LAKESIDE — A 79-year-old skier was rescued after spending a night outside near the Blacktail Ski Area in Lakeside.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office was alerted that a man was missing on Monday afternoon at around 4:30 p.m. with a friend reporting the man was last seen at the top of Emonn’s Run at the Blacktail Ski Area, but never made it to the bottom.
The Blacktail Ski Patrol contacted the Sheriff’s Office and Flathead Search and Rescue (SAR) was activated to search for the missing skier.
A ground search continued until 1 a.m. Two Bear Air tried to assist in the effort but had to turn back because of poor visibility in the area.
Additional search crews along with Two Bear Air resumed the search on Tuesday morning, looking at "possible out-of-bounds areas using cell phone forensics,” a social media post states.
Two Bear Air saw the skier signaling for help at around 3 p.m. and he was hoisted out and flown to Blacktail Lodge for a medical check, where he was cleared.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office reports the man had gone off-trail and then became disoriented. He spent the night in a tree well, using pine boughs for warmth and making a small fire to stay warm.
The Sheriff's Office is thanking Flathead North Valley Search and Rescue, Flathead Nordic Backcountry Patrol, Big Mountain Ski Patrol, Blacktail Mountain Ski Area, Two Bear Air Rescue and Flathead County Search and Rescue for helping in the search.
