While teaching completing an AST1 field day on the weekend we witnessed an accident involving a snowmobiler going over the top of a mountain and falling down the other side. The sledder was left high on the mountain side with a broken femur for hours as we arranged for the tactical rescue team to come from Jasper Alberta. The sledder had a broken femur and was lucky not to have damaged himself more. After close to 4 hours on the slope the amazing team from Jasper had him in the helicopter and on his way to the hospital. With daylight hours being limited, the prompt actions taken by everyone involved had likely prevented this incident from becoming much more serious. There were many things that went right during this rescue, some of it preparation and most of it luck. The injured member was very lucky we witnessed the incident and were prepared with communication and the knowledge of proper rescue protocols and phone numbers to initiate a quick and professional rescue party. The injured sledders riding party was equipped with full radio communication throughout the group and this was a great asset as there was full communication between the injured member and the rescue party. Luck was on our side by providing the injured member with the softest landing site possible on the adjacent slope, a decent weather window that allowed helicopter flight, mild temperatures and a start zone holding a snowpack that withstood the heavy impact of the sled and rider. We all love what we do in the backcountry and no person intends on making these kinds of mistakes. Mountain recreation is a serious activity that deserves the utmost respect. This involves proper pre-trip planning, situational awareness and preparation for anything that may go wrong. I learned a lot from this experience and I hope others will too. Everyone that helped throughout the day deserves a big thank you and that incudes: my group members that helped from start to finish during the 7hr ordeal, the group members from the injured riders party for being willing to do what ever we asked and helped in educating others in the area and keeping them off scene, but most importantly to the highly trained professionals from the Jasper National Park rescue team. Without people like this, this incident would have been much worse. Below is link to a quick video that was put together by one of my group members that shows most of the rescue in good detail. I have asked the group if they minded we shared the video and they were all for it as this incident can be a great learning experience for all involved and for all who may read this short rightup. Please stay positive and use this experience and an opportunity for learning, not finger pointing.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 19:26:30 +0000
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