Industry News
On Monday, September 7, 2020, at approximately 11:08 am, the Boulder County Communications Center was notified of an injured backcountry skier at Skyscraper Glacier.
A seventeen-year-old female from Colorado Springs fell on the snow, hit rocks, and reportedly sustained serious injuries. Flight For Life Colorado flew five rescuers to a landing zone near the injured female over the course of three flights. Ground teams from Rocky Mountain Rescue Group and Grand County Search and Rescue went in on foot from Rollins Pass, bringing additional personnel and rescue equipment.
Rescue members stabilized the female in a litter and then utilized a technical rope system to raise her approximately 160-feet up the glacier to a landing zone at approximately 12,000-feet on the Continental Divide. Flight For Life Colorado transported the female to a Denver area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The rescue lasted approximately seven hours.
Agencies assisting with this rescue included: Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, American Medical Response, Nederland Fire Department, Timberline Fire Department, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Grand County Search and Rescue, Flight For Life Colorado, Colorado Army National Guard, Colorado Search, and Rescue Association.
Skyscraper Peak is in the Indian Peaks Wilderness and is located south of Devils Thumb Pass and north of Rollins Pass. The Skyscraper Glacier is on the south side of the peak.
