Whether they were part of the
official search for missing snowboarder Kate Svitek or
not, skiers and snowboarders in the glades of the Northwest
Territory were looking for her Monday.
Kate Svitek, 23, a Mount Bachelor ticket attendant and
Bend resident got separated from her friends around noon
Saturday while snowboarding in the chutes off the Northwest
ski lift. She was officially reported missing after the
ski area closed at 5 p.m. The ski patrol began a search
at that time and notified Deschutes County Search and
Rescue (SAR). Teams of SAR volunteers and employees from
the mountain combed the mountain again Monday using a
search and rescue technique in which the searchers form
a line from the top of the search area to the bottom and
then slowly traverse around the mountain staying in constant
visual and verbal contact with the person above and below
them.
Even though they've already searched the area, they fanned
out across the Northwest Territory again, slogging through
thigh-deep snow on skis and snowshoes. On the mountain,
the mood was grim.
Skiers and snowboarders who knew about Kate stopped to
ask lift operators what they had heard and how they could
volunteer.
Back in the glades, people went slower than usual, scanning
the areas around them closely and pointing out trees with
flagging tape attached to them. The searchers are using
the tape to mark areas they have already searched. Standing
on the getback trail, two SAR volunteers wearing snowshoes
and carrying large backpacks, tied a piece of pink flagging
tape to the branch of a tree just above a set of tracks
leading downhill off the getback trail.
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Then they stepped off the trail into the deep snow,
using ski poles to steady themselves as they headed
off following the tracks. Overhead, a search helicopter
from the National Guard flew low over the trees making
pass after pass, slowly working its way up the mountain.In
the woods, the sound of searchers calling Kate's name
floated eerily through the trees.
The normally peaceful glades of the northwest territory
were filled with shouts of searchers communicating with
one another and the high whine of snowmobiles traversing
the area downhill from the getback.
Stopping for a break, Jerry Newman of Bend pushed the
visor from his snowmobile helmet up before saying he
and his four companions had heard about the missing
boarder on TV. Just a few weeks ago he and his friends
found a stranded snowboarder walking along the trail
that runs around the entire mountain so they thought
they might be able to help out. "We normally ride
on Tuesdays," he said. "But we thought we'd
come out today instead. Tomorrow it might be too late."
Stuck working the Skyliner lift, Jon Chartrand, 20,
was frustrated he couldn't join the search effort. He
works as a ticket checker and has worked with Kate.
He said he's not a close friend - he's snowboarded with
her a few times - but that since she's been on his mind
since she disappeared. "It's really bothering me.
I've been wanting to go over there all day and help
look for her," he said.
In the woods, the searchers are still optimistic they
might find Kate alive. Searchers believe she might have
fallen into a hole and injured herself so she can't
get out. If that's the case and she was able to build
some kind of snow cave and stay warm enough, searchers
say she's got a good chance.
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