The Idaho National Guard’s State Aviation Group successfully rescued a 19-year-old hiker injured after falling while rock-climbing. The rescue operation occurred on July 6 on Thompson Peak in the Sawtooth mountain range, about 75 miles northeast of Boise. 

The operation was completed in coordination with Custer County’s search and rescue team.

“Our crew did an incredible job under some very challenging environmental conditions,” Capt. Katherine Smith, commander of Detachment 1, Company G, 1st of the 168th Aviation Regiment, said in a news release. “The rescue required a great deal of crew coordination, as well as teamwork with the highly proficient extraction team from the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.”

The rescue team initially located the injured hiker under a ledge, meaning the crew could not simply hoist the hiker into their helicopter. The crew flew to Stanley Airport and picked up a Custer County search and rescue technical rope rescue team. 

The five-person technical rope rescue team lowered to the ground about 900 feet from the hiker and moved him to a more favorable position to be hoisted into the helicopter. The hiker was flown to Stanley Airport and transferred to a hospital for treatment. 

The high-altitude rescue operation required that the pilot and rescuers exercised extreme caution. 

“Due to the reduced power margins caused by altitude of more than 10,300 feet, the uneven terrain and the location of the extraction site, the aircrew was forced to pay extremely close attention to the aircraft limitations,” Smith said. “Lack of situational awareness in these types of situations could lead to a loss of lift or even rotor drop, requiring the aircrew to have to execute an emergency procedure to maintain stable flight.”

National Guard