Black Hawk Assists Snowboarder Rescue Near Broken Top
Black Hawk helicopter and 22 SAR volunteers assist in high-elevation rescue
BEND, Ore. — A coordinated rescue involving an Oregon Army National Guard HH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and 22 Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue volunteers brought an injured snowboarder to safety Monday, March 30.
Officials said the call came in at approximately 2:40 p.m. after a 44-year-old Bend woman was injured in the Tam McArthur Rim area near the base of Broken Top. She was located on steep, snow-covered terrain in the upper third of the slope at about 7,350 feet in elevation.
Authorities said the terrain and injuries required a technical rescue response. A three-person Advanced Life Support Search and Rescue and Mountain Rescue Unit team was initially flown by Air Link, but weather conditions prevented them from reaching the scene.
The team was dropped near Lower Three Creeks Snow Park, where a Good Samaritan assisted them in getting closer. They then skied roughly two miles uphill to reach the injured snowboarder.
Additional SAR personnel, snowmobile operators, and medical team members responded to support the rescue.
Black Hawk Conducts Hoist Rescue
Officials said a break in the weather allowed an Oregon Army National Guard HH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, with a paramedic onboard, to reach the location at approximately 8:20 p.m.
The snowboarder was stabilized at the scene and flown to St. Charles-Bend for further medical care.
The rescue involved 22 trained Search and Rescue volunteers and a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office deputy. Agencies assisting included 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.
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