Injured hiker rescued from Snowmass Mountain
EcoFlight/Courtesy photo
On Saturday, June 21, at 8:18 a.m., the Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center received a report, via a 911-text activation, of a hiker suffering from an ankle injury, according to a PitkinAlert notification. The call originated from a point just off the peak of Snowmass Mountain, located in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness at an altitude of approximately 13,000 feet. It was reported that the injured hiker was unable to walk or bear weight with his injured ankle.
At 11:18 a.m., after being notified of the need for a rescue, Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA) deployed a team of 19 volunteer members to locate and possibly transport the injured hiker out of the backcountry. Additionally, a High Altitude Army Training Site (HAATS) rescue helicopter with MRA members deployed.
Moving through steep and hazardous terrain, MRA rescuers located and made contact with the injured hiker and his companion at approximately 1:30 p.m., where he was medically assessed and stabilized. The rescue team successfully transported the patient to Aspen Valley Health. All MRA volunteer rescuers were safely out of the field by 4:30 p.m.
The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all of the members at MRA, HAATS, and Aspen Ambulance for their efforts and successful rescue.
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