JACKSON, Wyo. — Yesterday afternoon, Teton County Search and Rescue (TSCAR) deployed their helicopter and a team of volunteers to help rescue a snowmobiler injured and partially buried after a cornice fall triggered an avalanche in the Salt River Range outside of Afton.
The accident happened after the Thayne-based snowmobiler had accessed a steep ridge line up Dry Creek with some friends. According to TCSAR, the man was about 20 feet from the edge of the cornice on his snowmobile when it broke beneath him and sent him down into another drainage known as Swift Creek. During the approximate 1,200-foot fall and avalanche over multiple cliffs, he managed to deploy his avalanche airbag. The snowmobiler ended up buried up to his shoulders, with his head out of the snow, at the bottom of numerous cliff bands. The man’s snowmobile was nearby, also partially buried.
The man had a radio and could communicate with his partners up on the ridge. However, due to the terrain, the group was unable to find a way down the ridge to get to him. They called 911, which alerted Star Valley Search and Rescue. Star Valley SAR deployed a team of volunteers up Dry Creek but immediately recognized that Swift Creek would be very difficult to access. The combination of high avalanche danger, time of day and remote location meant the rescue would be nearly impossible with air resources.
According to Clint Erickson, Captain of Star Valley SAR, the team first called an air ambulance in Rock Springs, but that organization informed rescuers they would not be able to dig the man out of the snow effectively. Erickson then called TCSAR, which accepted the mission at 3:43 p.m.
Once the team approached, they were able to spot the man’s orange airbag in the snow. The volunteers packaged the man in a full-body vacuum splint and carried him about 30 feet to the helicopter. They loaded the patient in the heli and transported him to the Osmond Elementary School parking lot in Afton, where an ambulance was waiting at 5:30 p.m.
“We’re extraordinarily grateful for TCSAR jumping on this call and completing it with a favorable result,” said Erickson. “Without the helicopter resource, this incident would have had a much different outcome.”
Additional TCSAR volunteers drove the fuel truck down to Alpine during the operation to ensure a safe flight home for the air crew. The weather cooperated, and the heli was able to fly back to Jackson without ground assistance. All volunteers returned safely.
The patient helped himself by being equipped with an avalanche airbag and was able to communicate with his partners via radio.
