Snow angels: Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol saves lives

To someone stranded in the backcountry in winter, the members of the Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol must seem superhuman.

Even an experienced search and rescue professional like Jordan White speaks reverently of the patrol. White, Flathead County Search and Rescue coordinator, commanded the rescue effort for snowmobiler Ryan Roberts and his two companions in Jewel Basin March 1.

“They’re incredible athletes,” White said of the Nordic Ski Patrol. “One of them had to be wearing an 80- or 90-pound pack.”

“They’re very structured and competent at the tasks they face,” he continued. “They work really well as a unit.”

White was at home near Echo Lake when the call came that three people snowmobiling illegally in the basin needed rescuing. Ryan Roberts, 24, had been buried in an avalanche and his uncle, Kevin Roberts, and friend, Ryan Sonju, climbed a ridge to get cell phone reception and called 911. Search and rescue teams were mobilized at 6:30 p.m.

From a command post set up at the Camp Misery parking lot on the western edge of Jewel Basin, White traveled into the basin on snowshoes with seven members of the ski patrol. He expressed admiration for how well the skiers “took care of themselves and kept an eye on each other,” he said.

It was dark, the wind was blowing in frigid gusts up to 30 miles an hour, fog obscured the view and a foot and a half of snow made the legwork difficult, especially with the weight of the medical equipment the ski patrol members carried. They took turns breaking trail as they made their way up to the Swan Range ridge that forms the western boundary of Jewel Basin Hiking Area, 1,800 feet above Camp Misery. The snow on the ridge was stable, but the avalanche danger was too high to go in with snowmobiles, White said.

White sent five skiers south to search at Picnic Lakes while he and two skiers headed north toward Twin Lakes. By the time White and the skiers reached the avalanche spot northwest of Twin Lakes around 4 a.m., Roberts’ family and friends were taking the young man out by snowmobile to an ambulance waiting at Hungry Horse Reservoir. His companions were able to ride out on their own.

“Other than being exhausted and wet, they were fine,” White said of the three snowmobile adventurers. The Forest Service will decide how to penalize the trio, he said. Motorized vehicles are illegal in Jewel Basin.

White called off the mission at 4:30 a.m. “Then we went and had a giant breakfast at the Echo Lake Cafe,” he said.

White had only praise for the Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol. “We’re one of the only places in the northwest that has such a highly skilled, well-qualified ski team,” he said.

“We’re not by any means super-athletes, but I would pick strong members” for a challenging rescue like the Jewel Basin operation, 30-year ski patrol member Steve Burglund said. He led the ski team members under White’s command that night.

“We’re all in good shape,” he added. “I knew that night it was going to be very physically demanding, and I made decisions accordingly.”

The team holds “on-the-trail refresher” courses at the beginning of each snow season, during which members ski into a site and carry out a simulated rescue, packing in all the medical equipment they might need, Burglund said.

The Flathead Nordic Ski Patrol started in 1975 as the Essex Nordic Patrol, which patrolled the trails around the Izaak Walton Inn. By 1981 the group had expanded to cover the Flathead Valley, and renamed itself to reflect that. The organization holds about 10 trainings a year, including a basic Emergency Medical Technician course, CPR, avalanche rescue and ski mountaineering. Like other search and rescue groups, the ski patrol responds to calls for help from the sheriff’s department.

Members get called to rescue lost skiers, snowmobilers, even hang gliders and plane crash victims, Burglund said. They respond to about half a dozen calls a year, he added.

“Any winter-related rescue, we’re usually called or put on standby,” he said.

Most of the patrol’s 30 members have been in for an average of eight to 10 years, and “we’re always looking for new members,” Burglund said. The organization welcomes intermediate to advanced skiers who are good learners, he said.

“It would be great if they have first aid skills, but we offer that every two years,” he said. Members are expected to attend monthly business meetings and winter trainings. More information and this year’s training calendar can be found on the Web at www.flatheadnordic.org.