TheTahoeWeekly.com
TAHOE NORDIC SEARCH & RESCUE BRAVING BLIZZARDS TO SEARCH FOR THE MISSING, INJURED BY PRIYA HUTNER
T
he wind is howling, snow is falling rapidly and there are white-out conditions with no visibility. A massive storm is thrashing the region. During these types of storms, awareness in the outdoors is critical. Getting lost in a storm is life-threatening. It is Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue (TNSAR) that is often called out to launch a search when someone goes missing in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee. These rescuers have seen more than their fair share of people lost in storms having conducted nearly 400 searches in the group’s 46 years. Some of these searches don’t end well. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to saving lives and educating the public on being safe in the back country and what to do if lost. The organization was founded in 1976 after two boys were lost in a blizzard on the backside of Northstar. Tragically one of the boys died. It was his father who founded Tahoe Nordic Search & Rescue. Today, TNSAR has about 80 volunteer skiers, snowboarders, snowcat drivers, EMTs, emergency room doctors, nurses, firefighters, ski patrollers, paramedics, experienced back-country skiers and snowmobilers, according to Andrew Oesterreicher a board member and volunteer. There are also a number of volunteers who help with communications and administration duties. Oesterreicher notes the diverse volunteer group is made up of people varying in age (the oldest is in his 70s) and skill level — not everyone is an expert skier. Operating in Placer County, TNSAR’s search and rescue team works with search and rescue teams from other counties in addition to local authorities and other emergency services in the 14
region. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office also has a search and rescue team comprised of professional and volunteer members. TNSAR has searched for lost hikers, climbers, missing or injured back-country skiers, snowboarders and avalanche victims. TNSAR works throughout the year, but most of its calls come in winter.
Great Ski Race
March 6 | Spots available Register thegreatskirace.com
Volunteer
Feb. 28 | 7 p.m.; open to all Granlibakken | Tahoe City
Back-country training scholarships
Feb. 28 deadline | North Tahoe & Truckee high schoolers
Winter Awareness Guide Download at tahoenordicsar.org/education
“Almost all of our searches are correlated to big storm cycles. It’s not uncommon for us to have 20 searches during a big winter. Typically, we range between 10 and 15 searches,” says Oesterreicher. “Increasingly, we’ve fallen into a role of providing assistance with these big fires.” This includes searching the area for bodies and getting people back to their homes. Time is of the essence when a call comes in. The search and rescue efforts for Rory Angelotta of Truckee who went missing while skiing at Northstar on Christmas day ended tragically. He was an expert skier, but the storm that day was intense with high winds, no
visibility and terrible conditions. “Getting lost in a storm can be devastating. The conditions up here are very brutal and very real. And you don’t always get that second chance,” says Oesterreicher. In addition to saving lives in the mountains, education is a critical part of TNSAR’s mission. The organization educates fourth-grade classes about winter survival: how to build shelters and what to do if they get lost. In addition, they offer high-school programs about back-country safety and the knowbefore-you-go principles and provide avalanche-certification scholarship programs for high-school students. The Great Ski Race is its primary fund-raising event, returning on March 6 with a 26-kilometer course starting and ending at Tahoe XC. Proceeds are used to purchase equipment for the team and support winter survival and avalanche education programs. Spots were still available as of press time. | tahoenordicsar.org n
BACK-COUNTRY PREPAREDNESS > Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. > Travel with a trusted partner. If you get separated from your group, stay put. > Read the weather & avalanche forecast before you go. > Carry emergency supplies, such as a whistle, emergency blanket, spare warm clothes, headlamp, extra water and food, cell phone, map, compass & emergency locator device. > Carry avalanche safety gear — beacon, shovel, probe — and know how to use them. > Carry a stocked first-aid kit and take a wilderness first-aid course to learn how to treat common injuries. > Layer appropriately for the weather conditions and bring spare layers.
