The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Rescue team encountered wet slide during mission
By Alissa Johnson
Crested Butte Search and Rescue (CBSAR) responded to an unconscious snowmobiler near Schofield Park on Monday. While the man regained consciousness and drove himself to the trailhead, the rescue team saw signs of the variable conditions in the backcountry.
According to mission leader Ric Ems, CBSAR received a page to respond to an unconscious snowmobiler about 30 miles out near Schofield Park. The rider was a male in his 40s.
“He eventually came around and self-extricated, and Search and Rescue followed him back to the trailhead,” Ems said.
The details of the incident are unclear, but it appears that the rider hit a compression of some sort and was knocked unconscious. It is not known if he sought medical attention following the incident.
Ems characterized the situation as fairly benign, though he did note that conditions in the area were unstable.
“The team went up and staged just before Emerald Lake, and there was a wet slide occurring just as we were pulling up. They sent a team of two to meet the snowmobilers and assisted them out,” he said.
Nicholas Kempin, president and public information officer for CBSAR, confirmed that the team took steps to mitigate the danger.
“That’s something we’re always trying to do… We have had some avalanche activity around here recently that, under the right circumstances, could be bad,” Kempin said.
