Follow Up to Wednesday’s Backcountry Skiing Incident in Rocky Mountain National Park

Date: January 13, 2011
Contact: Kyle Patterson, 970-586-1363

The injured skier's name from yesterday's incident in Rocky Mountain National Park is Scott Sedlack, 55, from Chicago, Illinois. He was participating in a guided ski outing through ClimbingLife Guides.

Rangers left the Bear Lake Trailhead at approximately 2:00 p.m. and reached Sedlack around 3:00 p.m. He had numerous serious injuries. The initial rescue took place at roughly 10,600 feet above treeline. There were 11 park staff including two park medics involved. Rescuers began coming down the slope and snowpacked trail with the man in a sled type litter at 4:50 p.m. Rescuers faced extremely cold temperatures, high winds and white out conditions. Nine members of Larimer County Search and Rescue connected with park staff along the trail and assisted with the carry out to the trailhead. The injured skiier's name from yesterday's incident in Rocky Mountain National Park is Scott Sedlack, 55, from Chicago, Illinois. He was participating in a guided ski outing through ClimbingLife Guides.

Rescuers reached the Bear Lake Trailhead at 6:30 p.m. last night, Wednesday, January 12. Sedlack was taken to Estes Park Medical Center by ambulance and flown to Medical Center of the Rockies.

At 1:00 p.m. January 12, park rangers were notified by cell phone that Sedlack had taken a significant tumbling/sliding fall reported to be approximately 900 feet while backcountry skiing near the east face of Flattop Mountain on "The Drift." He was skiing with two others.

Rangers left the Bear Lake Trailhead at approximately 2:00 p.m. and reached Sedlack around 3:00 p.m. He had numerous serious injuries. The initial rescue took place at roughly 10,600 feet above treeline. There were 11 park staff including two park medics involved.  Rescuers began coming down the slope and snowpacked trail with the man in a sled type litter at 4:50 p.m. Rescuers faced extremely cold temperatures, high winds and white out conditions. Nine members of Larimer County Search and Rescue connected with park staff along the trail and assisted with the carry out to the trailhead.