BEND, Ore. — March 11, 2025 – On the afternoon of March 11, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue (SAR) responded to a call about two skiers stranded on South Sister—one of them injured. Attempts to contact the skiers by phone were unsuccessful, so SAR teams began coordinating a rescue.
By 2:38 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office SAR Incident Management Team was activated to help plan the mission. At 4:51 p.m., two SAR members were flown to the mountain by a AirLink Critical Care Transport helicopter, and by 5:12 p.m., they had spotted the skiers and were searching for a place to land.
SAR members had reached the skiers, both men (ages 19 & 20) from Salt Lake City, UT. Moments later, the Oregon Army National Guard HH-60 Black Hawk helicopter arrived overhead. The Army National Guard helicopter successfully picked up both the injured skier and their companion and transported them to St. Charles Medical Center in Bend.
Meanwhile, the two rescueing SAR members remained near the south edge of the Lewis Glacier. They skied down South Sister to another SAR team on snowmobiles who delivered back to Dutchman Sno-Park.
This rescue was a team effort, and we appreciate the help from AirLink and the Oregon Army National Guard in getting these skiers to safety.
