Fallen, injured skier rescued near Todd Lake

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Bend man fell and was injured while backcountry skiing near Todd Lake west of Bend Thursday, prompting a rescue effort by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue.

The SAR unit was advised around 9 a.m. Monday of the injured, 20-year-old backcountry skier, about one-third of a mile northwest of the Todd Lake Trailhead, according to Lt. Bryan Husband, SAR coordinator.

The man had been skiing with a partner in steeper terrain around the area when he fell and sustained non-life-threatening injuries that were hindering him from getting back to the Dutchman Flat parking lot on his own, Husband said.

One SAR deputy responded to the parking lot while another coordinated the agency’s volunteer response. A half-dozen volunteers responded to the SAR base in Bend and gathered snowmobiles and medical supplies, then drove to the Dutchman Flat parking lot, traveling the rest of the way on snowmobiles, Husband said.

Two more SAR volunteers who had been recreating near Moon Mountain also responded to the skier’s location to assist.

The first volunteers reached the man about 10:45 a.m., joined by Mt. Bachelor Ski Patrol staff. They helped the skier down to the trailhead, where they met with the rest of the volunteers.

The man was further stabilized and taken by snowmobile and “snow-bulance” to the parking lot, where he was transferred to Bend Fire & Rescue personnel shortly before noon. They took him to Stl Charles Bend for further treatment.

The volunteers returned to the SAR base around 1:15 p.m., Husband said.