Lost snowboarder from Bend rescued on Mt. Ashland

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, assisted by the Mt. Ashland Ski Patrol, rescued a lost snowboarder from Bend on Saturday night.

SAR managers were notified around 6 p.m. of a missing snowboarder on the south side of the mountain, beyond the ski resort boundary, sheriff’s Sgt. Julie Denney said Sunday.

Eric Hostetler, 40, of Bend, did not return as expected after snowboarding from the Mt. Ashland ski area parking lot. His wife contacted ski patrol members at the lodge, who contacted SAR. Denney said.

SAR deployed search teams to the ski resort and the area below. Ski patrol members followed Hostetler’s tracks in the snow more than two miles south through the Cottonwood Creek drainage. They located him at about 9 p.m.

A SAR Sno-Cat team intercepted the search party and Hostetler on Forest Service Road 40S06 and returned them all to safety.

“Hostelter is an experienced snowboarder who was dressed for the conditions,” Denney said in a news release, adding that there were no injuries reported.

SAR officials urge skiers and snowboarders to refrain from going outside the boundaries of the ski area. Out-of-bounds activity is additionally dangerous at the end of the day, when darkness and cold can affect both survival and search effort, Denney said in a news release..

SAR managers thanked the ski patrol members who stayed after hours and immediately set out to find Hostetler. “Their coordination with SAR teams helped the operation end quickly and safely,” Denney said.