Seriously Injured Climber Rescued From Grand Teton

A climber sustained life-threatening injuries in an apparent fall while attempting to make a solo summit of the 13,770-foot Grand Teton on the morning of Friday, August 8th. Despite dense clouds and bad weather, rangers were able to rescue Steve Markusen, 60, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, with the support of a Teton Interagency Fire helicopter.

Free climbing alone—without a climbing harness, rope or helmet—Markusen had reached an elevation of 13,300 feet on the Grand Teton and was climbing midway between the Friction Pitch and V-Pitch on the upper Exum Ridge route when the accident occurred. Although unable to recall exactly what happened, he believes he may have been struck by a rock, which caused him to fall or tumble possibly 100 feet down the steep, granite slabs strewn with loose rock that lies above the Friction Pitch. He incurred extensive traumatic injuries during his ‘tumbling’ fall.

Two climbers in a separate party came upon Markusen, but did not have a cell phone to call for help. They continued to the summit of the Grand Teton, about 400 vertical feet beyond, where they located other climbers with a cell phone and called the Jenny Lake Ranger Station. In the meantime, another party of two climbers encountered Markusen and began to provide first aid as they also placed a 911 call.

About an hour later, while the park’s rescue operation was underway, a third climbing party with four firefighters from Boston, Massachusetts, also came upon Markusen and the two climbers who were assisting him. Two of the Boston climbers had medical training; they stayed with Markusen to provide advanced medical assistance until park rangers arrived. Due to the threat of an approaching storm, all the other climbers continued to the Grand’s summit.

Because of the cloud cover high on the mountain, a ground-based rescue mission was begun. The helicopter flew seven rangers and a Teton Interagency Fire helitack crew member to the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton (elevation 11,600 feet), which was below the thick clouds.

From the Lower Saddle, two rangers made a ‘blitz’ ascent with minimal gear to quickly reach the critically injured climber and begin emergency medical care. Four additional rangers carried all the equipment necessary for a possible extended ground rescue. Fortunately, a break in the weather made it possible to short-haul a ranger and a rescue litter to the accident site.

Markusen’s injuries were serious enough to warrant a life flight to Eastern Idaho Medical Center in Idaho Falls, but bad weather prevented the Air Idaho flight. Instead, Grand Teton rangers, emergency medical technicians and paramedics set up a temporary emergency room inside the Jenny Lake Rescue Cache to stabilize Markusen before transporting him by park ambulance to St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming. Markusen arrived at the local hospital at 4:20 p.m., over five hours after his fall.