Backcountry skier rescued in Mount Baker wilderness

BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- A Seattle backcountry expert skier has been found alive in a remote area of the Mount Baker wilderness by members of a rescue team who happened to be training nearby.

The Bellingham Herald reports 46-year-old Dave Drulard had been missing for 21 hours when he was found Sunday by two members of a Bellingham Mountain Rescue Council search and rescue team.

Mt. Baker Ski Area president Duncan Howatt says employees searched for Drulard until about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, using people on skis, snowmobiles and snow tractors.

Howatt said Drulard's wife notified the ski area about 5 p.m. Saturday, when he didn't return from what was supposed to be a short trip. He didn't say exactly where he was headed.

Three people are missing and presumed dead this winter after they disappeared in the same general location near Heather Meadows.