Missing Skiers in Tahoe Found

Patrick Frost, 35, and Christopher Gerwig, 32, both of San Francisco were spotted by a Placer County Sheriff's Department helicopter about two miles from the Alpine Meadows ski resort just west of Lake Tahoe.

The two, described as expert skiers, were picked up near Hell Hole Reservoir and were being flown to Auburn Airport, department spokeswoman Kelly Hernandez said. She did not know their condition.

TRUCKEE (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― Rescuers searched Monday for two skiers that went missing near Lake Tahoe during a winter storm that dumped fresh snow in the Sierra Nevada and closed a 40-mile stretch of highway north of Los Angeles.

Patrick Frost, 35, and Christopher Gerwig, 32, both of San Francisco, were last seen Saturday morning at the Alpine Meadows ski resort just west of Lake Tahoe.

Efforts to rescue the two men, described as expert skiers, were suspended Sunday night and resumed again around 7:30 a.m. Monday, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

"I would say if they sought shelter, and they're not wet and not caught in an avalanche zone, then their chances are good," Placer County sheriff's Sgt. John Giovannini said.

The men were last seen in the bar in the Alpine Meadows ski lodge at about 11:30 a.m., sheriff's officials reported. The two apparently received instructions or directions from other patrons regarding backcountry skiing off of the Scott Chairlift and Beaver and Estelle bowls, according to the sheriff's office.