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PMR Joins in Massive Search for Missing Mount Bachelor Snowboarder
Monday, February 11, 2002 -thru- Monday, February 18, 2002

At the request of the Deschutes County (Oregon) Sheriff, Portland Mountain Rescue joined forces with Search and Rescue teams from around the Northwest in the search for a missing snowboarder on Central Oregon's Mount Bachelor.

A 22-year-old female employee of the Mount Bachelor Ski Resort was reported missing on Saturday, February 9, after she did not rendezvous with her friends at the end of the day. The woman was snowboarding on the Northwest portion of the mountain and, evidently, was lost somewhere in the tree-lined, backcountry-like terrain.

Joining fellow SAR teams from Oregon, Washington and Idaho, over 20 highly trained members of PMR combed the steep terrain at various times during an eight day period. Even friends and family members of the woman were involved during the long and arduous mission.

Working on foot, snowshoes and skis, the crews focused on an in-bounds area of the 9,065-foot mountain - known as the "Northwest Territory" - where deep powder and tree wells are common features. Over the course of the mission, significant portions of that expanse were subject to a methodical grid search using snow probes and visual investigations.

The search represented an almost unprecedented mobilization of Search and Rescue volunteers from across the Northwest. Ten different Mountain Rescue teams from Oregon (5), Washington (3) and Idaho (2) participated, along with several non-mountain SAR groups and Ski Patrol teams. The Oregon Army National Guard also furnished an air unit for an early portion of the search.

Sadly, as of Tuesday, February 19, the missing woman had not been found. Though she is a skilled outdoorswoman with a degree in Outdoor Recreation, authorities conceded that the chances of finding her alive were remote and called off the 10-day mission.

Portland Mountain Rescue is proud to have contributed to this effort and we wish our warmest regards to the woman's family during this difficult time.

View photos of the search in our Photo Gallery.

March 4, 2002 - Body of missing woman discovered on Mt Bachelor

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