News and Announcements

12/28/2016 – Stranded Subject

SAR Staff, Hasty Team, SVU, and WCSAR responded to search for a stranded subject to the east of Dog Valley. 4×4 teams staged at Bordertown, and ATVs/UTVs started at the Verdi entrance to Dog Valley. Teams from both sides located the subject, guided by a cell phone ping, at the same time. The vehicle was left in the middle of the mud/ice bog and the subject was transported to the Bordertown staging to meet with his father.

12/25/2016 – Stranded Subjects

SAR Staff, Hasty Team, SVU, and WCSAR responded to the N. Virginia entrance to Peavine to locate two subjects in a stuck 4×4 near the top of Peavine. SAR teams located the vehicle on the main road, in the same general location that vehicles historically get stuck when there is snow on the road in that area. The subjects were transported back to staging.

12/24/2016 – Lost Snowboarder

SAR Staff, Hasty Team, SVU, and WCSAR responded to the entrance to Sunridge Estates, just below the Reindeer Lodge to search for a lost snowboarder from the Mt. Rose Ski Resort. A 911 call from the subject generated a cell phone ping, but his phone died shortly after the call. 4×4 vehicles and a tracked ATV were used to transport back country foot teams to the end of Hibbits Trail Road, which put them approximately .9 of a mile from the subject’s location. The area is extremely difficult to traverse due to the steep grade of the area, thick manzanita, snow, and creek crossings. When the first team arrived at the location of the cell phone pings, no one was there, with no evidence of anyone being there. A call was put in for RAVEN to assist, but shortly after that, the subject was located at the Winter’s Creek Lodge. He had become tired of waiting for assistance, so he decided to hike back up hill to the ski resort (after he had been told to stay in place by dispatch). Ground teams were either brought out on the route they had gone in on, or went down a ridge line to Davis Creek Park.

12/19/2016 – Stranded Hunters

SAR Staff, Hasty Team, SVU, and WCSAR responded to a staging location at Warriors Point on SR445 to search for two subjects that were stranded north of Pyramid Lake. The subjects had set off a SPOT device which gave precise coordinates of their location. SAR assets located the subjects approximately 23 miles from the staging location. They were cold, but medically fine. Since their vehicle was very nicely stuck in a washout, they were transported back to staging and given a ride to a motel in Reno.

12/11/2016 – Continuation of Avalanche Search

All teams once again responded to the Mt. Rose Ski Resort to continue the search for the missing skier from the previous day. Avalanche mitigation had been performed the previous day, as well as Sunday morning to reduce the risk to searchers. Dog teams were sent in initially to check the area prior to the arrival of foot teams. Areas of interest from the dog teams were searched, with particular interest in an area where dog teams had alerted on both days. A probe line team member detected an object in about eight feet of snow, and after digging, the subject was located, deceased.