Snowmachine rider caught in avalanche near Canadian border rescued
- Chilkat Valley News
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Rashah McChesney and Will Steinfeld
Chilkat Valley News
An injured snowmachiner caught in an avalanche near the border was picked up by a Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventure helicopter Wednesday evening and brought into Haines for medical treatment.
SEABA founder Nick Trimble said a group with the injured person contacted SEABA directly for help, which is not unusual, but rarely happens.
“We’ve done a number of rescues over the years, bear maulings, cliff falls. When we’re here, we’re a resource,” he said. “It’s rare, thank goodness. I’d say maybe five calls in 12 years.”
Trimble said the extraction happened right on the border between the U.S. and Canada.
“Right on the boundary. We’ll have to review that, and just in case, we called state troopers and the RCMP,” he said. “It’ll get sorted.”
He didn’t know when the call came in and said everything unfolded quickly when they received the call.
“It was getting pretty dark, so it was a real fast thing. It’s really hard for the helicopter pilot to see when the light gets flat,” he said.
“It was probably like 5-5:30, something like that.”
An ambulance crew from the volunteer fire department was waiting when the helicopter arrived in Haines.
Haines fire chief Zak Overmyer said first responders took the person to the SEARHC clinic, where they are being treated for a leg injury.
Overmyer said responders followed procedures for treating injured skiers that were developed with each heliski operator at the beginning of the season.
Trimble said the ambulance crew who showed up to pick up the injured person were “incredible.” “Those guys are serious.”
Snowmachine traffic in the upper Chilkat Valley has increased this year, according to Trimble.
He said the snow conditions have drawn many visitors from other parts of the state. Many have moved into the pass.
As the weather warms up, the snow conditions at lower elevations are changing rapidly.
“Even though I think those guys were pretty good at what they do, they got snuck on,” he said. “Be careful out there.”
• This story originally appeared in the Chilkat Valley News.
