Helicopter Crew Details Mount Siyeh Rescue in Glacier

Rescue crews in Glacier National Park successfully saved two hikers who fell from atop a popular trail along Mount Siyeh, a 10,000-foot peak on July 6. One person suffered a broken wrist, leaving her unable to scramble out of a steep cliff area.

After the rescue, crews released a dramatic video of the operation showing a SAR official pluck one of the women off of the rocky slopes of the peak.

In an interview with Outside, the responding agency, Two Bear Air, said the two women, whose names and ages have not been released, were well-prepared for such an emergency. After their fall, the two sent a satellite message to park rangers, alerting them of their situation and location. They also shared that they had a shiny gold space blanket with which to alert rescuers.

“They did the right thing. The two women triaged, took care of the injury, stayed put, and did everything right from the point they were injured,” Wil Milam, chief rescue specialist with responding agency Two Bear Air Rescue in Montana, told Outside.

“That is exactly how we found them,” Milam said, pointing to video shared on Facebook showing the rescue.

Mount Siyeh is known for its crumbling loose rock face. At 10,019 feet, it’s the fifth tallest peak in Glacier, making it one of only six peaks over 10,000 feet in the national park. Mount Siyeh also features a staggering 4,000-foot vertical north face, one of the highest rock walls in the lower 48.

“They were in an area that would have required gripping and holding onto rocks. With an injured wrist, the woman didn’t have that capability,” Milam said.

Helicopter Hoist Rescue in Inaccessible Terrain

Milam has 30 years of experience in search and rescue, and has been with Two Bear Air since 2017. He says that the agency responds to approximately 120 calls each year. In the summer, most of those emergencies involve rafters and hikers—and a portion of those rescues involve a search-and-rescue hoist system.

These specialized systems involve a motorized winch attached to a helicopter to safely raise and lower rescue personnel, litters, and patients in areas where landing an aircraft is otherwise impossible. Milam says that once his team locates a patient, they run through a checklist to discuss all parameters involved in a rescue, such as how well the aircraft is performing at altitude and whether it has enough power to hold a hover and hoist people out. They also run through potential hazards, such as wind, cliffs and rock faces, tree cover, snow, and terrain.

“If we’re all in agreement, then the system operator will then open a cabin door; he’ll step out on the skid and connect the hoist hook to the rescue specialist, lower them down with whatever equipment we decided is appropriate,” Milam said.

In this case, the team used an air rescue vest, a one-size-fits-all harness worn by rescued patients. Two Bear Air sent down a rescue specialist with 120 feet of cable to extract each patient one at a time.

Both women were taken to the Visitor Center at Logan Pass and left in the care of Glacier National Park.

Come Prepared, Leave Alive

Milam says the hikers were well prepared, carrying communication devices and emergency gear on their hike.

“These are the missions that make it worthwhile. They were prepared for the emergency,” he said.

When going into the backcountry, Milam reminds hikers to tell people where they’re going and when they plan on being back—and to stick to that plan.

“Have a way to communicate and be prepared to stay longer than you think,” he added. “In this case, if the weather had gotten too bad and the helicopter couldn’t get in, the women were equipped to spend time there.”

Satellite devices like Garmin inReach also have an advantage over some phone SOS systems, Milam said. These devices send links with the location from which a text was sent, giving responders a starting point for their search.