25 Volunteers brave slick conditions to rescue injured skier

TETON COUNTY, Wyo. (KIFI) — A 28-year-old skier is recovering after a grueling three-and-a-half-hour rescue operation on Taylor Mountain this past Friday.

The incident took place just before 12:30 PM on Friday, March 13th. Teton County Search & Rescue received an emergency alert for the injured skier, who'd injured her knee while skinning up from the Coal Creek drainage. Unable to ski or hike out, her partners called 911.

TCSAR dispatched three teams to ski into the area and placed a helicopter team on standby. The first volunteer team to reach the injured skier found her 800 feet up the mountain and roughly a mile from the Coal Creek parking lot. After evaluating the injured skier's condition, the volunteers coordinated a plan to take her by rope and toboggan to the Coal Creek parking area. It took 25 volunteers three and a half hours to complete the rescue effort.

Volunteers encountered slick conditions in their response. TCSAR says the conditions served as a timely reminder that skiers heading into the backcountry should expect to find unforgiving conditions.