Two Skiers Rescued From Colorado Backcountry Over the Weekend

Mountain Rescue Aspen, a volunteer search and rescue team, evacuated two skiers in separate missions in Colorado’s backcountry over the weekend, one by helicopter.

First, MRA worked alongside Flight for Life to helicopter rescue an injured skier from the Mace Peak area on Saturday.

The Pitkin County Regional Emergency Dispatch Center first received an SOS from Mace Peak at around 9:45 a.m. One member of a four-person group was injured, according to a release shared by MRA on social media. The Aspen Times reported that the injury was to a “lower extremity” and that the skier couldn’t move under their own power.

After being forwarded the call, the sheriff’s office notified MRA, “as a backcountry rescue would be necessary,” the release said.

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Four MRA members were in the area skiing and reached the scene as the skier was sending the SOS. MRA command contacted FFL and assembled more teams with tracked ATVs and skiers to assist with the evacuation, the release said.

MRA retrieved an emergency sled from the Tagert hut, bringing the patient to a landing zone for FFL. There, the patient was loaded and taken to Aspen Valley Health for further care. 

The rescue involved 16 MRA members, all of whom were out of the field by 1:10 p.m., the release said. 

The second MRA rescue started Sunday morning when dispatch received an SOS from the Lindley hut area at around 11:46 a.m., a separate release said. One member of a group had a knee injury. 

Again, MRA members were skiing in the area. After communicating directly with the party, MRA dispatched the team members in the field, as well as a team of three members from the MRA cabin with additional equipment, the release said.

The injured skier and their group were able to start self-extricating, expediting the rescue. MRA retrieved an emergency sled from the Lindley hut and brought the patient out of the field.

Both the sheriff’s office and MRA said they “would like to remind backcountry skiers to always be prepared and carry a satellite communication device for emergencies. This spring season, hazards exist close to the surface, and we encourage backcountry travelers to be cautious.”

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