Stranded Skiers Rescued from Kenai Fjords National Park via Helicopter

Date:
April 20, 2024
Contact:Leah Wold

On the morning of April 18th, Soldotna Public Safety Communications Center received a report of six adult skiers stranded in a snow cave on the Harding Icefield within Kenai Fjords National Park. The group was undertaking a multiday traverse of the Harding Ice Field from Exit Glacier to Bradley Lake when they encountered inclement weather conditions and constructed a snow cave for shelter.

National Park Service law enforcement rangers and the Alaska Wildlife Troopers coordinated throughout the day and into evening several rescue attempts utilizing both State Trooper and Alaska Air National Guard aviation assets. Poor visibility and high winds prevented all attempts to reach the stranded party.

On the morning of April 19, an Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter with pararescuemen (PJs) on board made another attempt to reach the group but were again hampered by high winds. By late morning weather conditions improved to the point where the Pave Hawk could land and offload the PJs in the vicinity of the group's location. After linking up with the six skiers, the PJs safely led them back to the helicopter which airlifted them to an area hospital for evaluation. An Alaska Air National Guard HC-130 provided aerial support during the mission.

The National Park Service would like to thank the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, and Alaska Air National Guard for their continued partership and assistance with this incident.

More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

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