JACKSON, Wyo. — Just after 10 a.m. this morning, Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) was notified of an injured skier deep in the Mosquito Creek area.
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 seven 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. The team got the call just as the ship touched down at Grand Targhee. They lifted up and flew to the site in Mosquito Creek.
Once on scene, the volunteers assessed the skier’s injuries, packaged him for short-haul, and flew him to a landing zone with an ambulance waiting near Fall Creek Road.
From the time of the initial 911 call, TCSAR was able to get this skier out of the backcountry to definitive medical care in one hour and 11 minutes.
