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Photo: Julien Lecorps

On Tuesday, May 1, at approximately 4:30 p.m., Mono County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a call regarding a black Honda Civic that had been parked near Poole Plant Road off Hwy 120 West since April 19.

Mono County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the area and found a note left under the windshield wiper of the vehicle stating that a solo backcountry skier was heading up Mount Dana Couloir for the day to ski down Cocaine Chute. With the warmer temperatures, even in the higher elevations, snow conditions have been affected and several avalanches have been seen in this area over the past several weeks.

Boris Avdeev, age 31, of Ann Arbor, Mich., an experienced backcountry skier, has not been heard from since setting out on his solo backcountry ski trip on April 19. On Wednesday, May 2, Mono County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SAR) ground teams were dispatched to the Cocaine Chute area to start performing a lower chute search to see if they could locate Avdeev. The ground teams were unable to locate him. On Thursday, May 3, additional resources were requested including a helicopter from Fallon Air Station, two rescue dog teams, and a mutual aid request for Inyo County Sheriff’s and Yosemite Search and Rescue teams to help aid in the search efforts.

This is currently an ongoing Search and Rescue operation and more details will be given as they become available. If anyone has any information regarding this current operation that may aid the search teams, please contact Mono County Sheriff’s Department Dispatch at 760.932.7549. -Press Release

The Backcountry Horsemen of California, Eastern Sierra Unit would like to thank the following vendors for the generous donations in support of their annual dinner and fund raiser. The event, which took place on Saturday, March 10, was a huge success due to the vendors.

Galen Rowell Gallery

Sage to Summit

Anne Marie’s Home Boutique

Manor True Value – Steve & Debbie Christensen

Yamatani Japanese Restaurant

Bishop Country Club

The Back Alley

Mr. K’s Automotive

Steve’s Auto & Truck Parts

Bud Moody

The Toggery

Tom’s Place Resort

Lee & Jennifer Roeser

Florene Trainor Photography

Tim Trainor

Vacie Tex and Bunkhouse Catering

The Peavine Pickers

The Backcountry Horsemen of California is a group of dedicated men and women actively participating as caretakers of the wilderness. They are involved in preserving stock users’ historic use of wilderness trails, they perform public service activities for the managing federal agencies and they are continually working to educate their members on how to be ”Gentle Users” by practicing Leave No Trace methods and by treating other users with courtesy and consideration. California and the western states have a long tradition of using pack and saddle stock in the backcountry. Backcountry Horsemen carry on this tradition in modern times. With this use comes the responsibility and obligation to care for these wild lands and to ensure their use for future generations. -Press Release

Backcountry film festival

Celebrate the human-powered experience during the Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival, brought to you by Mammoth Nordic. The event starts at 6 p.m. this Friday, Jan. 20, at the Forest Service Auditorium in Mammoth Lakes. Enter the raffle to have a chance to win the grand prize of a  6-day Nordic ski trip to Winthrop, Wash. Entry tickets are $10 presale, available at Access Art & Business Center, and $15 at the door. Details at mammothnordic.com.

“Weather is for the Birds”

Could you survive in the bird world? Explore the world of birds during “This Weather Is For The Birds,” a 30-minute interactive program. This family program will engage all your senses as you compare yourself to a bird.

Program starts at 2 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 21, at the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center on Hwy 203, at the entrance to Mammoth Lakes. The free presentation is sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service, Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, the National Parks Service, and Mammoth Lakes Tourism.

OHV vehicle grant open house

The Inyo National Forest and Bishop Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be requesting grant funds from the State of California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation division for the purpose of enhancing and managing motorized recreation in this area.

The agencies will hold an informal Open House from 4-6 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 30, at the Forest Service/BLM office located at 351 Pacu Lane in Bishop. Representatives from the two agencies will be available to answer questions about potential grants and to receive your ideas about the types of projects and other opportunities which could be funded through these grants.

For more information, or if you have special needs for accommodation in order to participate, call Marty Hornick, Forest Trails Coordinator, at 760.873.2461 or Rich Williams, BLM Recreation Planner, at 760.872.5033.

Edison lends you a tenor

There’s no better way to start off 2012 at the Edison Theatre than with a riotous, door-slamming, dress-dropping, mixed-up-identity farce: Ken Ludwig’s “Lend Me a Tenor!”

It’s Sept. 8, 1934, and Cleveland’s premiere opera producer is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The tickets are sold, the stage is set, and the 30-piece orchestra is warming up. But, it’s about to become “un disastro gigantesco.” With three minutes to curtain, “Il Stupendo,” the world’s greatest tenor, is missing! And that’s only in the first five minutes! Love, lust, laughter, romance, chases, champagne and opera — all in one show!

The local cast features Chuck Scatolini as Tito Merelli, the great Italian Tenor also known as “Il Stupendo;” Greg Young is the scheming opera manager Mr. Saunders; Tim Casey is Max, Saunders’ mousy assistant, who dreams of an operatic career and who’s in love with Saunders’ daughter, Maggie played by Erica Sutch, who in turn is infatuated with “Il Stupendo.”

Alice Suszynski plays Julia the overexcited chairman of the opera board; Lynne Blanche is the sexy soprano, Diana; Jim Marcotte plays the star-struck bellhop; and Juliana Olinka is “Il Stupendo’s” jealous wife, Maria.

“Lend Me a Tenor,” plays Feb. 9-26, for three weekends, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., and on Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m. Tickets: $20 General Admission, $18 for Seniors and Students.

Reservations, group sales, gift-giving and fundraiser opportunities: contact Shira Dubrovner at 760.934.6592 or shira@mammothlakesfoundation.org.

A possible head injury led Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue to the third pillar of Mt. Dana last Saturday, where James McHugh, 38, of Lake Tahoe, Calif. had been skiing with friends. The area is a popular backcountry spring ski descent three miles northeast of Tioga Pass.

While skiing, McHugh slid down approximately 150 feet, striking his head on a rock during the slide. His friends reached him quickly and began administering first aid. He suffered numerous cuts and abrasions and a possible head injury. The group activated a Spot Satellite GPS Messenger and also had a member of their group ski down to their vehicles to obtain cell service to contact the Mono County Sheriff’s Department.

SAR sent rescue teams to McHugh’s location as his friends began sliding him down the 1,500 foot slope. Due to his possible head injury and remote location, a Navy Seahawk helicopter from Fallon Naval Air Station was requested and responded to the scene. McHugh was ultimately lowered down the slope where SAR members and Mono County Paramedics reached him. He was transported to the ambulance via litter and then taken to Mammoth Hospital for treatment and evaluation. -MCSD/LK