Desperate search for missing hiker, 22, who vanished on Mount Baldy during snowstorm when extreme weather hit California: Women sent friends videos of herself walking up frosty trail in heavy rain

• Rescue crews are continuing to look for Lifei ‘Ada’ Huang, 22, who vanished during a hike on Sunday
• Before her disappearance, Huang posted videos to social media showing heavy rain and snow on the trail
• Searches were repeatedly called off due to inclement weather and avalanche threats 

Rescue crews are scouring a California mountain in search of a college student who vanished during a snowstorm as her friends desperately plead for her to return home.

Lifei ‘Ada’ Huang, 22, a University of California Irvine student, was last seen February 4 as she embarked on a solo hike up Mount Baldy.

Huang texted her friends to share her plans and sent a video to her boyfriend as she approached the trail parking lot around 1:59 pm.

The 22-year-old posted several videos to social media from the trail, panning past snow-covered hills and the steep drop into the valley as rain poured down.

Around two hours later, communications stopped and the El Monte woman disappeared without a trace. Rescue teams began combing the area to no avail.

Lifei ‘Ada’ Huang, 22, a University of California Irvine student, disappeared Sunday as she hiked Mount Baldy

Before her disappearance, Huang posted several videos to social media showing the icy trail and punishing snow and rain

She was last seen wearing a yellow jacket, black goggles and black shoes

Mount Baldy, formally known as Mount San Antonio, sits on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties

As night fell, friends grew concerned when they hadn’t heard from her.

‘We didn’t go on the trail but we tried,’ Cherry Li told KTLA. ‘We couldn’t do anything because we needed professional help.’

Li explained that she and other friends gleaned Huang’s location from a ping from the Find My Location iPhone app, ‘and that’s all we have.’

Huang was an avid hiker, she said, who often liked to travel alone.

San Bernardino County search and rescue teams began looking for the student – who was last seen wearing a yellow jacket, black goggles and black shoes – at around 2:30 am Monday, but found no signs of her.

They resumed the search Tuesday amid heavy snowfall but were pulled off the trail due to avalanche risks.

Volunteers arrived again on Wednesday, but were unable to continue searching amid life-threatening conditions.

‘I don’t think she’s been to the trails with snowy weather or rain,’ Li said. ‘We just want her to come back home safe.’

San Bernardino County search and rescue teams began looking for the student Monday morning, finding no traces of her

Huang’s friends grew concerned after they lost communication with her. One friend said they gleaned her location from a ping from the Find My Location app

The search resumed Tuesday before crews were pulled off the mountain due to avalanche risks (pictured: conditions on Sunday, when Huang disappeared)

On Wednesday, volunteers were unable to continue searching for the 22-year-old amid dangerous conditions

Conditions on Mount Baldy can change rapidly, causing hikers to lose visibility in a span of minutes.

Photos posted to Facebook by the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team show the dismal weather on the mountain the day Huang vanished.

The team was dispatched Sunday night to assist three other hikers who ran out of daylight during their summit attempt.

Rescuers can be seen battling thick, wet snowfall as they trudge through at least a foot of powder.

In a statement, officials urged the public to stay away from the mountain this week.

‘The weather has effectively buried the mountain in snow and it is highly likely hikers will get into trouble,’ officials said.

‘Resources are stretched to their limits and hikers who get lost may have to wait long periods of time before help is available.’

They added that many hikers, regardless of experience level, ‘underestimate the steep terrain, unpredictable weather, and high winds that present themselves in our mountain areas.’

Huang was described as an avid hiker who often embarked on solo trips

Photos show the dreary conditions on the mountain the day of Huang’s disappearance, with at least a foot of snow on the ground

Officials have urged hikers to avoid Mount Baldy this week, as ‘weather has effectively buried the mountain in snow’

Mount Baldy has claimed the lives of several hikers this year, including a 75-year-old man in January

Mount Baldy has proven to be treacherous for hikers, claiming lives every year.

In January 2023, British actor Julian Sands, 65, was reported missing by his family after he failed to return from a hike. His remains were found months later in a remote canyon by other hikers.

Also in January, Crystal Paul Gonzalez-Landas, 56, slid between 500 and 700 feet down the steep and icy Baldy Bowl slope.

A San Bernardino County sheriff’s department rescue team attempted to reach her several times but were deterred by bad weather. By the time crews reached her and began CPR, she had passed away.

Just last month, 75-year-old Raymond Kopecky plummeted off a cliff to his death as he climbed the Sugarloaf Peak trail.

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