Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Search and Rescue Teams were activated to look for 8 missing UCLA students who had become lost and hypothermic in the snow.

The search area was near Throop Peak at an 8,200 foot elevation.  The conditions were snowy and icy, with some drifts causing the rescuers to plunge thigh-deep into the snow drifts.  The students are members of the UCLA Hiking Club.  Five members of the group were able to navigate their way out of the forest, while the remaining 8 were lost.

Rescue teams from San Dimas, Crescenta Valley, and Palmdale Sheriff’s Stations responded to the 9-1-1 call.  The hikers were located at 12:30 Sunday morning by the Montrose Search and Rescue Team from Crescenta Valley Station.  It took rescuers 6 hours to hike out the students due to the treacherous conditions.  To prevent the students from falling, the rescue team placed harnesses and ropes on them to safely lower them down icy slopes.

The students were elated to see the rescue team, some being mildly hypothermic.  None of the students required medical attention, and were taken back to their cars.

Note: Throop Peak was named for Amos G. Throop, the founder of CalTech in Pasadena.