Idaho skier had to be rescued via helicopter, amid unusual number of injuries in 2020
Officials in the Wood River Valley rescued a skier from the backcountry Tuesday using a helicopter. It’s one of an unusual number of skier injuries they’ve seen this year, a Ketchum spokeswoman said.
According to a news release from the city of Ketchum, a female skier was injured while skiing on Hyndman Peak near the Pioneer yurt. A Ketchum Fire Department paramedic was flown in by helicopter to rescue the skier.
It was the 16th time in the last week that officials have responded to skiing injuries, according to assistant city administrator Lisa Enourato. To date, there have been 20 more injured skiers in 2020 than during the same time frame in 2019.
Enourato said the injuries are due to poor snow conditions this year, which means skiers are hitting hard surfaces at high speeds.
The Blaine County Ambulance District contracts with Sun Valley Heli-Ski to rescue injured skiers as needed. The helicopter company has assisted on three rescues this season.
“The availability of the helicopter really helps keep our rescuers safe,” Ketchum Fire Chief Bill McLaughlin said in the news release. “We can get in and get the victim out much more quickly than we can on foot.
“It takes a big team. We’ll have 10 to 20 firefighters and paramedics involved, sheriff’s deputies, search and rescue, avalanche forecasters and even the medical director out in the field,” McLaughlin said. “It’s great to see the cooperation and focus on getting the patient out quickly and safely.”
