Missing Costa Mesa Skier Rescued in Sierra

A missing downhill skier from Costa Mesa was rescued early Sunday after spending half the night in the frigid Sierra, authorities said.

Washoe County sheriff’s deputies said Dale Ellis, 39, was on the verge of hypothermia when he was found at 12:21 a.m. about two miles south of the Diamond Peak Ski Resort.

Ellis, a physician, was treated and released for minor frostbite on some toes. The temperature was well below zero when he was found, according to deputies.

“The man is very lucky,” said Sgt. Jim Spain. “I don’t know how much longer he could have lasted. He was close to hypothermia and at the point of pure exhaustion when he was found.”

“Obviously, death is always a possibility when the weather gets that cold,” said Rand Carter, ski patrol director at Diamond Peak. “The search team did a good job finding him when they did.”

Deputies said the search began after Ellis was reported missing by his girlfriend about 8 p.m. Saturday. She had last seen him early Saturday afternoon when the two were skiing at Diamond Peak.

Spain said Ellis encountered problems at 1:30 p.m. when he accidentally fell down a steep ravine near the boundary of the ski area and was unable to get out. It was only the fourth time he had been skiing.

He then decided to ski down a drainage area in an effort to get to the bottom of the mountain, but lost his skis a short time later.

He next decided to walk down the drainage area, which led away from the ski resort. But he became exhausted when he encountered chest-deep snow and eventually took refuge in an abandoned hunting lodge.

“He stopped there to rest and fell asleep and was awakened by his shivering body,” Spain said. “At that point, he realized he had to keep moving or he wouldn’t make it out of there.

“He continued walking down the hill because he knew the drainage area would eventually empty out at the bottom.”

The Tahoe Nordic Search-and-Rescue Unit from Truckee found Ellis’ skis and tracks at 11:36 p.m. They led down the drainage area, where he was found near the bottom of the mountain less than an hour later.

“He was really hurting when they found him and he could hardly walk,” Spain said. “He was found about two miles from the point he left the ski area, but he ended up walking twice that much.”

He was found about half a mile from the Ponderosa Ranch, a local tourist attraction.

* DEADLY SNOW: Two snow-boarders die in the Lake Tahoe area. A3