Snowboarder rescued outside Diamond Peak

Click to Enlarge Justin Broglio / North Lake Tahoe Bonanza/ Washoe County Sheriff's substation Cmdr. Gregg Lubbe waves to a helicopter as it lands in the Ponderosa Ranch parking lot. Get News Feeds

Justin Broglio
April 18, 2006

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INCLINE VILLAGE - A man snowboarding at Diamond Peak ski resort Monday was lifted to safety by helicopter after he went out of bounds at approximately 10 a.m.

Dave Michael, 43, of Rocklin became trapped in the backcountry on the northeast side of Diamond Peak after he went into what he thought was the resort's Solitude Canyon area. He was uninjured.

"The sign said the run was open and I didn't see any closure ropes, but I knew I went the wrong way when I stopped and was looking at the Nevada desert," Michael said after unloading from Washoe County's Raven helicopter, which landed near the Ponderosa Ranch in Incline Village at about 2 p.m. Monday. "I immediately called the resort to let them know I was lost."

Two long-time local ski patrollers, Pat Griffin and Thomas Smith, followed Michael's tracks toward Washoe Valley after receiving his phone call.

"We weren't sure exactly where he was, so our original plan was to reach him and then hike back up to the top of the resort," said Diamond Peak Ski Patrol Director Dennis Griffiths.

Griffiths said high avalanche danger and heavy late season snowfall made it nearly impossible for the two rescuers and Michael to climb out of the valley, so he called for a helicopter rescue.

"We were originally going to send in the fire district snowmobiles and Washoe County Search and Rescue, but with the high avalanche danger we opted for the Raven," said Washoe County Sheriff's Office Incline Village Substation Cmdr. Gregg Lubbe.

Lubbe said with the heavy snowfall over the weekend, Michael could have skied nearly all the way down to the valley floor if he wasn't paying attention.

"It was good he stopped and noticed where he was," Lubbe said.

Griffiths noted that Michael was extremely lucky regarding Monday's weather conditions and the time of his rescue.

"It would have been an entirely different situation if he would have called us at 5:30 at night," he said. "With the clear weather and the entire afternoon to rescue him it was a relatively simple operation."

Diamond Peak mountain operations manger Mike Bandelin said without a cell phone, the resort's patrol might never had known Michael had skied out of bounds.

Michael said he is an avid snowboarder but had never explored Diamond Peak's Solitude Canyon area.

"This is another example of people not knowing the terrain well enough before they venture out," Bandelin said. "If you've never been in an area and there are no tracks, it's important to stop right away and ask yourself, 'Do I know where I'm going?' before you continue making turns."