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Two skiers injured near West Yellowstone at ski camp event

Man, woman injured in separate incidents
Posted at 11:16 AM, Nov 27, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-27 13:16:17-05

Rescuers with Gallatin County Search and Rescue assisted two skiers injured in separate incidents near West Yellowstone on Tuesday.

The injured man and woman were among the thousands of skiers attending this weekend’s West Yellowstone Fall Ski Camp, according to a Gallatin County press release.

The release said around 3 p.m. Tuesday, a 67-year-old Montana man fell and sustained a severe upper-leg injury while cross-country skiing on the South Plateau trail, approximately 7 miles southwest of West Yellowstone.

A 60-year-old Idaho woman fell and injured her hip around the same time, and emergency responders met both her and the injured man near the scene of the two incidents.

The woman was then transported to Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg.

The man had a possible femur fracture and after being transported down the mountain was flown via helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

No further information about the condition of either skier was immediately available.

Personnel from the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue in West Yellowstone, Hebgen Basin Fire Department, and Yellowstone National Park responded to the incidents. The injured skiers were initially treated on scene by Hebgen Basin EMS personnel.

Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin offered his thanks in the press release to “all of the rescue organizations that came together to execute a successful backcountry rescue of these two individuals.”

Sheriff Gootkin also said race organizers also played a significant role in the rescue.