A 79-year-old skier was found alive after spending the night in a tree well in Montana.
According to a press release from the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, the 79-year-old male was reported missing around 4:30 PM on Monday, Feb. 17, after a friend said he was last seen at the top of Emmon’s Run in the Blacktail Ski Area and had never made it to the bottom.
On that day, the Blacktail Mountain Ski Area reported the temperature in the area to be around 17 degrees with “winds of 0-5 miles per hour and visibility at 500 yards due to continuing snowfall.”
Due to the conditions, the sheriff’s office called upon help from Flathead County Search and Rescue and Two Bear Air Rescue, who attempted to fly over the grounds but had to turn back due to poor visibility.
Two Bear Air Rescue cited their being “clouds and a low ceiling” that prevented them from reaching the search area in its news release. Ground search efforts continued until 1:00 a.m. before pausing until daylight.
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The following morning, the clouds cleared, allowing Two Bear Air Rescue to return to the mountain with additional search and rescue teams focusing on “possible out-of-bounds areas using cell phone forensics.”
Around 3:00 p.m., Two Bear Air Rescue was able to spot the missing skier signaling for help.
“The skier had gone off-trail and became disoriented,” the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office said.
The man had spent the night in a tree well, the “airy pocket that forms around a tree’s trunk after its branches stop snow from building up around [it]” according to Today. For warmth, he used pine boughs and made a small fire.
In a video Two Bear Air Rescue included with their news release, the man is seen hoisted into a helicopter in “good condition.”
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The sheriff’s office said that he was then flown to Blacktail Lodge for a medical check, where he was cleared. His survival skills were credited as one of the reasons he was found safe.
