by Paul Goetz, The Mountain Mail, March 15, 2016
Rescuers carried Rob Grizzle, 31, of Denver down from Mount Columbia Monday morning after he suffered a possible broken leg and spent the night on the mountain with two rescuers. Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said Grizzle was taken to Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida.
The Chaffee County Communication Center received a call about 6:22 p.m. Sunday reporting that Grizzle had fallen and thought he had broken his leg while skiing alone on the western slope of the fourteener. Chaffee County Search and Rescue North, working with Flight for Life, dropped two rescuers about ¾ mile from where the man was stranded. With winds gusts of up to 60 mph, Spezze said further assistance from Flight for Life and Colorado Air National Guard was not available. The rescuers reached Grizzle a little after 8 p.m. and spent the night with him, Spezze said. Monday morning Chaffee County Search and Rescue South and Gunnison Search and Rescue were able to use ropes, other tactical rescue methods and snowmobiles to get Grizzle off the mountain and transport him to the hospital.
Agencies involved in the rescue included Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office, Chaffee County Search and Rescue North and South, Gunnison County Search and Rescue, Chaffee County Emergency Medical Services and Flight for Life.
Low temperature on Monarch Pass Sunday night was 19 degrees.
