PITKIN COUNTY, Colo. — Two backcountry skiers were rescued after suffering “extreme could injuries” while trying to travel to the Goodwin Greene Hut in Pitkint County over the weekend, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The skiers were part of a seven-person party that were reported as “unable to make it to the hut” at around 9:40 p.m. Sunday due to their injuries, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. Deputies then notified the Mountain Rescue Aspen team to aid in their rescue.
The team “immediately contacted CareFlight of the Rockies out of Rifle, Colorado (Careflight) while assembling and mobilizing teams of snowmobiles,” according to a news release.
CareFlight was able to spot lights through the cloud cover, but was not able to land due to weather and returned to Aspen Airport to refuel and pick up an MRA Paramedic for a second attempt, they wrote.
- Purchase a Colorado Outdoor Recreation Search and Rescue card (CORSAR), which helps reimburse Colorado SAR teams for costs during operations, plus required equipment and training. They are available for $5 for a year or $20 for five years.
- The Keep Colorado Wild Pass, which allows you to enter state parks and is available to buy along with a renewed car registration, partially supports Colorado SAR teams. It costs $29 for one year.
- CSAR accepts direct donations, as do the teams from each county.
That second attempt was also unsuccessful, however, and a third attempt was made by CareFlight, which was finally able to land and locate “two hypothermic subjects, one non-responsive and in critical condition, and the second, who was also hypothermic,” officials wrote.
Temperatures were -22 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of the rescue, deputies said.
Both patients were flown out and taken to Aspen Valley Health for treatment and CareFlight immediately went back to the location to pick up the MRA member who was left behind due to space limitations in the aircraft, officials said.
All rescue personnel were out of the area by 3:45 Monday.
In a message thanking the volunteer rescue team and CareFlight pilots, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office reminded people not to “underestimate the changing mountain conditions, have adequate clothing for the projected weather conditions, and be open to rescheduling or turning around to avoid getting caught in unfavorable weather.”
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