A Gallatin County Search and Rescue team member died Sunday as the result of a fall while on a recreational climb approximately 30 miles northeast of Gardiner, Montana. At about 11:00 am, the Park County Sheriff’s office received a call about a rock-climbing accident on Mt. Cowen which is the highest peak in the western Beartooth Mountains. Park County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue and Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue Alpine Hasty team responded.
Search and Rescue team member Travis Swanson was climbing with fellow SAR members Jackson Negri and Will Hitchcock when rockfall swept Hitchcock and Swanson downslope. Negri contacted Park County Sheriff’s Office and Gallatin County SAR teammates, who responded with specialized alpine rescue resources.
With Negri’s help, they were able to rescue Hitchcock and recover Swanson. Hitchcock is currently listed as stable at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Billings for his injuries. All three climbers were extricated by the search and rescue team with the assistance of Park County.
Travis Swanson was a significant contributor to the Alpine and Helicopter rescue team, and the quality of the team’s performance is credited in part to the many efforts that he himself put into Search & Rescue.
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