Rangers responded to a report of a 57-year-old climber with an injury near Black Rock Chimney on the Grand Teton on the morning of June 17th. Jim Williams of Jackson, Wyoming, was leading a client on a guided trip of the mountain for an authorized park concessioner when the snow that he was standing on collapsed, causing him to take a short fall. During that fall, Williams caught a crampon on the ice and sustained an injury. Williams was able to get himself and his client through technical terrain from Black Rock Chimney to just above the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton. This effort involved descending across rock, ice and snow and required multiple rappels. Rangers commend Williams for self-rescuing with his client to the extent that he did. Rangers assessed several factors relevant to a ground-based evacuation via rescue litter, including terrain conditions, distance to the trailhead, and the potential for injury to rescuer, and decided to have Williams flown to the valley floor via helicopter. The aerial evacuation meant that fewer rescuers spent less time in precarious conditions. To conduct the aerial evacuation, rangers requested a ship from Yellowstone National Park because neither of the two Teton Interagency contract helicopters was available for the rescue operation. After the contract ship landed at Lupine Meadows, Williams transported himself to medical care in Jackson, Wyoming.
