Tag: skiers

WHERE THE NEWS COMES FIRST. LIVE FROM KCRA 3 NEWS. WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS. THAT BREAKING NEWS IS IN NEVADA COUNTY. 16 BACKCOUNTRY SKIERS INVOLVED IN A SIERRA AVALANCHE TODAY IN. THE SEARCH IS UNDERWAY RIGHT NOW FOR TEN WHO ARE STILL MISSING. 4.5 HOURS LATER, THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS THE AVALANCHE WAS REPORTED NEAR THE CASTLE PEAK AREA. THAT WAS AROUND 1130 THIS MORNING. DEPUTIES, THE SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAM AND OTHER AGENCIES ARE ALL LOOKING FOR THOSE MISSING SKIERS. AT LEAST SIX OF THE 16 SURVIVED. THEY REMAIN AT THE AVALANCHE SITE. THE GROUP CONSISTED OF FOUR SKI GUIDES AND 12 CLIENTS. EARLIER IN THE DAY, THE SIERRA AVALANCHE CENTER ISSUED AN AVALANCHE WARNING FOR PARTS OF THAT AREA, AND THAT WARNING LASTS UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING. ALL RIGHT, LET’S GET TO CAPTAIN RUSSELL GREEN WITH THE NEVADA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE. WE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS. HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS AVALANCHE? FIRST? WE WERE NOTIFIED BY THE COMPANY THAT WAS PROVIDING THE SKI TOURS, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER EMERGENCY BEACONS. THEY WERE ACTIVATED, SO THEY HAD BEACONS THAT WENT OFF. THE COMPANY NOTIFIED YOU. BUT IS THIS SOMETHING THAT NORMALLY HAPPENS IN A STORM LIKE THIS, WHERE BACKCOUNTRY SKIERS HEAD OUT WHEN WE HAVE ALL THIS FRESH POWDER ON THE GROUND? PEOPLE GO OUT AND USE THE BACKCOUNTRY AT ALL TIMES. WE ADVISE AGAINST IT, OBVIOUSLY, BUT I WOULDN’T SAY THAT IT’S UNCOMMON. NOT THAT IT WAS A WISE CHOICE, BUT SO FOR A COMPANY. I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND INDIVIDUALS WOULD DO THAT, BUT FOR A COMPANY TO TAKE A GROUP OF CLIENTS OUT IN THESE CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE WAS ALREADY A WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? AGAIN, I DON’T THINK IT WAS A WISE CHOICE, BUT WE DON’T KNOW ALL THE DETAILS YET. SO PRELIMINARY. I WOULD SAY THAT WE DISCOURAGE IT. HOW THIS HAPPENED WILL BE DETERMINED. ALL RIGHT. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT THE OPERATION UNDERWAY. HIGHLY SKILLED RESCUE TEAMS ARE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW. 46 FIRST RESPONDERS ARE INVOLVED IN THE LAST UPDATE. YOU GUYS JUST PUT OUT. HOW ARE THEY REACHING THIS SITE AND WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS LIKE OUT THERE RIGHT NOW? WELL, RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, THE INTERSTATE IS CLOSED BECAUSE OF ZERO VISIBILITY. THEY’RE REACHING THE SITE. WE’RE SENDING RESCUE WORKERS IN FROM A COUPLE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS SO THAT WE CAN ATTEMPT TO GET IN THERE. IT’S GOING TO BE SLOW GOING. WE HAVE BROUGHT IN SNOWCATS. WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS ON SKIS. SO WE HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS THAT PEOPLE ARE ATTEMPTING TO GET IN THERE. IT’S JUST GOING TO BE A SLOW, TEDIOUS PROCESS BECAUSE THEY ALSO HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ACCESSING THE AREA DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS STILL VERY HIGH. SO YOU SAY ATTEMPTING AT THIS POINT. SO AT THIS POINT, THE RESCUERS, YOUR TEAMS, THEY HAVE NOT MADE IT OUT THERE. THEY’RE THEY’RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING TO THE ACTUAL SITE. THEY’VE DEPLOYED. BUT YEAH, THEY HAVE NOT MADE IT TO THE AVALANCHE SITE YET. BUT YOU’RE YOU’RE IN CONTACT WITH THEM, I GUESS. I MEAN, THAT’S THE THING I’VE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT ALL DAY. CURTIS ESPECIALLY, IS THAT YOU GO OUT THERE, BUT NOW THESE RESCUE PEOPLE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, GO OUT THERE AND TRY AND FIND YOU PUT THEMSELVES IN HARM’S WAY. AND THEY STILL HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO GET THERE. SO WE KNOW AT LEAST SIX PEOPLE SURVIVED, BUT THEY’RE STILL THERE BECAUSE THERE’S REALLY NO WAY FOR THEM TO COME OUT YET. RIGHT? RIGHT. THERE’S NO QUICK WAY FOR THEM TO COME OUT. SO THEY’RE HAVING TO WAIT. THEY’RE YOU KNOW, WE’RE AND LIKE I SAID, THEY HAVE EMERGENCY BEACONS. SOME OF THEM THAT COMMUNICATE, YOU KNOW, VIA TEXT. SO WE’RE IN CONTACT WITH THEM AND DOING OUR BEST TO GET IN THERE. AND I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT IS THE COMMUNICATION BEEN LIKE. WHAT ARE THEY TELLING YOU FROM OUT THERE WHERE THIS HAPPENED. THEY’RE DOING THEIR BEST. THEY HAVE TAKEN REFUGE IN A AN AREA. THEY HAVE MADE UP A MAKESHIFT, YOU KNOW, SHELTER WITH A TARP AND DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO TO SURVIVE AND WAIT FOR RESCUE. ALL RIGHT. WE DO KNOW WE HAD GUIDES WHO WERE ALONG. DO WE KNOW IF THE GUIDES WERE CAUGHT IN THE AVALANCHE, OR IF THE GUIDES ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE SAFE AT THIS POINT? AND IT’S THE CUSTOMERS WHO ARE CAUGHT IN THE AVALANCHE AT THIS TIME. WE’RE IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE FAMILY MEMBERS OF EVERYBODY INVOLVED. SO I DON’T WANT TO RELEASE THAT INFORMATION. WE DO KNOW THAT SOME OF THAT INFORMATION, BUT WE’RE NOT GOING TO RELEASE IT TO THE PUBLIC RIGHT YET. OKAY. DO YOU KNOW THE NAME OF THE COMPANY? I DO KNOW THE NAME OF THE COMPANY. THE COMPANY IS. I THINK IT’S BLACK BEAR. I’M SORRY. GIVE ME ONE SECOND. I DON’T HAVE THAT RIGHT. READILY AVAILABLE. I’M SORRY. OKAY, WELL, WE’LL CHECK IN WITH YOU AND WE’LL GET THAT A BIT LATER ON. BUT WE APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION AND WE’LL CHECK BACK IN WITH YOU THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. BUT AS HE’S TELLING US, THEY’RE STILL WORKING TO GET OUT TO THE SCENE SOME 4.5 HOURS LATER, AFTER THIS AVALANCHE WAS FIRST REPORTED, LIKE YOU SAID, JUST NOT A GOOD IDEA TO GO OUT ON A DAY LIKE THIS BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO YOU INJURE YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, ENDANGERING THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO GET TO YOU AND RESCUE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. WE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR EFFORTS IN TRYING TO GET TO THESE PEOPLE. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE SAME AREA. A SNOWMOBILER WAS FOUND DEAD LAST MONTH FOLLOWING ANOTHER AVALANCHE. 42 YEAR OLD CHRIS THOMASON OF OREGON WAS WITH FOUR OTHER PEOPLE NEAR JOHNSON AND CASTLE PEAKS WHEN THA