Visitors to the Upper Geyser Basin walk along boardwalks near Old Faithful geyser on Thursday in Yellowstone National Park.
BRADLY J. BONER/JACKSON HOLE DAILY
 
 
THU

Hi: 62°
Lo: 35°
FRI

Hi: 66°
Lo: 40°
SAT

Hi: 63°
Lo: 37°
SUN

Hi: 70°
Lo: 43°
 
Teton Pass Web Cam Jackson Town Square.
Grand Teton Web Cam Teton Village Web Cam.
 
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com

 
 
 
 
 


 
Rocky crash on Zero G severely injures rider


First responders load an injured snowboarder into an Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center helicopter Sunday evening at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The snowboarder suffered serious injuries after falling in the Zero G couloir in the Rock Springs area, just outside the resort boundary. Photo by Bradly J. Boner/Jackson Hole Daily.

View our entire photo gallery >>

By Mark Huffman, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
December 31, 2012

A snowboarder was airlifted to an Idaho hospital Sunday evening after he crashed into rocks at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Resort spokeswoman Anna Olson said the man suffered a “serious injury.” County officials said the injuries in-cluded one to the head.

The name of the injured ’boarder wasn’t released Sunday night, and Olson also said she didn’t know the man’s age or where he lived.

The man was apparently alone when he was hurt in an area called Zero G, near Rendezvous Bowl. The terrain in Zero G is cut by several bands of cliffs.

“He was definitely out of bounds,” Olson said. “We suspect he was alone. ... The call came in from some people  below him.”

“It’s a steep, narrow run, and he tumbled over some rocks,” she said of the accident location. “It’s not a place to be skiing if you don’t know the area.”

Olson said it wasn’t known if the ’boarder had gone through one of the gates along the ski area boundary or under one of the boundary ropes. It’s illegal to go under the ropes, but legal to go through the gates, which feature warnings of the dangers. The gates are also designed to channel skiers away from the worst hazards, Olson said.

The first call reached ski patrol at 3:45 p.m. The patrol was able to evacuate the injured man with little trouble, Olson said, but he was kept in the village clinic for about an hour while a helicopter waited. He was then flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls.