Brian McCabe, Mail Staff Writer TheMountainMail.com. Posted January 27, 2014
A man snowshoeing on Mount Princeton Sunday fell approximately 800 feet and suffered serious injuries, requiring a Flight for Life helicopter to assist in the rescue. Hans Albriecht, Chaffee County Search and Rescue North incident commander, said the man, about 30 years old, was snowshoeing with another man and a woman, when he fell. The other snowshoers called for assistance at about 2:35 p.m. More than 30 people responded, including members of Chaffee County Search and Rescue North, Emergency Medical Services, Sheriff’s Office and Fire Protection District. Sheriff Pete Palmer reported paramedics were on scene at approximately 4:30 p.m. He said the victim was conscious and stable but not completely coherent, and he complained of pain in his neck and back. Albriecht said the man also suffered a serious head injury. At 6:37 p.m. Flight for Life picked up the man at a landing zone about 1,000 feet from the accident site and transported him to St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco. Flight for Life was unable to take him to Denver due to “bad” weather along the Front Range, so he was transported from Frisco to Denver by ground ambulance. As of 9 p.m., Search and Rescue North members were still descending Mount Princeton, bringing down the other two snowshoers. “These guys are experts,” Palmer said, “some of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever met. We are lucky to have them.” The victim’s identification had not been released at press time.
