On February 9, 2024, at 12:12pm, West Yellowstone Police Department Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a cross-county skier who had encountered a fellow skier who had injured their leg and lost consciousness for an unknown amount of time. The caller indicated that the skier was in need of immediate medical treatment near Jerry’s Journey on the Rendezvous Ski Trail, 2 miles south of West Yellowstone, Montana.

Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue (GCSSAR) volunteers from the West Yellowstone detachment, Hebgen Basin Rural Fire District (HBRFD), and Gallatin County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the request for aid. The GCSSAR team members established due to groomed snow conditions and the injured skier’s location on the Rendezvous Ski Trail, a tracked four-wheeler and a snowmobile response would serve the patient best. GCSSAR members arrived on scene and assisted the patient. The patient was transported from the scene of the accident by a specialized tracked four-wheeler towed ambulance to a waiting HBRFD ambulance for further evaluation. The injured skier refused further medical treatment and was released after being evaluated.

Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer would like to commend the passerby skiers who provided detailed information pertaining to the location and extent of the skier’s injuries and waited with the injured skier until emergency services arrived on scene. Sheriff Springer would like to remind outdoor recreationists that having the proper equipment to establish location and contact emergency services leads to the quickest and most efficient response from emergency personnel.