The Volcano Rescue Team responded to assist an injured skier on Mount St. Helens Saturday, April 19.
The team received a report concerning a skier with a leg injury at approximately 7,000 feet on Mount St. Helens.
The subject and two companions had summited the mountain that day. During their descent, the skier's ski abruptly caught an edge, resulting in a knee injury, according to the Volcano Rescue Team. A request for assistance was initiated and a Skamania County Sheriff's Office search and rescue coordinator was assigned.
The subject and their companions, who had a background in search and rescue, applied a supportive bandage to the injured knee. They then attempted a self-extraction, descending to approximately 5,700 feet. However, any further descent was deemed unsafe due to the risk of further injury, according to a statement from the Volcano Rescue Team.
The Volcano Rescue Team was concluding a full day of a mock search training exercise in the Siouxon area, near Chelatchie Prairie, when the call for assistance was received at around 3:30 p.m.
The team packed up from training and began implementing a rescue plan. Several members proceeded directly to the designated search and rescue base located at Marble Mountain Sno-Park. The remaining team members, along with additional personnel, mobilized to acquire more rescue equipment and vehicles, the Volcano Rescue Team stated.
Two operators began an ascent via snowmobile and established patient contact at 7:30 p.m. The injured skier was secured and transported below the treeline on a snowmobile to an awaiting 4-by-4 tracked quad vehicle. The subject was then transported to the parking lot at roughly 9 p.m.
The subject did not require medical transport.
Meanwhile, several VRT members had already begun an ascent on foot. The members intercepted the two hiking partners, accompanied them during their descent and made it back to the parking lot safely.
