Reporting begins with January 2004

4 January 2004: Heavy snow this week prompted concern for a group of backcountry skiers stranded at the Elkton Huts. CBSAR was dispatched to retrieve one of the party who was 5 months pregnant. Travis Henning's Imp was able to break trail to the hut, allowing the perfectly healthy woman to ski out.

14 February 2004: Snow machine evacuation of injured backcountry skier from the Elkton Huts. Complaint was an unstable ankle injury.

21 April 2004: CBSAR requested to assist with the extrication of a 1700 pound Belgian draft horse from a bog. The effort was inhibited by cold weather and snow, taking over 5 hours. SAR worked under the direction of a local large-animal vet. The animal was successfully extricated, but later died from exhaustion.

6 May 2004, 1200 - 0500 7 May:  Friends Hut. A 45 y/o man was evacuated from the Friends Hut during the night after he was unable to ski out due to an ankle injury sustained the previous day. The 12 K evacuation was hampered by soft snow, patchy mud, and stream crossings. Cooler night temperatures were advantageous in firming the snow pack for the evacuation team. Twelve members responded. The subject was released to friends in town at approximately 0500.

31 May 2004, 1700 - 1830:  Strand Hill trail, 17:00. A 29 y/o mountain biker fell approximately 500 meters below the summit injuring his left ankle. CBEMS requested assistance with treatment and evacuation. CBSAR responded with 8 members and the suburban. The subject was treated on scene by CBSAR and EMS medics and transported to the summit by wheeled litter, transferred to the sub for the ride back to the road. He was transported by CBEMS to Gunnison Valley Hospital where a fracture dislocation of the left ankle was diagnosed.

28 June 2004, 0430 - 1700:  Snowmass Mountain. CBSAR was called to assist Aspen Mountain Rescue with the recovery of a 32 y.o. Arvada, CO man who fell on the west face on 26 June. The hiker had separated from his partner in bad weather and continued to the summit. He apparently lost footing at the top of a couliour near the summit and slid approximately 1500' over a cliff band coming to rest on a snow slope at about 12,600'. The subject was initially located by West Elk Search and Rescue but the terrain was deemed to be too hazardous for them to extricate.

Five CBSAR members joined eight from Western State College MRT and 16 from Aspen Mountain Rescue. Access required driving into Lead King Basin and a hike of 4 miles, including a 3000' elevation gain. The subject was lowered about 700' down snowfield and scree, and then carried up to Little Gem Lake. A pack string from Marble rode in to finish the recovery.

28 June 2004, 1730:  Schofield, Call out/stand down for a father and son who were reported overdue on a mountain bike ride on the 403 trail. Apparently the pair missed the trail junction with Gothic road and ended up in Marble.

22 July 2004:  Snodgrass Trail, Bike vs. Tree. CBSAR effected the evacuation of an injured mountain biker after his unintentional contact with tree. Medical care was maintained by CBEMS.

25 - 26 July 2004:  Lost Lake, search. CBSAR worked with Western State MRT and West Elk SAR in an attempt to locate a 52 y.o. woman who became separated from her family on a short hike from Dollar Lake back to the campground. She successfully avoided detection by 24 team members, two search dogs, a helicopter with infared imaging, and a fixed wing aircraft for two days. She eventually was picked up on a ranch road about 10 miles from the PLS. No injuries.

26 August 2004:  Team on standby to assist with search for missing hiker on Mt. Princeton in Chafee County. Subject found alive on 27 August.

10 January 2005:  Team paged to recover a snow machine operator stranded in deep snow somewhere near Kebler Pass. Contact with the subject was with satellite phone. Reported being holed up in a tent without food or water. Snowing heavily at the time. Unsure of exact location, but was traveling between Crested Butte and Erikson Springs. CBSAR mission aborted due to extreme avalanche hazard. The subject was recovered at about midnight by a team from West Elk SAR accessing the area from the less hazardous Erikson Springs side.

24 January 2005:  Washington Gulch winter trailhead. Snowmachine accident, one male with shoulder and neck injuries. Inexperienced rider did not see drop-off in flat light. Fell approximately 25 feet landing nose down. Transported to trailhead.

25 January 2005:  Splain's Gulch snowmachine accident. Female rider missed turn, launched over the bank and rolled about 40 feet down the gulch. Injuries included compound fracture to one leg. Stabilized and evacuated to trailhead.

9 February 2005:  Evacuated medical problem from Gothic Townsite. Young woman with abdominal pain.

15 June 2005:  Assisted Crested Butte EMS with evacuation of injured horseman from Snodgrass mountain area.

15 July 2005:  Called out to evacuate 50 y/o woman injured in ATV accident near Reno Divide. Stood down while enroute - subject was evacuated by fire and EMS.

19 July 2005:  Boy scouts missing on Mt. Ruby.  Found troupe in 3hrs.  One mild injury.

20 July 2005:  Injured Mountain Biker @ Peanut Mine.  Stood down.

4 August 2005:  Massive search with many other S& R teams for Forest Service employee Jeff Christensen in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Deceased subject found by other by another team.

13 August 2005: Search for 2 lost 15-year-old boys at the Dinner Station campground in Taylor Park.  Stood down while in route.

21August 2005: Injured dirt biker on Tecali Ridge. Subject taken to Brush creek crossing by other rider and police.  SAR provided medical assistance for puncture wound to shoulder.  Police transported subject to Deer Creek trailhead where EMS took over transport.

27 August 2005:  Male rider was seriously injured in an ATV rollover on Pearl Pass.  Medical assistance and packaging provided by CBSAR.  Subject was evacuated by helicopter.

3 September 2005: Female Mountain Biker fell and injured her back on the Lower Loop trail near Gunsight Bridge.  CBSAR packaged her and provided transport about ½ mile by foot to CB EMS near the bridge.

10 September 2005: Ford Bronco went 350’ off the Gunsight Pass Road.  4 parties bailed out and one female remained in the vehicle.  This seriously injured party suffering from mild hypothermia was packaged in a wiggies bag and vac mat, transported to an LZ and evacuated by helicopter.

21 - 24 September 2005: Assisted Western State and West Elk SAR in search for missing hiker in the Snowmass Wilderness.  A body was found by another team in an avalanche slope of Snowmass Mountain. A team member assisted in the recovery.

18 January 2006: An abandoned snowmobile near an avalanche near Gothic triggered a search for the missing driver.  The team was stood down just before leaving the trailhead.  Since all our machines were unloaded, we turned this into a snowmobile training.  A team member suffered a knee injury during the training.

11 February 2006: A snowmobiler was injured near Kebler Pass Rd. and Splains Gulch Rd. CBSAR and EMS secured party to backboard and transported him to a LZ.  He was transported by helicopter to Grand Junction.

20 March 2006: A female ski area employee was lost while snowboarding out of bounds near the Crested Butte Ski Area.  CBSAR responded to the Brush Creek side of the ski area.  We were stood down when a ski area employee found her.

4 July 2006: A mountain biker was injured in a crash on the Deer Creek Trail.  CBSAR hiked to his location, stabilized him, carried him about 2 miles to the Brush Creek Trailhead, and transported him in a team vehicle to an ambulance.

15 July 2006: A female got stuck when she tried to drive from Aspen to Gunnison via the Devils Punchbowl.  CBSAR was called when she did not show up.  We responded to Schofield Park and got word that she spent the night with a camper and he drove her to Marble.

15 July 2006: CBSAR responded to a severely injured horse rider about 3.3 miles from Kebler Pass Rd. and Horse Ranch Park, over Beckwith Pass.  Members traveled by horseback, and foot to the location.  She was given medical assistance, stabilized, packaged, and moved to an LZ.  She was transported to a hospital via helicopter.

18 July 2006: CBSAR responded to a female hiker injured and in shock near Double Top Ranch and Cement Creek Rd..  We were stood down when the police and EMS responded to the location.

8 August 2006: A female was injured while using a ladder to cross a fence near the Rocky Mountain Biological Lab.. The team worked with EMS to asses, package, and carry her (using the wheel) to an ambulance.

11 August 2006: A mountain biker fell face first while riding the Upper Loop Trail in Mt. C.B.  CBSAR and EMS did an assessment.  The subject refused treatment.  He was assisted in walking down to his vehicle.  He advised the team that he would drive to Dr. Sherman in his personal vehicle.