High above the Front Range, in air so thin most people are gasping just to stand upright, a Colorado Army National Guard Black Hawk crew pulled off what officials say is the highest hoist rescue on record in the state. On June 12, 2025, the helicopter lifted an injured climber from just below the summit of Torreys Peak at roughly 14,200 feet. The victim was one of two out-of-state hikers hit by lightning during an evening storm; one was left unresponsive and later flown to a Denver hospital after ground teams and volunteers spent hours trying to reach the pair before an aerial extraction became the only option left.
The record hoist and how it happened
According to the Colorado National Guard, a four-person aircrew from the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum flew a UH-60 Black Hawk to about 14,200 feet above sea level, edging past a previous military hoist mark of roughly 13,700 feet. To make it work, pilots burned fuel to shed weight, continuously recalculated power margins on the fly, and coordinated with civilian hoist technicians from the Vail Mountain Rescue Group before committing to the lift, the Guard said.
Why altitude makes this so dangerous
At that height, the thin air cuts rotor lift, and gusty winds can toss a hovering helicopter around like a toy, forcing pilots to constantly rework their math on weight and performance as conditions shift. "Power calculations were starting to turn in our favor," Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Hubbard said, according to the Guard's account, just before the crew lowered a technician to secure and hoist the unresponsive hiker.
Many teams pitched in
More than 40 rescuers from Alpine Rescue Team, Vail Mountain Rescue Group, Clear Creek Fire, and Clear Creek EMS joined the Guard on the peak, 5280 reported. Alpine Rescue Team says it coached the stranded hikers by phone along Kelso Ridge toward the summit before the weather turned ugly, but ground crews were ultimately blocked from reaching the patients as the storm intensified.
CBS spotlight and a busier hoist season
CBS News Colorado recently shared video of the rescue, putting the 14,200-foot hoist back in the spotlight. The mission, first widely reported in June 2025, is unfolding in a busier-than-usual hoist season, with the Colorado Search and Rescue Association saying teams had already made far more helicopter hoist requests by late June than at the same point the previous year, Summit Daily reported.
Officials and veteran volunteers are using cases like this as a reality check for would-be summit chasers: study the forecast, start early, and stay off exposed ridgelines when thunderstorms are in play. "Don't wait to call," rescue leaders told 5280, reminding hikers that missions can stretch for many hours and helicopter hoists are reserved for the most serious and time-sensitive emergencies.
