A 79-year-old skier was rescued Tuesday morning following a night spent outdoors after he accidentally skied out of bounds at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area in Lakeside, according to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.
The skier, who was reported missing on Feb. 17 at around 4:30 p.m., was last seen by his friend at the top of Emmon’s Run, but he never made it to the bottom. Blacktail ski patrol contacted the sheriff’s office and Two Bear Air attempted to respond before turning back due to poor visibility. According to a social media post from sheriff’s office, a ground search continued until 1 a.m., but it was unsuccessful.
On the morning of Feb. 18, additional search and rescue teams arrived and Two Bear Air resumed its search, focusing on out-of-bounds areas using cell phone forensics. At around 3 p.m., Two Bear Air spotted the skier signaling for help and he was safely hoisted out and flown to Blacktail Lodge for a medical check, where he was subsequently cleared.
According to the sheriff’s office, the skier had gone off-trail and become disoriented. He then spent the night in a tree well, making a small fire and using pine boughs for warmth.
In addition to the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Two Bear Air, North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Nordic Backcountry Patrol, Big Mountain Ski Patrol, Blacktail Mountain Ski Area and Flathead County Search and Rescue assisted in the search efforts.