Missing Skier Found Alive And Healthy Near Spout Springs

A 59-year old Milton-Freewater man spent an uncomfortable night on the mountain near Spout Springs before being rescued by searchers shortly after noon Tuesday.

Kent Bigler had gone to the ski resort for a day of downhill skiing, but got turned around and went off the back side of the mountain. His wife reported him missing tot he Union County Sheriff’s Office at 10:45PM. Sheriff’s Search & Rescue personnel responded and commenced searching immediately, despite the 14 degree temperature and heavy blowing snow.

“Ordinarily we wouldn’t search under those conditions in that kind of terrain,” said the Search & Rescue incident commander J.B. Brock, “but the weather forecast was for several feet of snow the following day, so thought this was our best chance to find him.”

Because of the forecast, search managers requested mutual aid from surrounding agencies, and teams from Wallowa County, Umatilla County, Baker County, and Walla Walla County WA converged on the mountain. Also assisting in the search for the man were ski patrol teams from Anthony Lakes Ski Resort and Spout Springs. The La Grande Snow Drifters snowmobile club was on standby, had the search continued much longer.

Mr. Bigler was found by a two-man ski patrol team from Anthony Lakes just above a sheer drop off, on the northeast side of the mountain. The experienced skier and Boy Scouts scout leader had made a snow shelter and waited for help, having lost one ski and suffering a badly pulled muscle in a fall. He was assisted back up the hill by the ski patrol team, then taken back to the lodge by snowmobile and tracked ATV. Though exhausted and suffering from mild hypothermia, he was in good spirits and declined medical attention, though La Grande Fire and Rescue had sent an ambulance to the scene. Brock said that had Bigler not been wearing excellent cold-weather clothing, or had not been found today, the ending could have been very different.

Sheriff Boyd Rasmussen expressed relief at the rescue, and thanked all those who participated in the search.