Out-of-bounds Heavenly skier found

It took search and rescue crews several hours Wednesday to find a Southern California man who had skied under the boundary ropes at Heavenly Mountain Resort.

Vahe Saradjian, 62, of Glendale told El Dorado County sheriff’s search and rescue team members that he ducked under the resort boundary ropes near the Powder Bowl Express lift.

Saradjian called 911 saying he was disorientated, lost and unable to navigate the terrain because of the lack of snow. He was not prepared to stay overnight in the wilderness.

At about 6:20pm Feb. 27 a CHP helicopter located Saradjian next to a campfire in the Cold Creek drainage. This is below the resort boundary lines. Teams from El Dorado and Douglas counties reached him at about 7:15pm.

Heavenly won’t be letting Saradjian ski at the resort the rest of the season.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report