Lost California snowboarder rescued.
Lost California snowboarder rescued.

Two days after a snowboarder went missing at Mountain High Resort in California’s San Gabriel Mountains, the man was found by rescuers.

The 35-year-old Malachi Luis Garcia was riding with friends on Sunday at the resort which is about a 70-mile drive northeast from Los Angeles when he took a wrong turn during a snowstorm and got separated from the group. He kept going and eventually found himself in an isolated location around 4 miles from the resort.

Underdressed, he was just wearing a hooded sweatshirt, Garcia kept in constant motion during the day stave off hyperthermia and drank stream water. At night he hunkered down beside big trees to stay warm.

All the while a joint task force including many different agencies launched an all out search for the missing man. For two days the search went on with no evidence of Garcia’s whereabouts but on Tuesday, January 28th the storm began to clear and Garcia started to walk around as much as possible to leave tracks for rescuers to find. With a break in the weather, a helicopter was dispatched to survey an unsearched area and they saw his fresh tracks. The helicopter followed the tracks and got a visual on Garcia.

Rescuers eventually made it to Garcia’s position and found him cold and exhausted but happy to be found. Despite spending two days lost in the woods, Garcia reportedly “didn’t have a scratch on him.” He was transported to Pomona Valley Hospital where he is in good spirits. Cheers to all the rescuers involved in this incredible effort!

“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Missing Persons Detail advises At-Risk Missing Person, Malachi Luis Garcia, has been located. Thank you to the public, the media, Aero Bureau, and deputy personnel for their tireless efforts in the search for Mr. Garcia.”

images from Palmdale Sheriffs Station & Sierra Madre Search and Rescue

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