Mountain Rescues – Busy Weekend For Search & Rescue

A couple of rescue efforts kept area Search & Rescue Teams, Sheriff's officials and volunteers busy this weekend.

On Sunday (March 24th, 2013), around 2:00 pm, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and the West Yellowstone Division of Gallatin County Search and Rescue responded to a backcountry rescue.

A 26 year old woman from Costa Rica was riding a snowmobile near Two Top Mountain when she left the trail and hit a tree. She broke her arm, and complained of neck, back and knee pain, and was taken to the hospital.

Also on Sunday, at about 4:45 pm, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Gallatin County Search and Rescue, and American Medical Response responded to Palisade Falls trailhead in Hyalite Canyon for an injured ice climber.

The ice climber had fallen 15 feet, and injured his ankle. The victim and his climbing partner attempted to self-rescue for over an hour before the partner returned to the trailhead alone to alert emergency responders, who had him at Bozeman deaconess in less than an hour.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind backcountry users to always bring gear appropriate for unexpected emergencies. After the initial fall, the secondary threat to this climber’s safety was hypothermia. A sleeping bag and insulating pad are small, light pieces of equipment could be used in similar situations to keep an injured or lost backcountry user from becoming cold while waiting for rescue.