A backcountry skier was injured in Grand Teton National Park yesterday when he was caught in an avalanche that carried him 1,200 feet and left him partially buried. Wikipedia Commons photo.
According to Grand Teton National Park, a Jackson resident was injured Thursday when he was caught in an avalanche in Grand Teton National Park while ski cutting the top of the Spoon Couloir off Disappointment Peak. Rene Etter-Garrette, 32, was backcountry skiing with two friends when he triggered a slide while ski cutting the top of the couloir that broke 30 feet above him and carried him an estimated 1,200 feet down the couloir. His friends were able to dig him free of the debris, stabilize his injuries, and move him to a location where he was rescued and evacuated by helicopter.
The Bridger-Teton avalanche forecast from Thursday morning put the avalanche rating at moderate. It stated that soft slabs, one to two feet deep, could be triggered by skiers, especially at higher elevations where strong northeast, northwest and west winds loaded leeward terrain. The Spoon Couloir tops out at 11,600 feet on a ridgeline and is east facing.
Etter-Garrette was ski cutting the couloir when the slope released, breaking 30 feet above him. The crown was estimated to be 40 feet wide and a foot deep. His partners were watching from a safe position above. Etter-Garrette was partially buried with his head sticking out of the snow. His friends quickly dug him out and then stabilized his leg injury using a improvised splint made from an ice axe and shovel handle.
They reached the Teton Interagency Dispatch Center via a cell phone and a rescue was quickly put into motion. Initially, due to deteriorating weather, it was unsure whether a helicopter would be able to reach the location to evacuate Etter-Garrette. Just before 3 pm, there was a brief clearing in the clouds, and a Teton County Search And Rescue helicopter was able to fly in and evacuate the injured skier.
“We admitted him and he is in ‘good’ condition,” St. John’s Medical Center spokesperson Karen Connelly said via text Thursday night.
The GTNP's press release gave credit to the companions backcountry preparedness and quick response in the successful rescue of their friend, citing the group's self-rescue to Amphitheater Lake, where a helicopter was more easily able to land, and their ingenious creation of a splint to stabilize the injury.
If these skiers had not been carrying avalanche rescue gear, been trained in wilderness first aid, and acted swiftly to rescue their companion, his condition could have been much worse by the time SAR arrived, which might have been late that night if they hadn't moved their friend to a more accessible location for helicopter rescue.
After all the avalanche accidents in recent weeks, this story serves as an important reminder that it is absolutely necessary to travel in backcountry terrain with partners that are trained in avalanche rescue and wilderness first aid, and who are able to work as a group to not just find you after an avalanche, but evaluate and stabilize your injuries and, if necessary, evacuate you from the backcountry.
About The Author
stash member Pyper Dixon
Alaskan native. I moved to Bozeman, Montana to study skiing and paragliding at MSU, but somehow ended up with a Land Management degree. Now I live in Jackson, where I can continue my ski education without the distractions of school.
Jade Lo
January 22nd, 2023
This is the second incident involving bison attacks this year so we should all take this as a reminder that wildlife can be dangerous and unpredictable. - https://anaheimmobiletruckrepair.com/