A hiker slipped off the trail near the summit of Mount Timpanogos on Oct. 26, falling several hundred feet before coming to rest on a small ledge on a cliff face. The dramatic rescue that followed — involving a spotter plane, ground teams, and a hoist-equipped helicopter — was captured on video that the Utah County Sheriff's Office posted an updated version of this week.
Spotted From the Sky, Hoisted Off the Rock
According to ABC4, the hiker fell or slid several hundred feet before stopping on the narrow ledge near the mountain's summit. A Utah County Sheriff's Office search-and-rescue pilot flying overhead managed to spot her from the air, and the sheriff's office deployed search-and-rescue team members to the mountain while a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter crew responded to assist, per the Utah County Sheriff's Office on Facebook.
The sheriff's office pilot relayed vital information to the DPS aircrew to help guide the operation, the agency said. Once rescuers reached her, ABC4 reports a rescue specialist put the hiker into an air-lift rescue vest, and the two were hoisted together up to the waiting helicopter. The DPS aircrew then hoisted the patient off the mountain and transferred her to a waiting ambulance on the ground below.
Serious Injuries, but a Hopeful Recovery
The Lone Peak Fire Department transported the woman to Utah Valley Hospital with serious injuries, according to KJZZ. The sheriff's office later said the hiker is recovering well from her injuries, offering some reassurance after a fall that could easily have been fatal.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office thanked all of the agencies that rushed to help with the rescue and expressed gratitude for how the operation turned out. “This incident is a stark reminder of how fast a fun outing can turn into a life-or-death situation. We here at the UCSO are grateful for the outcome of that rescue,” the agency said, per the same ABC4 report.
Not the First Hoist Rescue on Timpanogos This Year
Mount Timpanogos has seen more than one dramatic helicopter rescue this year. Over Labor Day weekend, the Utah Department of Public Safety released video of two separate operations on the mountain, as reported by ABC4. One was an air-hoist rescue on the mountain's east side on Saturday, September 5, while a second hoist extraction took place on the west side two days later, with the patient pulled from roughly 300 yards below the saddle. Utah County Sheriff Search and Rescue handled incident command and coordination for both of those earlier rescues, the same report notes.
