the release.
Search and rescue apparently told Triche to huddle under some rocks and stay about of the wind for the night. After his rescue he was taken to “San Antonio Community Hospital where he was treated for frostbite and exposure.”
[Link: Daily Bulletin]
Not sure where the idea that I was ever in-bounds came about (I hiked in to the Sierra Club hut and skinned up to the ridge when avy conditions looked iffy). It was my intent to head down towards Manker directly. When the clouds socked in and the winds started to kick up I realized that I would probably not make it down alive if I attempted to descend from where I called SAR.
The search and rescue team, particularly the copter pilot, are absolute professionals and if I keep my toes it will be entirely due to their skill and experience. I have performed rescues in the mountains before but never had to be rescued until now. As embarrassing as it (and my poor judgment) may have felt, I can’t say enough about how good these guys are.
You got the lede exactly right — I underestimated the mountain after skiing the back bowl more times than I can remember. I paid for it with a truly miserable bivy, maybe my toes, and almost my life.
I’m a member of an SAR team and one of those out searching for Tim on Devils Backbone Wednesday night (and Thursday morning). Our teams are volunteer – nobody was paid for their efforts looking for Tim and none of us want to be. We do it because we love the mountains and to help those in trouble. All I would ask personally is, if you are a boarder/skier or hiker in our local mountains – please donate to your local SAR team!
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