Volunteers Search Again on Mt. Baldy
About 100 volunteer police officers, firefighters and forest rangers searched unsuccessfully Saturday for a 24-year-old Costa Mesa man who was buried under an avalanche while snowboarding in an off-limits area nearly two weeks ago.
Despite warm weather that was expected to melt some of the snow on the mountain, the rescue team and its three search dogs were unable to locate Michael Pilotti, who disappeared last Tuesday while snowboarding with his friend, Larry Beard of Laguna Hills.
The search team had dwindled last week because rescue volunteers had to return to work. Saturday, the crew swelled again to 100 people, working from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m., but still with no success.
“No luck,” sighed Mt. Baldy Fire Chief Bill Stead. “Keeping our fingers crossed. And (we’ll) keep looking.”
Stead said the search effort would continue this morning, though with fewer people.
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