Imagine being this guy, actually imagine being either of them.
You met up with your mate for a day’s split boarding in Tahoe backcountry, the snow is in premium condition, it’s the last days of the year and what a fun way to see in 2025. Unit it isn’t.
Two snowboarders went up the Warr Trail in South Lake Tahoe on December 29 and only one made it safely back. The other, left behind to, well, find a way down or die.
According to a press release from the EDSAR Tahoe (a volunteer professional rescue team operating in cooperation with and under the authority of the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office), the pair were riding downhill when darkness set in.
One “friend” couldn’t be bothered to wait and help the other “friend” down, choosing to leave them alone, miles from the trailhead, with no light and “little understanding of how to navigate the terrain.” So many things wrong with this picture already.
The left split boarder called 911 around 5pm and a rescue team (feature image) skinned up around 7.30pm while a rescue helicopter confirmed the abandoned boarders location. When the rescue team got to the subject around 10pm they provided hot chocolate, water, headlamp and warm layers. Then guided them back down the Valley before driving them back to the hotel at midnight.
As the rescuers stated “heading out for a backcountry ride without proper navigation and survival gear can go well…until it doesn’t. This party was not prepared for anything but an ideal scenario. Our subject was lucky to have cell phone coverage and just enough battery to use it to call for help.
“Stay with your friends and have a plan for when things go wrong. We are here to help when you need it, but rescues always take a long time.”
