Latest news with #AlpineRescueTeam
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Miami Herald
17-06-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Lost hikers struck by lightning while on phone with Colorado rescuers
Two people hiking on a Colorado mountain were rescued after they were struck by lightning while on the phone calling for help. Just before 5 p.m. June 12, Alpine Rescue Team was called for reports of two people who were lost and needed assistance on Torreys Peak, according to a Facebook post by the rescue team. A mission leader spoke with the two people on the phone and gave them directions to get on route to a summit where they could take a summer trail down safely, rescuers said. About an hour later, the two people made it to the summit but while on the phone with the mission leader, the two were struck by lightning, the rescue team said. One of the people was reported to be unresponsive. Rescue teams and first responders began an 'emergent response,' rescuers said. 'Five ground teams were sent into the field to perform an evac from the summit, while simultaneously a hoist was requested,' the Alpine Rescue Team said in the post. At around 11 p.m., rescuers made it to the 'critical patient' and another team continued to the summit for the other person. 'The second patient along with a rescue tech and the Alpine members were airlifted from the summit at midnight,' rescuers said. All other field teams were out by 3 a.m. 'This call illustrates how quickly situations change in Colorado's high country, and the importance of having your 10 essentials and being prepared for a lengthy evacuation,' the rescue team said. Torreys Peak is over 14,200 feet high.
Daily Mail
16-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Colorado rescuers forced to use Black Hawk helicopter after two hikers were struck by LIGHTNING
Rescuers in Colorado had to use a Black Hawk helicopter to save two hikers who were struck by lightning near the summit of a huge mountain. The dramatic rescue happened Thursday near the top of Torreys Peak - a 14,300ft mountain about 40 miles outside of Denver. The hikers, two unidentified men from New York state, called for help around 5pm after they got off course while attempting to climb the 11th-highest summit in the state. 'It doesn't sound like they had a ton of prior experience. I think it was probably just a lack of awareness,' Jake Smith, one of the rescuers, said. Mission leaders then directed the men on how to get back on the correct trail, but while on the phone, things quickly took a turn for the worse. After an hour of talking to the hikers, the team were preparing to 'stand down' when all of sudden the pair was struck by lightning, leaving one of the men unresponsive, Alpine Rescue Team said. Moments later, one of the hikers told the team what happened, prompting about 30 rescuers to make their way up the steep mountain while another group brought in a Colorado National Guard Black Hawk helicopter for assistance. 'He was on the phone with them and said they've been struck by lightning, and then at that time it was kind of "Go, go, go get things ready, get out the door!,' Smith told CBS News. 'After a few more seconds, somebody came back on the line had said, "We've been hit by lightning. My partner's down. He's not responsive. He's foaming at the mouth. Do I start CPR? What do I do?"' The military chopper was specifically brought in to transport the unresponsive man in critical condition by using a hoist at 14,200ft to get him off the mountain. The injured man was then flown down to an ambulance and taken to a local hospital before being transferred to a burn unit, according to Smith. The helicopter then made another trip around midnight to rescue the less seriously hurt man. Dramatic footage showed rescuers securing one of the hikers as the helicopter made its way to the top of the mountain. Other images showed the team hiking up the mountain with gear and flashlights. The hikers' current conditions remain unclear. Daily Mail contacted Alpine Rescue Team for more information. Both rescues took place around 14,200ft - the new state records for a helicopter rescue, officials believe. The previous rescue reached 13,700ft. These rescues are specifically challenging because the thin air causes choppers to lose lifting ability the higher they fly. Black Hawk helicopters have an altitude of approximately 19,000ft, the Associated Press reported. Both hikers and climbers typically prefer to ascend in the morning to avoid the Rocky Mountain high country during summer afternoons. Thunderstorms are common in the area and are known to develop suddenly with not just lightning, but low temperatures and hail.
CBS News
16-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Alpine rescue team recounts emergency rescue of Colorado hiker struck by lightning
A hiker was critically injured in Colorado on Thursday when they were struck by lightning on the summit of Torrey's Peak. First responders said the rescue was a massive team effort between a few different agencies, starting with a radio call into the Alpine Rescue Team's HQ. "He comes back on to say more, which is that the two had made it to the summit," Jake Smith, President of the Alpine Rescue Team, said. "He was on the phone with them and said they've been struck by lightning, and then at that time it was just kind of 'Go, go, go get things ready, get out the door!'" According to the Alpine Rescue Team, they received a page when two hikers went off route on Kelso Ridge just before 5 p.m. Mission leaders stayed on the phone with the hikers until they were able to get back to the route to the summit. They said the hikers made it to the summit around an hour later. It was there that the pair were in the path of the storm, and one of them was seriously injured. "They were talking about, you know, it's super windy up here, we're kind of stuck in hail, we're going to start descending. And then the next thing you heard was a super loud commotion, a phone drop, and just screaming," Smith said, detailing the phone call. "After a few more seconds, somebody came back on the line had said, 'We've been hit by lightning. My partner's down. He's not responsive. He's foaming at the mouth. Do I start CPR? What do I do?'" Alpine Rescue Team Five ground teams went to help the hikers and requested a hoist to evacuate them, but because of that storm, both helicopters that would typically show up to a rescue like this were unable to fly. Thanks to the National Guard, whose helicopter was able to make it through the storm and up to the top of the 14er, around 11 p.m., two rescue teams from Vail Mountain Rescue Group reached the critical patient. They were able to hoist that person out aboard a Gypsum-based Colorado Army National Guard helicopter. One of the ground teams helped the second hiker before they were flown from the summit at midnight. "In the state of Colorado, we've had many rescues where we've had military helicopters land on the top of fourteeners," Smith explained. "But for them to actually hoist a subject above that 14er and raise them up on the table, we're fairly confident that this is the highest (hoist) in the state's history." Alpine Rescue Team "This call illustrates how quickly situations change in Colorado's high country, and the importance of having your 10 essentials and being prepared for a lengthy evacuation," said Alpine Rescue. They said they're happy to help those having a hard time in the mountains, rain or shine, and for folks not to hesitate to call if they are in trouble. "Don't wait to call for us," Smith said. "That could also take a situation from bad to worse. If you think you need help, we are happy to answer that call, even if it just means giving you some advice and maybe some encouragement. We don't charge." A lesson to be learned from this, according to Smith, is to summit your mountains early in the day, and make sure you are descending early too. Afternoon thunderstorms make an almost daily appearance between 2-3 P.M., and while this situation included issues even later in the afternoon/evening, storms still came. "If you're on Bierstadt, you can see those storms coming from the west," Smith said. "Unfortunately, if you're on a peak like Torrey's, you're not going to see the storms until you're at the top. So on those peaks where you're approaching from the east, I'd say it's especially critical to start early. Finish early because you may get to the top and find that there's a huge storm wall headed your way, and you don't have a lot of time to descend by using it."
The Independent
14-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Dramatic helicopter rescue saves two hikers hit by lightning near peak of Colorado mountain
Two hikers hit by lightning were rescued from a Colorado peak in dramatic and record-setting fashion. One man remained hospitalized in fair condition Friday while the other was treated at a hospital and released. The rescues happened late Thursday near the summit of Torreys Peak, a 14,300-foot mountain about 40 miles west of Denver. Torreys Peak is ranked variously as the 11th or 12th highest summit in Colorado and is less than 200 feet shorter than the state's highest mountain, Mount Elbert. The men from New York state, whose identities weren't released, had decided to summit the mountain during a road trip, Alpine Rescue Team public information officer Jake Smith said. They first called for help around 5 p.m. after getting off course on their way up a technical route. A different route doesn't require climbing gear or expertise. 'It doesn't sound like they had a ton of prior experience. I think it was probably just a lack of awareness,' said Smith, who was among the rescuers on the ground. Rescue officials guided the men back on course, and they made it to the summit. Minutes later, one of them called back to report they had been struck by lightning. About 30 rescuers went up the mountain while another team used a Colorado National Guard Blackhawk helicopter to get the more seriously injured man, who was non-responsive and in critical condition, off the peak using a hoist at 14,200 feet. It is believed to be the highest helicopter rescue in the state's history. He was flown down to an ambulance and taken to a local hospital, then to a Denver hospital with a burn unit, Smith said. The helicopter made another trip around midnight to fetch the less seriously hurt man by partially touching down on the mountain. The rescuers believe Colorado's previous record for a helicopter rescue was 13,700 feet. Such rescues are challenging because thin air causes helicopters to lose lifting ability the higher they fly; the Blackhawk has an altitude limit of about 19,000 feet. Hikers and climbers often prefer to ascend during the morning and avoid the Rocky Mountain high country on summer afternoons. Thunderstorms are common and can develop suddenly with dangerous lightning, hail and plummeting temperatures.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
2 New Yorkers struck by lightning while hiking on Colorado peak were saved in record-high state helicopter rescue
It was a striking view. Two New York men struck by lightning while hiking a Colorado peak were airlifted to safety in what is believed to be the highest-altitude helicopter rescue ever recorded in the state. The duo — who haven't been identified — called for help around 5 p.m. Thursday after getting off course while attempting to climb Torreys Peak, one of the state's highest summits at 14,300 feet. 'It didn't sound like they had a ton of experience,' Alpine Rescue Team spokesperson Jack Smith said, noting that the pair decided to summit the peak during a road trip through the Centennial State. 'I think it was probably just a lack of awareness.' Emergency crews had just steered the men back on course when they were zapped by lightning minutes later — leaving one hiker unresponsive and in critical condition. About 30 rescuers ascended the mountain while a Colorado National Guard Black Hawk chopper hoisted the injured man off the peak at 14,200 feet. He was then rushed to the burn unit of a Denver hospital, where he remains in fair condition. The helicopter returned around midnight to rescue the other wounded man, briefly touching down on the mountain before he was treated and released from a nearby hospital. Emergency personnel believe the daring rescue shattered the state's previous record of 13,700 feet — with such missions a challenge due to thinning air reducing a chopper's lift at higher altitudes. The Black Hawk's max ceiling is around 19,000 feet. Torreys Peak stands as the 11th-highest summit in Colorado. With Post wires
