Sunny Weekend Brings Yet Another Skier Rescue

Grand Teton National Park Rangers were joined by the county rescue team and ski patrollers from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for yet another skier rescue in the back country.  31 year-old  Josh Tatman of Jackson was rescued from Granite Canyon Saturday after he sustainied injuries from a fall about 300 feet from the top of Endless Couloir located just outside the boundary of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Tatman was skiing alone when he took what was described as a slow twisting fall. Tatman called Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patrol with his cell phone just after 1:00 pm, telling them that he was injured and needed help.  Grand Teton National Park rangers were flown in the Teton County Search and Rescue contract helicopter to a landing zone in Granite Canyon where they waited for the members of the ski patrol to lower Tatman to them. The Ski patrolers responded to the scene from the resort, stabilized Tatman’s injuries and loaded him into a rescue toboggan before lowering him to the helicopter. Due to snow conditions and the terrain rescuers had to set up a rope belay system and lower Tatman in six 300-foot segments into the canyon.  Tatman was loaded into the helicopter and flown to a temporary landing zone at Teton Village where he was met by an ambulance from Jackson Hole Fire/EMS and transported to St. John’s Medical Center for treatment. Tatman recently moved to Jackson from Sheridan, Wyoming.