Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story stated that the injured man had been paragliding. Buckrail has since learned that he was speed flying, not paragliding.
JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue (TCSAR) was mobilized on Monday afternoon to assist an injured speed flyer on Snow King Mountain, the agency shared on Facebook.
TCSAR was alerted at 1:11 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 20, that a 21-year-old male speed flyer had been injured when he attempted to fly from the mountain’s peak and struck the slope. The incident took place on the Exhibition ski run below the summit gondola, about three quarters of the way up the run, the agency said.
Initial first aid and assessment was provided by Snow King Mountain Patrol, who was first on the scene.
“Due to steep, icy conditions on the north-facing slope, patrol requested helicopter assistance,” TCSAR said in the post.
The TCSAR heli responded with a three-person short-haul team plus pilot, as well as a ground team of five volunteers. The speed flyer was short-hauled by the helicopter to the base of the mountain, where an ambulance was waiting. Short-hauling is a rescue tactic in which a helicopter team uses a long rope to tow a patient out of terrain that can’t accomodate a helicopter landing.
“TCSAR commends the response from Snow King Mountain Patrol, and appreciates the partnership that enabled the team to bring this mission to a successful close,” TCSAR said.
