Rick Lindfors – Meridian Editor in Chief
Los Angeles – Just outside the Los Angeles city limits shoots a more than ten-thousand foot peak. Mt. San Antonio, commonly known as Mt. Baldy, is within plain view of the second most populous city in the U.S. and draws hundreds of thousands to its trails in the San Gabriel mountain range. In 2023, the mountain gained national attention after the disappearance and death of a Hollywood actor with SAR coordinators calling on the public to be more careful when venturing out.
Mt. Baldy is a mission-heavy area according to West Valley Search and Rescue commander Eric Vetere. He says while 2023 has been a normal year for their number of callouts, there has been more focus on the mountain after high-profile incidents. “The mountain isn’t any more dangerous or busy,” he said. “You may have three or four hundred people that go up there on a day […] and we may not get a call at all. To us it seems like a very dangerous environment but most people are able to navigate it.”
The Search and Rescue community in the U.S. is already familiar with Mt. Baldy. In December 2019, WVSAR member Tim Staples was killed in a fall while searching for a missing hiker on the mountain in snowy conditions. The subject of that rescue effort was found deceased months later.
In January 2023, Actor Julian Sands went missing while climbing Mt. Baldy. Sands, 65, was an experienced mountaineer and went missing January 13. Initial search efforts were hampered by severe weather. Sands’ remains were discovered by a group of hikers in the Goode Canyon area on the northwest side of the mountain in June. The hikers who discovered his remains spoke with the Los Angeles Times in August about the haunting experience
and warned that people need to be careful on the steep slopes and carry the right equipment for winter ascents.
The official cause of Sands’ death is still undetermined. Although Baldy doesn’t have a glacier, it still poses a technical climbing challenge in the winter months with heavy snowfall. Climbers need ice axes, crampons and the right boots and need them equipped when ascending. “You come across a lot of people who have an ice axe, have a helmet, have proper crampons and boots but maybe they’re not wearing it […] when something happens it’s too late for them,” says Vetere. He says SAR teams often encounter people who attempt to put crampons on regular hiking boots or don’t have experience with winter climbing equipment. Goode Canyon is a frequent area for Members of West Valley Search and Rescue look for actor Julian Sands in June 2023 (WVSAR) winter rescues. Baldy is also prone to avalanches with 35-45 degree slopes. In the summer, WVSAR frequently deals with hikers who get lost on the slopes.
WVSAR tries to prevent missions from happening through public education events and relationships with hiking groups in their area. WVSAR members will also post at trailheads to interact with people about safety on the mountain. The team is also building displays to educate people on winter climbing equipment. WVSAR also uses its social media profile to promote hiker safety tips and show proper equipment usage. Vetere says San Bernardino County, where WVSAR is based, is also pressing the U.S. Forest Service to become more involved with preventative measures such as safety closures and patrols in the area.