RICH COUNTY — A 22-year-old woman was rescued and confirmed safe early Monday morning at approximately 4:15 a.m. after reportedly getting trapped in a ravine late Sunday afternoon.
The Rich County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 text at approximately 4:35 p.m. Sunday from the woman, who reported falling into a ravine after skiing with a 20-year-old male companion. The female skier told dispatch she had been in the difficult terrain since about 1 p.m. and had lost contact with the male skier.
The male skier was located and confirmed safe at 6:58 p.m.
Deputies reported the female skier was located by drone, but accessing her location remained challenging due to the terrain and weather conditions. Rich County Search and Rescue, supported by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and a drone crew, were called to the scene. Cache County Search and Rescue were also paged to assist the operation.
A Utah DPS helicopter, which was initially delayed by weather, successfully airlifted the victim to safety. She was evaluated at the scene and was not injured, enabling her to go home.
Rich County Search and Rescue, Cache County Search and Rescue, and the Utah Department of Natural Resources worked throughout the night on the successful rescue operation.