Snowbird ski patrol and Salt Lake County Search and Rescue crews teamed up to rescue a Houston man who became lost in the backcountry southeast of Snowbird Ski Resort this week.
Rami Maish, 35, left his wife around 11 a.m. so he could pursue some more difficult terrain, said Salt Lake County deputy sheriff Shane Taylor.
Maish was last heard from at 1 p.m. when he phoned Snowbird day care to check up on his daughter. Shortly thereafter Maish took a ski lift to Snowbird's summit, where he skied past some out-of-bounds markers and became lost in the Mineral Basin area.
"He was an intermediate skier who basically had no business being out in the backcountry," Taylor said.
Maish's wife reported him missing, and at 6:22 p.m. search and rescue crews were called to assist Snowbird.
Ski patrol members found Maish's skis and poles shortly before 8:30 p.m. Maish had abandoned his equipment and attempted to climb back to the resort but climbed the wrong way. When rescuers found him, Maish was near American Fork Canyon, some nine miles from Snowbird, Taylor said.
A sheriff's helicopter transported Maish back to the resort quickly before severe cold exposure set in. Maish was in good condition when he landed at Snowbird.