Backcountry Skier Injured In Slab Avalanche In Granite Canyon

Grand Teton National Park (WY)
Backcountry Skier Injured In Slab Avalanche In Granite Canyon

Grand Teton National Park rangers enlisted the help of a Teton County Search and Rescue helicopter to evacuate an injured backcountry skier who was caught in an avalanche in the park on Thursday afternoon. Mark Gardner, 41, of Teton Village, Wyoming, triggered a soft slab avalanche while skiing with a friend in the Northwest Passage area of Granite Canyon. A 60-foot-wide and two-and-half-foot-deep mass of snow carried Gardner over 50 feet downslope before he collided with a tree and came to a stop. While the force of the shifting snow injured Gardner’s leg, he was not buried. Gardner was wearing a helmet which likely protected him from other injuries. Gardner and his partner were not able to make a cell phone call from their location in the canyon, so they sidestepped from the Northwest Passage down through Endless Couloir. An off duty ski patroller from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort encountered the two and ultimately made a call for help after getting cell reception near the mouth of the canyon. Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received notice of the situation at 3 p.m. and rangers began a rescue effort that involved the assistance of the Teton County helicopter. The pilot and crew were able to quickly respond and locate the two backcountry skiers near an area where the aircraft could conveniently land. Teton County rescue personnel assisted Gardner and his partner to the waiting ship and then flew them to the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, landing at 4 p.m. An ambulance then transported Gardner to St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming.