BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — A snowboarder who had been descending down a glacier near Rollins Pass was seriously injured after he fell and tumbled about 100 feet on Monday.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office said it first received a report of the incident at 2:25 p.m. Monday.
They learned that the 27-year-old man had been riding down Skyscraper Glacier, just north of Rollins Pass, when he fell and slid about 100 feet. He stopped in a bergschrund, which is a large crevasse at the top of a glacier, according to The Avalanche Center. Bergschrunds are typically open in the summer and autumn and can quickly become hazardous.
Northern Colorado MedEvac airlifted several volunteers with the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group (RMRG) to a ridge above the glacier. Another RMRG team headed into the backcountry on UTVs and on foot from Rollins Pass. Meanwhile, a team from Grand County Search and Rescue, Grand County Sheriff’s Office, and Grand County EMS also began the trek toward the injured man on ATVs and on foot from Corona Pass.
RMRG volunteers traversed a 300-foot path of glacial snow to reach the man around 5:45 p.m. They secured him and treated his injuries, the sheriff's office said.
As that was happening, other rescuers worked to identify the best path to bring the patient up onto level ground, and RMRG and Grand County Search and Rescue built a system to get it done.
As the injured man was slowly lifted uphill, rescuers stayed with him to continue their medical care.
Once they all reached a level area around 8:10 p.m., the patient was transported via helicopter to a local hospital, the sheriff's office said.
Afterward, the volunteers hiked out of the field. The search and rescue effort officially ended at 1 a.m.
The Boulder County Sheriff's Office shared a video of the rescue on its Facebook page here.
No other details were available.
