Incident On Ptarmigan Fingers In Rocky Mountain National Park

Incident on Ptarmigan Fingers: female being littered to air ambulance July 11/ Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park

RMNP UPDATE - July 11, 2022

Yesterday afternoon, Sunday, July 10, park rangers were notified that a 61-year-old male from Boulder, Colorado, had been injured in a significant tumbling fall on a snow couloir in the Ptarmigan Fingers area above Odessa Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was later determined that a 59-year-old female from Boulder, also suffered injuries from a fall in the same area.  Bystanders heard her calls for help and aided her.   
 
Bystanders were able to use their satellite communication devices to contact park rangers. Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance assisted Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members with air reconnaissance to determine the man’s exact location. Because of the location and severity of injuries of the male, the park requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate the man via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. Rocky Mountain Rescue assisted with the helicopter hoist operations. This occurred at approximately 8 p.m. last night. The man was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance, and then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies.   ​

Incident on Ptarmigan Fingers: female being littered around Odessa Lake to air ambulance July 11/ Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park

The female also suffered serious injuries and was cared for overnight by Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members and overnight campers at Odessa Lake. She was flown out by Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance this morning at approximately 11 a.m.  Over 45 people were involved with this two day incident.   

Several agencies assisted Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue team with this incident including Northern Colorado Med Evac, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Colorado National Guard and Larimer County Search and Rescue.     
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 No further information is available at this time.

Ptarmigan Fingers above Odessa Lake with Northern Colorado Med Evac Helicopter July 11 / Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park