With a strong winter storm rapidly approaching the Sierras, members of the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team, an all-volunteer group of winter wildland experts formed 46 years ago, assembled immediately on the evening of December 9 when they learned a 63-year-old man who was note carrying a cell phone was missing at Alpine Meadows.

They were told by the resort's management the skier had last scanned his ski pass at the Summit Six chairlift and, thus, began skiing at the top of Ward Peak. From there, his options included traveled in just about any direction, including a route down into a steep, snow-filled canyon to the west funneling thousands of feet down the mountain towards Hell Hole Reservoir.

Suspecting the skier had taken this path and with Alpine Meadows ski patrollers sweep the in-bounds area for the missing man, the team of nine volunteers broke into two teams at the crest of the summit and braving 100 mph wind gusts carefully slid over the ridge and down the west slope.

After reaching a wooded area lower down, the group of five searchers paused in the snow, cupped their hands to their mouths and screamed out the man’s name. Much to their surprise, they heard someone returning their cries from somewhere off in the distance.

Hurrying over three ridgelines away towards the continuing shouts, after 45 minutes the group spotted ski tracks and shortly thereafter, a little after midnight, their headlamps shone upon a man in a yellow checkered ski jacket leaning against a tree.

Reaching him, his first words were, "I heard the girl’s voice." While slogging their way back up the slope (reaching the crest at Wade Peak around 4 a.m.), the uninjured but exhausted man spoke of how happy he was to be able to attend his daughter’s college graduation ceremony later in the day.