Consider it a miracle, consider a divine intervention, or maybe it's just pure dumb luck. But a skier survived a 1,000-foot plummet after he attempted to descend South Arapaho Peak in Colorado. Fortunately, two off-duty ski patrol members were there to save him.
On Sunday, June 16, the call went out about a skier taking a fall of a very sharp drop. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office became area of the situation.
"When this call went out, it was known that this was a very serious call from the get-go. It was called out as being a 2,000-foot fall in Skywalker Couloir. And that's a known area for us in the rescue group because we not only do rescue, but we got into rescue because we are mountaineers, climbers. We like the outdoors as well. And so, we knew this was going to be a big call from the get-go," Andrew Hildner, PIO for the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group (RMRG), told Fox News Digital.
The 47-year-old skier attempted to descend the mountain, but he ended up falling. Instead, he tumbled 1,000 to 2,000 feet down. Fortunately, two off-duty snow patrol members saw the entire thing. They put in the call to 911 that ultimately saved his life.
"Basically, when I got there, my first goal was to locate the patient. And pretty early on, I was able to see that they were actually not on the snow, but they had sled all the way to the bench of hawks. So I knew that this injury would probably be significant," Emilie Jue, an RMRG technical field team leader, described to Fox News Digital.
Skier Critically Injured
Despite the advanced terrain, authorities managed to make it to the injured skier and help them.
Officials said they also began to descend to where the injured man had stopped and were able to provide first aid. The area is considered for advanced skiers, especially late in the season.
"I mean, this is for expert skiers only. And there's not, in most cases, there's no ski patrol nearby. This patient got lucky because there were some off-duty ski patrollers that were able to help Emily. It's a very technical ski and a technical snow climb as well and is only for advanced skiers," Hildner said.
Ultimately, emergency responders placed the skier in a full-body vacuum splint and airlifted him off the mountain. He experienced severe injuries, but he's fortunately alive. Not many people can say they fell that far.
