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Show Entire State Responds to Assist In Search for Five Missing Skiers Edward Kubal, 38, and four youths, Phillip Goodrich, and Jayson Robinson, both 18, and Erunee Hirschi and Cylo Nol- i son, both 16, all of Las Vegas, j Nov., to start a fire which thoy maintained throughout the night. At dawn the five skied out and wore picked up on the Parowan Canyon Highway by a member of the Iron County Sheriff's Jeep Patrol, Jay Pris-brey, Pris-brey, who was patroling the roadway as a part of the ex tensive search and rescue operation op-eration that had been undertaken. under-taken. Two Stories Unfold Two separate stories unfolded unfold-ed through the incident. The first involved the five lost skiers and their long vigal and the second concerns rescue operations op-erations that were put into practice Saturday night, which resulted in a gigantic effort of Ski Patrol, law .enforcement A book of matches taken from one of the Cedar City Motels became a vital item in the survival of five Las Vegas, Nov., skiers, when they became be-came lost at Brian Head Ski Resort Saturday afternoon. The five skiers, who were reported re-ported missing in two separate incidents, spent Saturday night in the mountain in sub-freezing sub-freezing weather, with heavy snows and winds up to 30 miles per hour. The matches were used by I operations agencies and individuals indi-viduals to begin the task of seeking out the lost five men. Although the disappearance of Kubal, a Las Vegas pilot, was the last to be reported missing, he was apparently the first to lose his way on the windswept slopes of Brian Head as he made a wrong turn on the Navajo beginners trail loop. I The four young men, all Ex-I Ex-I plorer Scouts, apparently came down the hill behind Kubal, who was skiing alone and became be-came lost when they followed his ski tracks into a canyon that took the five away from the Lodge area. Leaves Son Behind Kubal left his trailer and 10-year-old son slightly before noon Saturday to take a crack at the slopes. Shortly after the four youths followed him into the canyon. Kubal apparently decided that he was lost somewhere some-where near 12:30 p. m. and he began to retrace his ski tracks back up the slopes when he was joined by the other four. Then the four decided to try to ski down the canyon with the attempt to turn back toward the lodge. When darkness began to fall the five took shelter on the lee side of a ridge and gather-ered gather-ered fire wood in order to keep themselves warm through the night. They reported that they had to remain standing throughout the night and that they kept awake by talking to one another. an-other. At dawn they left their fire and skied out to the Parowan Par-owan road where thev wpm picked up and taken immediately immed-iately to Parowan where they wer? examined by a physician and released. Cold, tired and hungry, the five nevertheless were reported in good condition condi-tion and left immediately to return to their homes. Systematic Program Meanwhile at Brian Head Lodge action of another kind was taking place to attempt search and rescue operations for the lost parties. First knowledge know-ledge of the missing persons . was reported to Ski Patrol leader Robert MacCannon and a member of the four man Intermountain Division of the National Ski Patrol System who was at the Brian Head Resort on a routine check at about 3:45 p.m. The incident was reported by a father of one Goodrich youth. Kubals absence was not known until 6:30 p.m. when his son was discovered crying in the lodge and revealed that his father had gone skiing and not returned when questioned by Mrs. Darrel Hoffman, wife of a Ski Patrol member. At that time it was not known whether the group was together or were lost in separate sep-arate incidents. Search Efforts Begin Upon notification of the missing skiers the Ski Patrol went into action to begin a systematic search of the immediate im-mediate area. At 4:30 p.m. a routine sweep of the hill was made to determine if any skiers ski-ers remained on the slopes. Failing to turn up the missing cHlirC Q l'llnn ri ... then made with similar results re-sults by ski patrol members, ski instructors and members of the NSPS four man inspection inspec-tion team. Rescue groups wore then split up and sent out in teams to various points where skiers had been known to lose their way in the past. A team com- r posed of George Hartlmaier, ski instructor and NSPS team members Ron Higgens and Jim Williams left for Mitchell's cabin, about a mile below the ski area and another team composed of John Neilson and Darrel Hoffman, members of the local patrol, skied the upper up-per Sugar Loaf road out to the no sighting of the missing skiers. Dispatch Snow Cat Still early in the evening the snowmobile at Brian Head Lodge was dispatched into the Dry Lake road at the top and back of the skiing area but reported no contact. (Continued on Page Six) I State Responds to Assist in Search for Five Missing Skiers (Continued from Front Page) Radio communications were then established with the Highway Patrol office in Cedar City and two persons were sent to Parowan to establish communications there. Notification Notifi-cation was then sent out to relatives and to other parties and groups who were asked to participate In the search and rescue operation. A systematic check of the car in the parking lot and all rooms of the lodge was then made to determine that the fjroup had not returned uno-ticed. uno-ticed. Hartlmaier and George Baker Bak-er of the Ski Patrol then made a trip up the Cedar Breaks .Joad on the snow cat to check for possible contact with the skiers. Darkness had fallen on the area by this time and visibility visibil-ity was at. a minimum. However, How-ever, an eight member patrol consisting of Hartlmaier, Scott Truman, Baker, Jim Williams, Ron Higgens, MacCannon, Kurt Walker, and Carl Vosper .:et up a ski party to search the fringe area of the ski resort. Torches were used to find their way and periodic calling was used In hopes of making vocal contact with the missing men. Involve Communities Following this search, contact con-tact was made in Cedar City i and Parowan for a search of the area Including theaters, CSU,"' roller rink, and other likely spots to check out the feasibility of the group leaving leav-ing the area and being located locat-ed In surrounding communities. communi-ties. Another excursion into the Dry Lakes area on the snow cat was made by Hartlmaier, Kay Chamberlain, Higgens, Williams, and Iron County Sheriff Ira Schoppman and, although contact was not made, the lost skiers reported that they heard the snow cat during the night along the highway and in the area. i Wives of patrol members and others participating in the search were notified through the efforts of the Highway Patrol dispatch office that an I all night patrol was being established es-tablished and that a 7:00 a. m. search operation was being ' organized. All qualified skiers in the area were then notified and asked to participate, and Broze Bulloch of Cedar City began lining up all available snow cats to participate in the dawn search effort. At 11 p. m. Saturday night, Craig Mickelson of Orem, In-termountain In-termountain Division director for the NSPS, was alerted and the eight ski patrols in the Utah area were alerted and asked to participate in the operation. Response Gratifying Representatives of Ski Patrols Pa-trols in northern Utah responded res-ponded to the call and within a 10 hour period prior to the search operation Sunday morning, over 50 men had signed in from throughout the I state and representatives of the Bountiful Sheriff's Jeep Patrol arrived with a special avalanche unit. I Mickelson arrived at Brian Head at 5:30 a. m. Sunday and took over direction of the rescue operation. Patrol members mem-bers from Alta, Park City, Timp Haven, and Brighton began be-gan checking in during the early hours of the morning. |
