Skier, 64, Survives 1,000-Foot Fall Off Colorado Peak
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (CBS4) - A 64-year-old skier has survived a 1,000-foot fall off a Colorado peak.
The Telluride Daily Planet reports that Joe Ryan fell at least 1,000 feet while skiing on Wilson Creek Thursday.
"It's really steep," San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters said in a comment to the Daily Planet. "It's probably 45 degrees, maybe more. It's tough, long, difficult terrain. It's very steep, extreme skiing."
The rescue operation took four hours and involved more than 20 emergency crew members. Ryan was transported to St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction in good condition after getting airlifted off of Wilson Peak.
"Once we safely got rescue personnel on the ground and made patient contact, we confirmed that we would need to package and transport the patient to a more secure landing zone," Masters told the Daily Planet.
Ryan was on a steep slope at 12,500 feet when he fell.