Idaho National Guard assists with rescue of 19-year-old climber near Stanley

STANLEY — The Idaho Army National Guard’s State Aviation Group assisted Custer County Search and Rescue with the rescue of an injured 19-year-old hiker on Thompson Peak outside of Stanley on July 6.

The hiker suffered an ankle injury while climbing in the Sawtooth Range around 75 miles outside of Boise.

“Our crew did an incredible job under some very challenging environmental conditions,” said Capt. Katherine Smith, commander of Det. 1, Company G 1st of the 168th Aviation Regiment. “The rescue required a great deal of crew coordination, as well as teamwork with the highly proficient extraction team from the Custer County Sheriff’s Office.”

The 19-year-old was stuck on a shear rock wall under a ledge. When crews located him, they determined that there was no way to safely insert a hoist rider to extract him.

The flight crew quickly headed to the nearby Stanley Airport and picked up a rope team from Custer County’s Search and Rescue.

“We were able to insert the team about 300 meters away from the patient using a two-wheel landing,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Theron Cameron, an Idaho Army National Guard UH-60 pilot.

The team then moved the hiker to a more favorable location for the rescue, where crews were able to secure the hiker and hoist him into the aircraft.

The flight crew transferred the rescued hiker to the Stanley Airport before he was transported to civilian medical care.