Dad, Son Rescued From Snowy Forest

A lost Santa Barbara man and his son were airlifted from the snow-blanketed Los Padres National Forest after riding their motorcycles into a rugged off-road area in northern Ventura County, authorities said Monday.

Jeff Storer, 47, and his son Christopher, 13, had been riding in the Gold Hill area of the forest Sunday afternoon when winter conditions forced them to abandon their motorcycles and hike out, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

About 8 p.m., Storer called for help on his cellular phone.

About 25 minutes later, rescuers with the sheriff’s aviation unit who were equipped with night vision goggles located the father and son. The Storers were stranded in a densely forested area covered with snow at 6,300 feet.

Unable to land the helicopter, Senior Deputy Scott Norris said, his crew lowered a deputy into the trees on a cable. Working in the dark in subfreezing temperatures, the crew hoisted Storer and his son to safety.

“They weren’t injured at all,” Norris said. He noted that Storer and his son both wore heavy gloves, jackets and helmets, which had helped shield them from the cold.

The Storers were flown to a waiting car parked near the Hungry Valley Recreational Area.

Officials with the sheriff’s aviation unit said the rescue was their first since a Pacific storm dumped more than a foot of snow in the Ventura County backcountry last week.