Crested Butte Search and Rescue (CBSAR) reported last night that on Thursday, October 29th, at approximately 8:00 p.m., they received a call for help involving a 37-year-old female solo hiker on the Four Pass Loop between Aspen and Crested Butte. Pitkin County Emergency Dispatch had received a text to 911 that simply said, “Please help me.” The call was transferred to Gunnison County Emergency Dispatch and ultimately to the Mt. Crested Butte Police Department and CBSAR.
Prior to sending the 911 text, the subject had notified a family member that her cell phone battery was down to 10%. Shortly after the emergency text, all communication was lost. CBSAR had one coordinate indicating her possible location on the north side of Frigid Air Pass at approximately 7:40 p.m.
CBSAR contacted CareFlight of the Rockies, who accepted the mission to attempt to locate the subject and, if possible, land and extract her under night vision. Knowing that landing a helicopter at approximately 12,000 feet at night could be extremely challenging, CBSAR also sent a ground team.
According to the CBSAR pos, at approximately 11:00 p.m., CareFlight 3 located the subject near her last known coordinates. She was attempting to climb over Frigid Air pass with a headlamp and was still moving but the helicopter was unable to find a safe landing zone.
The CBSAR ground team began hiking up utilizing a Starlink satellite communication system, which allowed real-time communication with the Mission Coordinator throughout the night. At around 3:10 a.m., the first two rescuers reached the top of Frigid Air Pass and located the subject below them. Conditions presented deep snow, ranging up to hip deep in places. The steep terrain, deep snow, and darkness also presented avalanche concerns which caused a need to wait for more team members before attempting the descent safely.
By 5:30 a.m., two rescuers descended approximately 300 to 400 feet down the north side of the pass, reaching the patient at approximately 6:00 a.m. who at that time was unable to walk on her own due to exposure. The only option became coordinating a hoist rescue with the Colorado Army National Guard.
The National Guard accepted dispatched a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum. Also aboard were civilian rescue technicians from Vail Mountain Rescue Group, who are specially trained to perform helicopter hoist rescues.
By approximately 9:15 a.m., the Black Hawk was over the scene. A rescue technician was lowered to the patient, and both were successfully hoisted into the helicopter. The helicopter later returned to rescue the remaining search and rescue personnel.
CBSAR stated that this was an exceptionally challenging rescue and is a great example of how multiple agencies and resources from across Colorado can come together to help someone in need.
