At 1:30 pm a 24yr old snowboarder was seen dropping into the Big Springs Drainage from Wolverine Saddle at Alpine Meadows. At 4 her friends reported her missing and TNSAR was dispatched.

11 skiers, 2 snowmobilers, Russ and Chris as coordinators and Pam in the comm van responded to Alpine.

8 skiers were shuttled to Wolverine Saddle by grooming machines where they were dropped off into 60+ MPH winds and heavy snowfall. They proceeded to drop into Big Springs Drainage and ski down to where there was any possibility of picking up tracks. They found nothing, but did a thorough search of the flat areas along Five Lakes Creek, down to Grouse Creek and up to Whiskey Creek. It was deemed inadvisable to climb back out to Ward Peak due to avalanche danger and now 80MPH winds and 24 degree temperatures, so the skiers started the trek out to Five Lakes and KT Saddle. (26” of snow fell at the Alpine Base Lodge during the search).

Meanwhile the 2 snowmobliers pulled 3 skiers to KT Saddle at Squaw and all 5 dropped into to search Five Lakes and Five Lakes Creek, down to the other teams. The snowmobilers also recruited a Squaw groomer to groom down into Five Lakes to ease the searcher’s hike out (which was very much appreciated).

Despite a thorough search of the flat and transition areas along Five Lakes Creek, no clues were found. At 4 am the first group of 7 skiers got back up to KT Saddle, where the same groomer escorted them down to the base. The second group of 4 skiers got to KT Saddle at 10:30 am.

It was indeed a Long Night and, of course, disappointing due to lack of success.

Squaw Valley was extremely supportive of the search effort, allowing our snowmobiles access through their ski trails, transporting search teams with their grooming machines, and grooming a trail down their mountain specifically for exhausted searchers.

Search efforts continued through Wednesday. One snow shoe team entered from the KT Saddle, again with Squaw Valley support, down the saddle to the 5 Lakes drainage and searched. A second team of skiers searched the ridge north of Big Springs, past Estelle Peak in 80+ mph winds to the trees and headed down to 5 Lakes, yelling all the way. They doubled back south about 4-600 meters above the creek, and went downstream to a small creek before heading back to the saddle, getting off the hill at about 5pm. A third team of snowshoers with crampons followed the skiers out the ridge and doubled back to the Summit Chair bldg. that same day.

Extreme weather and avalanche conditions limited search efforts this day.

Doug took a ride in the National Guard helicopter to try to find the missing boarder; five people looking and a huge spotlight lighting up the place. We hovered the area and closed off the usual places like Diamond Crossing. A very effective tool and an incredible team of hard working crew members.

A 4th team deployed that night that snowshoed Ward Creek.

By Thursday morning the weather was clear, still, and cold. Overnight temps at lake level around 10°F. The search effort had expanded to include teams from Marin, Contra Costa, El Dorado, and Alpine Counties as well as Placer. Two Blackhawks and Placer County’s “Falcon 30” helicopters were on scene.

TNSAR’s eight skiers were assigned search areas of the next two drainages north from Big Springs, from the Pacific Crest, to 5 lakes creek. We took the Summit Chair at 8:00 to the top where we traversed north to our areas. The snow pack was surprisingly stable considering the recent weather. We split into teams of two, and began the hard work of searching two square miles for a subject which is not expected to be making tracks. We had agreed to make a thorough search by taking very shallow traverses allowing inspection of nearly all clusters of trees and outcrops.

Within a half hour of starting searching, the subject was spotted, deceased, 400 feet below the Pacific Crest, on the west side of Estelle Peak in a wind hollow within a cluster of trees. She was located at UTM 10S 737026E, 4338378N, at 8110’ elevation. She appeared to have taken shelter as best she could at that elevation and exposure. A Placer County Deputy was transported to the scene and winched down by Falcon 20.

The TNSAR team members then skinned up to the Estelle Ridge and skied back to the Alpine parking lot.