Rescue beacon helps save hiker who fell 400 feet down snowy Colorado slope, cops say

A hiker plunged 400 feet down a snowy, steep slope in Colorado. A device may have helped save her, rescuers said.

The 27-year-old woman was hiking near Snowmass Mountain on Tuesday, June 21, when she fell 400 feet, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said. She had a “possible open leg fracture and head injury,” deputies said.

Rescuers received an emergency message from a rescue beacon device at about 4:25 p.m. and rushed to help the woman. When they arrived, two bystanders and one nurse were caring for the injured hiker.

Officials determined the woman would need to be flown off the mountain. Rescuers hiked to the woman on foot and stabilized her injuries.

“Then, with assistance from the other bystanders on scene, the .. rescuers began slowly moving the injured woman towards the helicopter landing zone,” deputies said in a news release.

The woman was flown in a helicopter to the Aspen Valley Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The rescue mission was completed about eight hours after officials received the report.

“The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office and Mountain Rescue Aspen would like to use this opportunity to remind backcountry travelers to always carry and use appropriate safety equipment for the terrain and conditions that may be encountered,” officials said.

This story was originally published June 23, 2022 at 11:26 AM with the headline "Rescue beacon helps save hiker who fell 400 feet down snowy Colorado slope, cops say."