Crew rescues backcountry snowboarder who spent the night in rugged Whatcom County terrain
A rescue team kicked off the new year by pulling a stranded backcountry snowboarder from the Swift Creek drainage area of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest on Jan. 1.
The 37-year-old male was reported missing around 4 p.m. Jan. 1. Rescuers followed his tracks in the snow from a helicopter provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine to locate him. They then dropped him supplies including food, shelter and a radio to hold him over until a hoist-equipped helicopter from the U.S. Coast Guard could arrive to pull him out, according to a social media post from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
The snowboarder told rescuers he was uninjured and would be able to stay the night with the supplies provided to him, according to Amy Cloud with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
The Swift Creek drainage area — between Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan — is dangerous due to the number of waterfalls that cause instability in the snow, which increases the avalanche possibility, Cloud said.
The next morning volunteers from Bellingham Mountain Rescue made their way across the terrain, reaching the snowboarder around 5 p.m. Jan. 2, according to Cloud.
Rescuers were able to safely extract him by 10 p.m., about 30 hours after the initial report came in.
Cloud was unaware of any serious injuries to the snowboarder.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Crew rescues backcountry snowboarder who spent the night in rugged Whatcom County terrain."
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