Just past 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21, Teton County Search & Rescue was dispatched regarding an injured skier in the Grand Targhee backcountry.

The skier, a 27-year-old male from Washington, sustained injuries after falling off a cornice in an out-of-bounds area accessed off Mary’s Nipple from Grand Targhee Ski Resort. The skier was on a ridgeline when the cornice broke beneath him, causing him to fall approximately 100 feet into the basin below.

Photo by TCSAR. Cornice failure can be seen just left of center on the ridgeline.

Coordinating with Grand Targhee Ski Patrol, TCSAR dispatched a team of volunteers in the SAR helicopter to the site of the accident. Ski patrol reached the patient first, provided initial care, and packaged him for helicopter transport. TCSAR then short-hauled the man—a method in which rescuers and patient are long-lined beneath the helicopter—to a waiting ambulance at the base of Targhee.

TCSAR appreciates the well-coordinated response from Grand Targhee Ski Patrol, and would like to remind backcountry users to be extremely cautious of cornices while approaching or traversing ridgelines.