Injured Climber Rescued from Middle Teton

Injured Climber Rescued from Middle Teton
Injured Climber Rescued from Middle Teton
An injured climber–accompanied by an attending park ranger–is short-hauled from the Teton Range by a Teton Interagency contract helicopter during a rescue mission in 2006. Photo from Grand Teton National Park files

MOOSE, WYOMING —Jenny Lake Rangers rescued a climber from the Middle Teton on Saturday afternoon. At approximately 12 p.m. on Saturday, August 29, Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received a call that 21-year old Justin Bodrero of Moran, Wyoming, fell about 100 feet on a snowfield and another 100 feet into a boulder field on the Middle Teton.The initial report indicated the climber fell while descending the Southwest Couloir of the Middle Teton, and was unconscious.

The Teton Interagency contract helicopter transported two rangers to a landing zone about 200 feet below the incident. The rangers climbed to the scene, and were joined by a third ranger who was in the area. Rangers treated the climber’s injuries, including head and leg injuries, and secured him in a rescue litter. The climber and a park ranger were short hauled to Lupine Meadows. The injured climber was transported via ambulance to St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson Hole.

Rangers remind climbers that this time of year most of the remaining snowfields are steep and very firm with poor runouts. Ice axes and crampons, and knowledge in their use, are essential for safe travel on steep snowfields, and self-arrest in the event of a fall may not be possible. Climbers should recognize these hazards and be prepared with proper equipment and skills.

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Since January, Grand Teton National Park Rangers have responded to 65 search and rescue incidents in the park. Approximately half of these incidents have been major search and rescue situations.