A search began Monday morning for two snowboarders believed to be lost on Mount Rainier. Authorities said that at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, the snowboarders, ages 20 and 21, called 9-1-1 to report they'd become lost in a winter storm while descending from Camp Muir. They had winter gear, smart phones and a compass, but no overnight gear, officials said. Four teams totaling 28 people have since started to search for the missing individuals, Derek Tyndall and Thomas Dale, according to a Mount Rainier National Park spokesman. Park Service rescuers are being assisted by 18 members of Tacoma and Olympic Mountain Rescue and two search dogs from Kitsap County. Aircraft assistance is being organized if weather conditions permit aerial searching. Tyndall and Dale checked in by cell phone Monday morning and reported they had made a snow cave for the night and were cold but in good condition, officials said. The weather overnight was severe, with high winds and 20 inches of fresh snow at Paradise. Conditions are better today but with low visibility. Based on landmarks the two were able to describe in the fog, and information from their cell phones, searchers are focusing on an area around McClure Rock at an elevation of about 7,500 feet, officials said.
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