Industry News
Search and rescue teams searching for a skier who’s been missing since Christmas Day have called off their search. The search was called off Thursday 12/30/21. It has been determined there is no realistic possibility the man has survived the severe winter conditions. A scaled response is still planned for recovery operations at the resort.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office will be suspending emergency rescue operations at Northstar Ski Resort for missing skier Rory Angelotta. It has been determined there is no realistic possibility Rory has survived the severe winter conditions. A scaled response is still planned for recovery operations at the resort.
Over six days, a combined total of over 13,000 personnel hours has been committed to this operation. Approximately 220 personnel from 17 different agencies and rescue organizations have braved extreme winter mountain conditions in their search for Rory. The search conditions included high winds, whiteout conditions, overnight temperatures in the teens, and over seven feet of new snow since the beginning of the search. Resources deployed included Nordic skiers, snowshoers, snowcats, snowmobiles, a Blackhawk helicopter, and a CHP helicopter deploying advanced aerial borne radar technology.
We would like to give thanks to the following organizations for their tremendous outpouring of support:
Northstar Ski Patrol, Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue (SAR), Placer County SAR, Nevada County SAR, Washoe County SAR, Butte County SAR, Marin County SAR, Bay Area Mountain SAR, Douglas County SAR, Yosemite SAR, Tahoe Back County Ski Patrol, area resort Ski Patrol, National Ski Patrol, Nevada Air National Guard, California Highway Patrol, Northstar California Ski Resort, and Northstar Fire.
This was a difficult decision, especially for the volunteers who have worked so hard to bring Rory home. Unfortunately, it was a decision that had to be made. Our hearts go out to the family.
Rory Angelotta, 43, of Truckee, CA, was last seen at the Comstock Lift at Northstar California Resort, where he scanned his pass. He is the general manager of the Surefoot ski shop at Northstar.
His friends reported him missing when he failed to show up for Christmas Day dinner. Although an experienced backcountry skier, it’s believed he had avalanche gear with him, he is new to the area.
At 9:57 p.m. on Christmas Day, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a missing skier at Northstar ski resort. 43-year-old Rory Angelotta of Truckee, CA told the reporting party he was going to go skiing before having Christmas dinner with friends. When Angelotta did not show up for dinner, his friends called to report him overdue.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office responded and immediately dispatched additional emergency resources, including Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue, Nevada County Search and Rescue, and Northstar Ski Patrol. The investigation revealed that around 11:30 a.m., Angelotta’s ski pass was scanned at the Comstock lift. There was no other activity registered to his pass since that time. An emergency ping on Angelotta’s phone last showed a short call made from the Northstar area at 11:25 a.m. before his phone was turned off. Angelotta’s vehicle was also found parked in the Northstar parking lot.
Searchers responded and combed the mountain and surrounding areas, despite extreme weather. Rescue personnel were on skis, snowmobiles, and a snowcat during their search. They faced high avalanche danger, strong winds, whiteout flurries, frigid temperatures, and heavy snow loads before calling off their search in the evening, on December 26th. Search efforts continue today, but due to the ongoing severe storm and closed highways, searchers face significant challenges.
We are hoping to get information to lead us to where Angelotta may have chosen to ski the afternoon he went missing. Angelotta is described as very friendly and outgoing. He recently moved to the Truckee area from Colorado in October and worked as the General Manager of the Surefoot ski shop in Northstar.
He was last believed to be wearing a navy blue Fly Low jacket, blue helmet, and black goggles. If anyone has spoken with or seen Angelotta between Christmas Day and today, please contact the Placer County Sheriff’s Office at (530) 886-5375.
The Lake Tahoe area just experienced its snowiest December ever recorded, with over 200″ of snow.
The comment section on Snowbrians needs to either have better editors or just go away. It’s so toxic. I wish this post would just go away so I don’t have to look at this dead man’s face any longer……….Or mayby I just forget about Snowbrians, yeah that’s the better idea
He probably fell in a tree well, they’ll find him come july