Deceased/Not Found CA - 1st Lt. Matthew Kraft, adult, didn't return from skiing trip, Kearsarge Pass, 23 Feb 2019

[Herat]

There are several bail-out points on the trail:

To the north, is Big Pine Creek, about 5o miles away

Farther north are Bishop Pass, Piute Pass

Also to the west one could travel down the canyon to Kanamyer and Copper Creek Trailhead on Highway 180.

I'm really worried that he was caught in an avalanche, though.

Considering the search area is more than 400 square miles and under 20-50 feet of snow, I sure hope the SAR up on Kearsarge can find some tracks of his

 

[Herat]

Searches have found avalanche debris:

Avalanche debris found in area of search for missing Marine

More text from Inyo County Sheriff's Office:

Inyo County Sheriff's Office

Today's search will be by air as there is high avalanche danger for a ground search

 

[Herat]

This is an example of the amount of snow in the Sierras that has accumulated. This is about 50 miles north of his intended exit point, BUT about 3000 ft lower elevation

Incredible footage shows driver passing through 500 inches of snow | Daily Mail Online

 

[zecats]

This is an example of the amount of snow in the Sierras that has accumulated. This is about 50 miles north of his intended exit point, BUT about 3000 ft lower elevation

Incredible footage shows driver passing through 500 inches of snow | Daily Mail Online

Yikes! Would he have been prepared for this? Would he have been aware even? After starting out, how soon before he ran into this much snow? Could he have managed it? And would he have considered the possibility of avalanches? I’m hoping he did not continue into all of this but I speculate he did. So many questions. Especially why would he attempt this unless he got too far into it and couldn’t find a way back/out.

 

[Herat]

Yikes! Would he have been prepared for this? Would he have been aware even? After starting out, how soon before he ran into this much snow? Could he have managed it? And would he have considered the possibility of avalanches? I’m hoping he did not continue into all of this but I speculate he did. So many questions. Especially why would he attempt this unless he got too far into it and couldn’t find a way back/out.

I would assume he had been monitoring the weather but perhaps didn't anticipate how much more snow there is at higher elevation and how cold and windy it would be.

My very cautious nature would require me to have done a great deal of backcountry skiing and snowshoeing to consider a trip like this. And I would never do it alone, only with a guide. And I would take a SPOT or Garmin, or other GPS-satellite enabled beacon devices. And I would bail/backtrack at the first sign of avalanches. All of which he may have considered. Perhaps he had a great deal of winter training at Pickel Meadows Marine Base.

Maybe he's hunckered down in a remote wooded area away from the hard exposure. I pray so.

 

[Dawookie]

Yikes! Would he have been prepared for this? Would he have been aware even? After starting out, how soon before he ran into this much snow? Could he have managed it? And would he have considered the possibility of avalanches? I’m hoping he did not continue into all of this but I speculate he did. So many questions. Especially why would he attempt this unless he got too far into it and couldn’t find a way back/out.

If he was an experienced back country guy, he should have been prepared for it. As for being aware, he should have been. It's been well well talked about locally with how much snow has accumulated over the last month or so. He might not have hit the deep snow right away but the closer he got to Mammoth and Bridgeport, it would have gotten deeper and deeper. Probably a bad idea to do it this time of year

 

[Herat]

If he was an experienced back country guy, he should have been prepared for it. As for being aware, he should have been. It's been well well talked about locally with how much snow has accumulated over the last month or so. He might not have hit the deep snow right away but the closer he got to Mammoth and Bridgeport, it would have gotten deeper and deeper. Probably a bad idea to do it this time of year

The skiing near Tahoe has been phenomenal, but dangerous because of the depth of the powder after the storms in the last week of Feb. Thigh-deep powder off track. But there was a death of a skier who just got into powder too deep to get out of. Perhaps it wasn't so deep at the southern end but as above, the farther north the deeper the snow. This year has essentially been a series of cold atmospheric rivers full of snow.

The video farther back about the Sierra High Route was shot in April, 6 week later in the year than the start of Lt. Kraft's trip when the days are longer and warmer, and the snow has packed down considerably I believe there were 3 guys on that trip and they didn't do the entire Route

 

[Dawookie]

The skiing near Tahoe has been phenomenal, but dangerous because of the depth of the powder after the storms in the last week of Feb. Thigh-deep powder off track. But there was a death of a skier who just got into powder too deep to get out of. Perhaps it wasn't so deep at the southern end but as above, the farther north the deeper the snow. This year has essentially been a series of cold atmospheric rivers full of snow.

The video farther back about the Sierra High Route was shot in April, 6 week later in the year than the start of Lt. Kraft's trip when the days are longer and warmer, and the snow has packed down considerably I believe there were 3 guys on that trip and they didn't do the entire Route

Yeah I read about the skier dying up there. I have family down the hill from Tahoe and they were telling me how bad it's been up there.

The southern end where he started doesn't get as much but like you said, the farther north he went the worse the snow would be. Just hope he had the right gear and was fully prepared for anything

 

[zecats]

Yeah I read about the skier dying up there. I have family down the hill from Tahoe and they were telling me how bad it's been up there.

The southern end where he started doesn't get as much but like you said, the farther north he went the worse the snow would be. Just hope he had the right gear and was fully prepared for anything

And he basically could be anywhere along his planned route. Or on any off trail in an attempt to bail. Several bailout points were listed above by @Herat. He started Feb 23 and was supposed to finish March 4-5. Without being in contact during all that time, who knows when he actually ran into trouble. Or where? An immense undertaking to say the least, for him and now, for the searchers.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Search continues for Marine who went missing after backcountry ski trip

 

[Jim_M]

Search continues for Marine who went missing after backcountry ski trip

It certainly sounds like they are giving this their best.

Hopeful for a successful rescue of the 1st Lt!

 

[Herat]

That Sierra High Route video was lovely to look at. Incredible scenery and skies.

They didn’t actually do the same route as the summertime route. They were at lower elevation in some areas to be able to ski more of the route.

They did it in late April-May which would be 8 weeks later than Lt. Kraft’s trip

There were 2 of them so one person didnt have to carry all the gear and food

They also clearly had clear skies without apparent precipiation at all for the entire trip. He was faced with blizzard after blizzard and likely much colder daytime temps.

When one guy wasn’t feeling well, he was able to bail out to Mammoth for what appears to be a night or two.

They did 220 miles in 7 days. I can see where he would think he’d be able to accomplish 150 miles in 9 days

 

[Dawookie]

And he basically could be anywhere along his planned route. Or on any off trail in an attempt to bail. Several bailout points were listed above by @Herat. He started Feb 23 and was supposed to finish March 4-5. Without being in contact during all that time, who knows when he actually ran into trouble. Or where? An immense undertaking to say the least, for him and now, for the searchers.

They definitely have a lot of hard times ahead in the search. That's a long stretch and with the weather and snow, who knows exactly where he could be. Doesn't sound like he had a PLB otherwise they could pin down a better search location

 

[zecats]

They definitely have a lot of hard times ahead in the search. That's a long stretch and with the weather and snow, who knows exactly where he could be. Doesn't sound like he had a PLB otherwise they could pin down a better search location

I don't think he did either. It's been reported that he is adventurous and strong/well trained as a survivalist. What always amazes me though, is when someone (anyone) presumes they are capable of accomplishing the impossible without also planning for the possibilities that could go wrong. What ever is wrong with erring on the side of caution? JMO

 

[Herat]

This is a virtual tour of the route, although it starts from the Kings Canyon NP side, not the eastern Kearsage Pass route he took

It's beyond amazing without any snow on it

I wonder how he planned to navigate this vast expanse of snow and rock when the major landmarks were heavily snow covered and only intermittently identifiable between storms. Wouldn't he have at least had a GPS of some sort? (unfortunately, those run on batteries and batteries are heavy to carry and don't work well in the cold - I've slept with batteries in my clothes while camping to keep them warm and functional). If a GPS, why not just do the safe thing and carry a PLB as Dawookie mentions above?

What would his winter warfare training at Pickel Meadows Marine base have taught him about winter survival? Did he leave more detailed plans of his route with any buddies or family? Did he leave information about bail-out plans?

How much experience as a back country skier did he have? A solo backcountry skier.

My gut suspicion is that he is out there within 40 miles of Kearsage Pass. Please let them find him soon

 

[HayLouise]

Charles Davis‏ @CharlesPDavis

The search is intensifying for First Lt. Matthew Kraft, a Marine from Camp Pendleton who went missing in the Sierras during a 10-day solo back-country ski trip, with his Jeep recovered but the search complicated by heavy snow.

: @ABCWorldNews

Charles Davis on Twitter

(Video at link)

 

[HayLouise]

Morning Express with Robin Meade‏Verified account @MorningExp

Search and rescue crews still looking for a U.S. Marine missing after a 10 day hiking and ski trip near Bridgeport, California. Lt. Matthew Kraft was supposed to end his hike on March 4 or 5: https://trib.al/Fk7NiTt

Morning Express with Robin Meade on Twitter

(Video at link)

 

[HayLouise]

Santa Maria Times‏ @SantaMariaTimes

Crews search for Marine missing in California mountains First Lt. Matthew Kraft began trekking the rugged Sierra High Route on Feb. 23 and was scheduled to complete it Monday or Tuesday near Bridgeport, northeast of Yosemite National Park. https://buff.ly/2SVstGH

Santa Maria Times on Twitter

 

[HayLouise]

World News Tonight‏Verified account @ABCWorldNews

MISSING MARINE: The search for Marine Lt. Matthew Kraft, who disappeared during a ski trip in the High Sierras, is intensifying by air now as rescue teams on the ground had to turn back due to avalanche concerns. @TomLlamasABC reports. #TheIndex https://abcn.ws/2SRROBf

World News Tonight on Twitter

(Video at link)

 

[Dawookie]

This is a virtual tour of the route, although it starts from the Kings Canyon NP side, not the eastern Kearsage Pass route he took

It's beyond amazing without any snow on it

I wonder how he planned to navigate this vast expanse of snow and rock when the major landmarks were heavily snow covered and only intermittently identifiable between storms. Wouldn't he have at least had a GPS of some sort? (unfortunately, those run on batteries and batteries are heavy to carry and don't work well in the cold - I've slept with batteries in my clothes while camping to keep them warm and functional). If a GPS, why not just do the safe thing and carry a PLB as Dawookie mentions above?

What would his winter warfare training at Pickel Meadows Marine base have taught him about winter survival? Did he leave more detailed plans of his route with any buddies or family? Did he leave information about bail-out plans?

How much experience as a back country skier did he have? A solo backcountry skier.

My gut suspicion is that he is out there within 40 miles of Kearsage Pass. Please let them find him soon

If he tried to do this trip without a GPS messenger or a PLB, I don't think he would be that experienced or just plain stupid, especially at this time of year.

While batteries are heavy, he could have gone with a SPOT 3 unit and a small solar charger to recharge when there was sun. It would have allowed him to send his position at specifies times and it has an SOS feature that would send out his location at the push of a button.

My cousin is stationed at Pendleton right now. I'll see if I can get ahold of him and see if he's been through the course up there and if he has what they teach about winter survival.

Sadly I think he didn't make it very far either but sadly they may not find him for a while if at all.