I like to call it backcountry skiing with a purpose. I have had many opportunities to help folks in need. One night around 5pm we got a call out. We sprang into action Meg and I. We tossed our ready packs and tele gear into the Pathfinder and headed towards Powder Mountain Ski resort. When we check in with the Weber County Search and Rescue, we were notified that the lost skiers had skied out Wolf Creek Basin.
The adrenaline had run low by now and we noticed the skies had a dark cold crispness to them. We started back down the canyon with much to say to each other. When we pulled into the Valley Market for a snack, another call out to Powder Mountain. Again the race is on!
In the pre-deployment briefing we were told that the skiers that skied out Wolf Creek Basin were only one lost group, by this time another lost group of skiers had been reported.
After getting our assigned teams and our gear ready, we skied off the north west side of the Hidden Lake lodge in hopes to find the lost skiers. At the beginning of the search we skied in a large team of about 10 skiers. We reached a point where the team split into 3 teams. Meg and I were on the same team with 2 Powder Mountain Ski Patrol. The skiing this time was slow and a lot of traversing across some sketchy slopes. We skied them one at a time and all safe guards were taken. With in about an hour’s time we see off in the distance a faint blue light, it was Toms Ipod. Tom was one of the three guys in the lost party. When we met Tom and the two others we assessed the condition of all three guys and asked them all kinds of questions. The youngest had broken a ski and had started to dip into hypothermia. The others had all of there equipment in tack, but were very cold. We gave these men some water, A little food, and got them on their way. The ski out from here was not to bad, a real mellow down hill, we had to cross the creek a few times and at some point Tom had fallen in the water. Tom was a trooper however, he was able to ski the rest of the way out to the road. It took us about another hour to guide these guys out to the road and get them a ride up to the upper lodge where the incident command was stationed.
Later that day Meg and I woke up late and spent the day at the cabin drinking hot drinks and telling the story to our friends and family. Mean while Tom and the guys were headed back to New York, to tell the story to their friends and family.
Sometimes when the phone rings I wish it was Tom to tell me how he remembers our night together in Right hand fork.