mountain rescue aspen, inc

I was on another great hut trip in the CO backcountry with great friends Alexis, Randy, and Whitney. It was a near perfect day with fresh pow and some low angle runs. Unfortunately, as I dropped into one of our runs, what appeared to be a fresh field of powder, was a field of just covered rocks. I tried to avoid them, but apparently, I was unsuccessful. The next thing I remember my friend Alexis was wrapping my head with gauze to stop the bleeding and sliding an emergency space bag around me to keep me warm. Another friend Randy came down to help keep me warm, Whitney went back to the hut for more help and a toboggan. Alexis used her inReach SOS function to call for help. In the following hours, three different helicopters tried to take off including the army national guard, but weather wouldn’t let them fly. My friends along with some amazing good Samaritans from the hut spent  more than 3 hours carefully moving me 400 feet to a safe flat location.

Thanks to the GPS info from the inReach, Scott from the 10th mountain division huts association coordinated with the Pitkin County Sheriff’s department and Mountain Rescue Aspen to send out an extraction team. As dusk set it my I heard shouts from my friends to the rescue party. The team from Mountain Rescue Aspen was able to take over, transfer me to a stabilized bean bag pad, tow me to their snowmobiles, and ultimately got me out to an ambulance. I was transported to the nearby Aspen hospital, where CT scans showed serious spinal fractures, in addition to a broken collar bone, major head laceration, and broken ribs, necessitating immediate attention at a major trauma hospital in Denver. Two ambulance rides and a flight in a small plane got me to St. Anthony’s hospital at 4:30 am; 14 hours after my accident. The next day I had successful spinal surgery and I am currently working hard on my recovery.

I am incredibly grateful to all of the amazing individuals who helped to save my life. From long-time friends, strangers at the hut, to all of the incredible medical personnel who have aided me in the past couple weeks. However, I am specifically organizing this gofundme to support Mountain Rescue Aspen. In all 21 volunteers from MRA came out to help get me to safety. Mountain rescue Aspen is a volunteer organization that never asks for compensation for their rescues. No one is paid and they often are using their own equipment. They are supported entirely by donations.

So this is my request. If you are glad or thankful that I am alive and on the road to recovery, please consider making a donation here. $10, $20, $50 whatever you want it would be great. Thanks!