Kirkwood, CA…On the evening of February 10th, the Amador County Sheriff’s Office received a report that 34-year-old Mihayl Petkov of San Francisco was in a remote location east of Silver Lake and needed help. Petkov had gone skiing at Kirkwood and went out of bounds off the back side of the mountain. He attempted to ski to safety, but fell in the powder and was unable to reattach his skis. After hiking in several feet of snow until dark, he was able to send a message from his phone asking for friends to call for help. Amador Search and Rescue personnel responded with snowmobiles and a snowcat provided by PG&E, but they were unable to access Petkov due to the dangerous conditions at night. A CHP Helicopter responded and located Petkov, but was also unable to access him. The following morning, the snowmobiles, the snowcat, and the helicopter made a second rescue attempt, this time accompanied by Kirkwood Ski Patrol. This time, the CHP helicopter was able to find a safe place to land and transported Petkov back to Kirkwood.

The Amador County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank CHP, Kirkwood Ski Patrol, and PG&E for their help in making this a successful mission.

A few notes on safety: If you are skiing at a resort, stay within the boundaries. If you are recreating in the backcountry do not go by yourself. Always be prepared for the worst. If you find yourself in a bad situation, rescuers might not be able to get to you right away.

Source = Amador Sheriff’s Office