At approximately 6:45 p.m. on September 10, the SAR coordinator on duty was connected with a caller who said he and his partner were at the “Boulder Problem in the Sky,” near the top of the Exum Ridge and the summit of the Grand Teton. The partner, age 45, had injured her right knee during a short ground-level slip and could not descend the mountain. The injured woman and her partner had departed from Lupine Meadows trailhead at 3 a.m. for a planned one-day ascent via the Upper Exum Ridge route.

With nightfall not far away, Helicopter 35HX was immediately requested and arrived at Lupine Meadows at 7 p.m. After a reconnaissance of the summit area, the helicopter and crew landed at the Lower Saddle to rig for short haul. Ranger Bellino was inserted to the Boulder Problem in the Sky at 7:33 p.m., and he put the patient in a screamer suit for extraction. Bellino and the injured climber were lifted from the site and flown to Lupine Meadows by 7:45 p.m. The partner descended on his own.

ANALYSIS

Rangers see lots of seemingly small slips that become fairly big issues in places like approaches to crags or talus fields. In this case, it was at the summit of Wyoming’s second-highest peak and it necessitated a helicopter rescue. Fatigue may have contributed to this accident. A one-day ascent of the Grand Teton from the road is a feat that should be attempted by experienced climbers in top physical condition. (Sources: Grand Teton National Park Search and Rescue Report and the Editors.)