By Tom Vines

On Jan. 31, Mt. Rainier National Park rangers received a report that a woman had fallen into a deep “hole” in the snow while skiing and was unable to get out. Mt. Rainier National Park, located in Northwestern Washington State, includes Mt. Rainier, the tallest volcano in the Cascade Range.

A ranger followed the reporting party about three-quarters of a mile from the trailhead to a “moat,” a snow cavern created by a waterfall rushing down a gulley. He was able to make voice contact with the woman, who was located approximately 20 feet down in the hole. She appeared to be conscious, alert and oriented. But to make a better assessment, the ranger needed to make physical contact with her. After an initial size-up, he called for resources and assistance.

A second ranger had who overhead the report grabbed a hasty lower/raise kit and responded as a one-person hasty team. Packaged in a backpack, the kit contains basic gear for raising and lowering and includes a personal rappel device, a brake-bar rack, two 11-mm static, 300' ropes, gear for anchoring both for snow and hard anchors, and gear for a 3:1 MA haul system, including pulleys and Prusik slings.

The first two rangers quickly constructed an anchor by digging a shallow trench, laying in a ski with rope attached, filling the trench with snow and trapping it solid. One first ranger attached a Figure 8 rappel device to the rope and rappelled approximately 20 feet to the woman. Meanwhile, the other ranger began constructing a 3:1 haul system.

Once the ranger reached the woman, he made a quick medical assessment and determined that she did not have any serious injuries. The rangers’ top priority was removing her quickly. She was thoroughly soaked from the waterfall and, therefore, needed to be immediately removed and re-warmed. In addition, the gulley was prone to sudden avalanches, which could bury anyone without warning.

The ranger who had descended to the woman used webbing to construct a separate seat and chest harness. He then attached her to the line and rigged her up for a raise.

With the other ranger and bystanders assisting on the haul team, the woman was hauled back up through the waterfall to the surface. A team of six other rangers arrived on scene as she was being pulled to the surface; they helped pull her out. They then reset the 3:1 system to haul the ranger from the moat.
The rangers quickly helped the woman change out of her wet clothes and into dry ones, and after being wrapped in a blanket, the woman was quickly re-warmed. With assistance, she was able to walk the three-quarters-mile distance to the trailhead.

The woman refused transport to hospital.

Sources: Mt. Rainier National Park Chief Ranger Chuck Young and Ranger Dan Van Der Elst provided information for this report.

LESSONS LEARNED/LESSONS REINFORCED:
Even in the winter, the park receives many visitors from nearby urban areas, such as Seattle and Tacoma. Many of these visitors lack the appropriate clothing and equipment for the mountain winter environment and for unexpected events, such as sudden storms.

Fortunately, park rangers were able to respond quickly with the skills and equipment needed to prevent this accident from taking a turn for the worse. They have practiced for such incidents and have lower/haul kits prepackaged for quick “grab and go.”

In the search and rescue world, a “hasty” team is a small unit, sometimes even a single person, carrying a minimum of equipment required to initiate the rescue. Other teams with more extensive equipment, such as a litter, follow.
One common problem for incidents like this: knowing the exact rescue needs, especially since emergency reports are often sketchy or incomplete. Responders must preplan potential rescues by conducting a thorough review of the area’s history of rescues. Hasty team rescuers must be prepared for any condition and have the basic equipment to initiate the rescue.

Rescue Editor Tom Vines is the co-author of “High Angle Rescue Techniques” and “Confined Space and Structural Rope Rescue.” He operates a rope-rescue consulting group in Red Lodge, Mont.

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