San Bernardino County’s West Valley Search and Rescue responded to a call for an overdue hiker on California’s Mt. Baldy on Sunday. According to a Facebook post by the SAR team, rescuers were able to locate the body of the hiker, “who had succumb[ed] to injuries sustained from [a] fall in extremely steep conditions.” The SAR team was forced to camp on the mountain overnight due to dangerous conditions until a helicopter hoisted them out the following day. 

The deceased hiker, identified as 75-year-old Raymond Kopecky, was a local who “avidly” hiked Mt. Baldy, according to CBS News. 

Mt. Baldy, just over an hour outside of Los Angeles, is a popular hiking destination that’s been the scene of numerous high profile search and rescue operations over the years. A year ago, actor Julian Sands went missing on the peak, spurring a monthslong search that terminated when a group of hikers found his body in June. 

While weather in the southern California lowlands stays mild in the winter, snowy and icy conditions are common on Mt. Baldy. A significant portion of rescues result from hikers who have slipped on ice and fallen down the mountain’s steep, canyoned terrain. 

In August, the LA Times reported that Mt. Baldy had seen over 100 rescues since 2020, and at least 10 fatalities—the trails see high traffic thanks to easy access from LA. At the time, the San Bernardino County Sheriff proposed measures to restrict access to the peak when conditions are dangerous. 

The sheriff’s office has requested that the US Forest Service, which manages Mt. Baldy access, take action such as implementing a permitting system to limit hiker access in the winter. As of now, access to the peak remains unrestricted year-round. 

“We would like to remind hikers to travel with friends and wear appropriate gear for their conditions,” West Valley Search and Rescue wrote in their Facebook post.

From 2024