Hypothermic skier becomes stranded in remote part of Utah mountain as the sun sets

A skier started to become hypothermic and couldn’t go up or down a Utah mountain.

The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team was called to a popular gully called “The Needle” on Saturday, Jan. 29. The Needle is a narrow couloir that goes 1,100 feet up near Little Cottonwood Canyon, about 20 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

The skier became “cliffed out,” unable to move up or down the mountain. The sun was setting, and the skier was stranded in a place that would’ve been difficult for rescuers to access.

“Due to the remote location of the skier, the conditions, and rapidly losing daylight, it was decided that a helicopter extraction would be the most viable rescue option,” the search and rescue team said on Facebook.

Rescuers on the ground were also sent to the skier’s location as a backup. However, the helicopter crew from the Utah Department of Public Safety found the skier and lowered equipment to him.

The skier was hoisted from the mountain and taken to a parking lot where medics could help, rescuers said.

“They were able to lower equipment to him and instruct him how to secure himself to the mountain with the equipment,” the Utah Highway Patrol said on Facebook. “They then hoisted down to him with a rescue device and got him off the mountain.”

Rescuers said skiers and hikers heading into backcountry should always have the gear they need.

“It is recommended that you should always have enough gear to spend the night in the mountains if you need to,” rescuers said.

This story was originally published February 1, 2022 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Hypothermic skier becomes stranded in remote part of Utah mountain as the sun sets."