Usually when people warn me against going out for an early season backcountry mission, it involves a phrase such as ‘little too early to tear your ACL don’t you think?’
However, nobody indicated that I could lose my family jewels.
And that may be what happened to a solo-backcountry skier in Montana yesterday. According to a press release from the Gallatin Media Center, “The impalement occurred in the groin and was bulging near the belly button.”
The accident occurred at roughly 1:20pm in Hyalite Canyon near an area known as History Rock. After the accident, the solo-skier was able to walk away on his own before he encountered another group of skiers. Once discovered, the group offered the injured skier assistance, built a fire, and sent some skiers in their party to alert Search and Rescue to the incident.
Once extracted, a helicopter was waiting to fly the victim to the Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.