Just after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 7, Teton County Search & Rescue was notified of an injured skier deep in the Mosquito Creek area.
TCSAR responds to an injured skier in the Mosquito Creek area. Photo: TCSAR
The skier, a 16-year-old local male, needed rescuing after he aired over a natural cliff feature and upon landing, struck an object beneath the snow. The skier and a partner had used snowmobiles to access the area that morning and were about 7 miles from the trailhead.
At the time of the accident, TCSAR volunteers were already in the rescue helicopter getting ready for a training operation with Grand Targhee Ski Patrol and avalanche dogs. Just as the ship touched down at Grand Targhee, the team got the call. They lifted up and flew to the site in Mosquito Creek.
The skier had reportedly aired over a steep cliffy zone and struck an object in the snow when he landed. Photo: TCSAR
TCSAR decided the best way to extract the patient was via short-haul, which lifts a patient harnessed to the end of a rope below the helicopter for a short flight out of the backcountry. Once on scene, the volunteers assessed the skier’s injuries, packaged him for short-haul, and flew him to a landing zone and waiting ambulance near Fall Creek Road.
TCSAR volunteers conduct a successful short-haul for an injured skier in Mosquito Creek. Photo: TCSAR
From the time of the initial 911 call, TCSAR was able to get this skier out of the backcountry to definitive medical care in 1 hour, 11 minutes. This was due to the speed of the helicopter and good flying weather, of course, but also the extensive training the volunteers do all year long in order to quickly and efficiently perform complex missions.