Rangers used an interagency contract helicopter to evacuate an injured climber from the Lower Saddle on Wednesday, August 1st. Kevin Klimek, 50, of Detroit, Michigan, stumbled and fell several feet around 8:45 a.m. while ascending Exum Ridge on the Grand Teton with a group of climbers led by Exum Guides. Although he was roped-up and wearing a helmet, Klimek suffered lacerations to his face, bruises to his hand, and an injury to his knee during the fall. The guide leading the climbing party called the Exum offices to report the accident, and Exum contacted rangers, who began to monitor the situation. The party was able to descend to the Lower Saddle without additional assistance by about 11 a.m. A ranger who was stationed at the Lower Saddle on a routine climbing patrol met the group there, evaluated Klimek’s injuries, and provided emergency medical assistance. Rangers also conferred with a physician at St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson about Klimek’s condition. Due to the nature of his injuries, the location of the accident, and the prolonged time an evacuation by foot would take, they made the decision to evacuate him by helicopter. An interagency contract helicopter flew to the Lower Saddle at 1:10 p.m. Rangers loaded Klimek inside the helicopter and flew him to Lupine Meadows, where a park ambulance was waiting to transport him to St. John’s Medical Center for further treatment.
