Deschutes County Search and Rescue, National Guard helicopter crew rescue injured snowboarder west of Bend

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- An Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew helped nearly two-dozen Deschutes County Sheriff's Search and Rescue volunteers bring an injured snowboarder to safety west of Bend Monday in an operation that took until after nightfall to conclude.

The call for help came in at 2:40 p.m. Monday, after a 44-year-old Bend woman was injured in the Tam McArthur Rim area at the base of Broken Top Mountain, sheriff's office Public Information Officer Jason Carr said.

The injured woman was found on steep, snow-covered terrain in the upper third of the slope at about 7,350 feet in elevation.

"The nature of the injuries and the terrain required an immediate and technical response," Carr explained in a news release.

A three-person team of Advanced Life Support SAR and Mountain Rescue Unit (MRU) members was taken to the area by Air Link helicopter, but weather conditions prevented them from reaching the scene.

They were dropped off as close as possible at the Lower Three Creeks Snow Park, where a Good Samaritan got them closer to the scene. The team then skied about two miles uphill to reach the snowboarder.

More SAR volunteers, snowmobile operators, skiers, and medical team members also responded to assist in the operation.

A break in the weather allowed the Oregon Army National Guard HH-60 Black Hawk, with a paramedic on board, to reach the scene around 8:20 p.m. The woman was then stabilized, hoisted into the helicopter and flown to St. Charles Bend for further care.

"This rescue was possible thanks to the work of 22 highly trained SAR volunteers and a DCSO deputy," Carr said.

They were assisted by the Oregon State SAR Coordinator from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management, Air Link, the Oregon Army National Guard based at McNary Field in Salem, and Three Sisters Backcountry Yurts.