Hiker rescued in Little Cottonwood Canyon after storm rolls in
By Kennedy Camarena
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SALT LAKE CITY (KSL, KSL TV) — Search and rescue crews traveled through a snowstorm in Little Cottonwood Canyon on Saturday to find a lost hypothermic hiker, and get them back home to safety.
The Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team said the four hour rescue mission began on Saturday at 7 p.m. when a hiker called for help on the south ridge of Mt. Superior.
“The hiker had set out earlier in the day, attempting to summit the mountain, and went off-trail when a snowstorm rolled in,” the search and rescue said.
Temperatures quickly dropped to around 20 degrees Fahrenheit and snow began blowing around the hiker, leading to limited visibility.
Once the hiker called for help, the search and rescue said teams met at the base of Alta Ski Resort to travel up the mountain and start looking for the hiker.
“The rescuers broke trail through several inches of snow on a technical, steep ascent for about 1.5 hours before making contact with the hiker,” reported search and rescue. “As rescue teams assessed a cliff-edge traverse through a waterfall to the subject, a break in the storm occurred.”
A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter then took the hiker via “hoist rescue” to an ambulance, which then took the hiker to a nearby hospital for treatment.
According to the search and rescue, the hiker was hypothermic but in stable condition when brought to the hospital.
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