Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) teams, with assistance from Mt. Ashland ski patrol, rescued a lost snowboarder Saturday night. On March 17, 2018, at approximately 6:00 p.m., the Search and Rescue team managers were notified of a missing snowboarder on the south side of the mountain, beyond the ski resort boundary.
Eric Hostetler, 40, of Bend, did not return as expected after snowboarding from the Mt. Ashland ski area parking lot. His wife contacted ski patrol members at the lodge, who contacted the Search and Rescue team.
Search and Rescue deployed teams to the ski resort and to the area below. Ski patrol members followed Hostetler’s tracks in the snow more than two miles south through the Cottonwood Creek drainage.
They located him at about 9:00 p.m. A Search and Rescue Sno-Cat team intercepted the search party and Hostetler on Forest Service road 40S06 and returned them all to safety.
Hostelter is an experienced snowboarder who was dressed for the conditions. Nobody was injured in the incident.
Search and Rescue team officials urge skiers and snowboarders to refrain from going outside the boundaries of the ski area. Out-of-bounds activity is additionally dangerous at the end of the day when darkness and cold can affect both survival and search efforts.
Search and Rescue managers wish to thank the ski patrol members who stayed after hours and immediately set out to find Hostetler. Their coordination with SAR teams helped the operation end quickly and safely.
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