Threads related to Colorado mountaineering accidents but please keep it civil and respectful. Friends and relatives of fallen climbers will be reading these posts.
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Please be respectful when posting - family and friends of fallen climbers might be reading this forum.
(back on topic) Always good to hear of a rescue with a good outcome!
(back off topic)
larkinrx2 wrote:do the cards have to be present or can they research that you have one?
I don't know if they can research it, but you can get the info to them after the fact - I didn't have mine with me, but was able to get the card number and expiration date to the sheriff's office that night, and that was good enough for them. Anymore I keep the number and date in a note on my phone, and a picture of the card, just to make that easier/simpler.
Still Here
been scared and battered. My hopes the wind done scattered. Snow has friz me, Sun has baked me,
Looks like between 'em they done Tried to make me
Stop laughin', stop lovin', stop livin'-- But I don't care! I'm still here!
Langston Hughes
If you want to make a direct donation to the CORSAR fund, go through the link I provided. From the Program Manager at the State of Colorado:
"... yes you are correct. The on-line system is a direct revenue to the Search and Rescue Fund. I appreciate your contribution that helps fund search and rescue operations in Colorado."
Does the owner of helicopter, I assume it's the pilot, that's been rescuing everyone in the Wilson group get any reimbursement for fuel or is he a for hire service? People would have possibly died in the past without his heroics. All SAR volunteers are heroes in my eyes but this guy deserves a big pat on the back. If he doesn't receive any funding hopefully he is financially blessed and has the means to continue his rescue service.
ThuChad, thank you for your comment. Deven Felix is the pilot who consistently excels in our SAR work. The entire Felix family drops whatever they are doing to assist us in SAR and wildfire work. This means bagging commercial customers as they are in the agricultural spray business.
A midnight call from us means a somewhat lengthy process of spray gear removal, extensive pre-flight and an hour flight to get to Telluride from Olathe.
I can not say enough about the quiet competence exhibited by Deven. I've done a bunch of external and internal helo work throughout the country over the years. There a many great sticks out there...Deven is certainly one of the finest. This is not to take away from the other great pilots we have worked with...it's just Deven is always there for us and it's never toooooo exciting.
Olathe Spray Service charges us a minimal amount, which I am sure does not covers all expenses.
On this particular mission, TriState CareFlight 11 attempted rescue in an AS350B2or3, which was stripped of medical gear, after a very twilight recon(it was the only service that could possibly gotten a ship into the air that quickly, before darkness). They could not land. They returned into the basin to attempt a survival pack drop which was not successful. They later inserted hasty team members on the saddle above Woods Lake, locally called the 'grassy knoll'. The five person team was bashing in a 0300 and made victim contact about 0415. Many, many short lowers were used throughout the 7/8 moon night to get the victim to an LZ a tad after O600. Deven Felix in his Bell 47 Soloy then grabbed the patient for evac to the Telluride Airport IC. He made three more trips into the basin to recover the hasty team and gear. His last flight included flying through snow and hail.
A CORSAR card would permit the Dolores County Sheriff to directly and efficiently submit a reimbursement request and quickly receive tier 1 payment for the helicopter bill. As San Miguel County Sheriff's SAR only assists them on request, I do not know and will not comment as to what their action will be at this point.
SM SAR only charges for extraordinary mission expenses-that always translates to a helicopter bill(s). Please get a CORSAR card. 12 bucks for 5 years...who could possibly smack that down. It is a great program.
Lutefisk wrote: Deven Felix in his Bell 47 Soloy then grabbed the patient for evac
Basically, a turbine conversion of the piston-powered M*A*S*H chopper. Looks well-suited to the task. "Records
13 May 1949, a Bell 47 set an altitude record of 18,550 feet (5,650 m).
21 September 1950, first helicopter to fly over the Alps."
Wheels look trick, like just a long lever needed to swing 'em down and lock in, then wheel it around like a hand truck. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_47http://www.soloy.com/Company+Info/Compa ... fault.aspx
"A few hours' mountain climbing make of a rogue and a saint two fairly equal creatures.
Tiredness is the shortest path to equality and fraternity - and sleep finally adds to them liberty."
I have noticed that SAR helicopters that work in the Wilson group seem to have a very quick response and seem to have a high success rate reaching victims compared to a lot of other articles I read about unsuccessful attempts in other areas. I haven't researched this but that has been my impression in the past. Props to the SAR team out there. (Not to take away from any other SAR group)
I hold a 5-year card that is going to expire this year and will certainly buy another. I bought it online and it sounds like that is a good way to go for maximum funding. I have laminated it and keep it in my zippered pants pocket as my form of ID when hiking. It has my address on it and also assists with reimbursement for SAR so it makes sense to me to use it as ID. You can add your phone number or an emergency contact phone number to the card before laminating.
...the mountain peaks belong to Him. -- PS 95:4
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz
Just have to make the comment that yes a helicopter and a decent mountain pilot are nice to have. However, it's just a tool. The real good guys in this story are those five folks who set off from the grassy knoll at 3 am to help a climber in need. And in reality there are a couple dozen others who were standing in line, just in case those five needed a hand somewhere. They put in countless hours and spend big money to do so. And this team pulls off rescue after rescue, year after year. Whether it's a bonanza off the end of KTEX or a debonair on top Wilson Peak, snowmobiler or skier caught in an avalanche, or a child who walked away from camp. These folks and the sheriffs office are the ones who make it happen and deserve a pat on the back. Well done!
Just have to make the comment that yes a helicopter and a decent mountain pilot are nice to have. However, it's just a tool. The real good guys in this story are those five folks who set off from the grassy knoll at 3 am to help a climber in need. And in reality there are a couple dozen others who were standing in line, just in case those five needed a hand somewhere. They put in countless hours and spend big money to do so. And this team pulls off rescue after rescue, year after year. Whether it's a bonanza off the end of KTEX or a debonair on top Wilson Peak, snowmobiler or skier caught in an avalanche, or a child who walked away from camp. These folks and the sheriffs office are the ones who make it happen and deserve a pat on the back. Well done!
Stallspin,
You are absolutely right about the contribution of SAR, but I'm here to tell you you want more than a "decent" pilot. Flying a helicopter in the mountains is hard. Really hard. You don't know where the wind is coming from from one second to the next. In my opinion it takes years to be a good pilot in the mountains.
LadyClimber wrote:You can buy 1 or 5yr CORSAR cards via this site http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/DO ... 1592090523" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or from a local retailer. The funds are distributed among SAR groups in Colorado for necessary equipment to complete our missions. You never know when you or a friend will be the one being rescued. Please consider volunteering with your local SAR group or buying a CORSAR card (I do both).
