Bend Teen Falls Into Crevasse on South Sister

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue unit was well-prepared to go out and find an injured hiker on South Sister Tuesday, but they give credit to one crucial tool in helping in this medical emergency: AirlLnk’s helicopter.

Airlink, the emergency air ambulance service, averages more than four life-saving missions every day in Central Oregon. And Tuesday’s effort was one of those.

A group ofyoung climbers were hiking up South Sister with two adult chaperones and the group had made the summit and was descending when one of the climbers, a 17-year-old boy, wandered off-trail near the Lewis Glacier and fell 20 feet into a crevasse — a deep crack in ice, said sheriff’s Deputy Rhett Hemphill

The teen was lucky to sustain only minor injuries, and was able to crawl out of the crevasse on his own. That’s when another member of the climbing party called 911 for assistance in getting back down.

And it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of AirLink.

“AirLnk was crucial in helping get four of our medics up there, –it saved about two hours in hiking just from where they got him to,” Hemphill said.

The helicopter flew to an area below the injured climber near Mooraine Lake, where they could access the patient more easily.

SAR set up its command post along the Devil’s Lake trailhead, about four miles from the hiking party. Eight SAR members began to hike in to meet up with the other unit members and the injured teen.

But four miles away and up a mountain, it was better for a helicopter to fly in and make it a quicker, easier operation.

And after just a couple hours, AirLink was able to fly him out to safety.

The injured juvenile male was treated for his minor injuries and exposure to the elements and is fine, Hemphill said. The hikers were escorted back to the trailhead, where friends and family were waiting to take them hom

As for any lessons out of this: “Stay on the trails,” Hemphill said. “Make sure you know proper climbing techniques. When you are up there doing the glacier crossings, just make sure you practice the right safety stuff.”