Search and Rescue response under Heavenly Gondola

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Heavenly Valley Ski Patrol and the Search and Rescue (SAR) teams from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office and Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to an injured skier under the Gondola line on Wednesday, March 15 at about 12:23 p.m.

The local 54-year-old woman was backcountry skiing out-of-bounds when she injured her lower leg between the Gondola mid-station and Van Sickle Bi-State Park.

The team effort began when Heavenly Ski Patrol reached the victim and put her into a sled and started down the hill. El Dorado SAR members met them and then helped wrestle the sled downhill. Then all of them were met by Douglas County SAR members on a UTV with snow tracks who then towed everyone the rest of the way.

Victim was transported to Barton Hospital for further evaluation.

During the storm on Friday, law enforcement received a call from a father at 5:45 p.m. who said his 34-year-old son was late from returning home after a day on the slopes at Heavenly. They determined the last time the son's phone was used was near the Powderbowl Express chair. As they were preparing to get SAR together, officers searched the parking lots near the casino core where the son normally parked. When they didn't find the truck they held off on searching, giving the son more time to arrive home.

Later that night, two snowboarders got lost leaving the slopes. They were in contact with Douglas County SAR and thought they were heading towards Van Sickle Bi-State Park so the SAR team was preparing to go into the backcountry to find them. The pair made it off the hill unharmed at Market Street off Kingsbury Grade.