Skier survives 1,500-foot tumble

Grey Terry put his face in his hands at the Corral Creek trailhead Sunday afternoon, and said, "Oh my God, I’m so glad he’s alive."

A Life Flight helicopter was on the way with his friend John Roach, 27, of Ketchum on board en route to the hospital.

That morning, Roach had fallen 1,500 feet down a rocky snow-covered bowl near Pioneer Cabin.

When Terry found Roach battered, bruised and breathing shallow, he ran downhill more than an hour in ski boots to get help. He called 911 on a cellular phone from the parking lot.

"I felt it would be better if I suffered some pain rather than him die," Terry said while at the trailhead with rescue workers.

Roach, Terry and three other friends had spent Saturday night on the ridge above Corral Creek after hiking up that afternoon with packs and skis.

On Sunday morning, they set out hiking at 7 a.m. to ski a south-facing slope.

At about 10:30, they were traversing a north face when Roach disappeared down the backside of the ridge.

An experienced telemark skier, Roach fell and tumbled about 1,500 feet.

The others skied down to where Roach had stopped.

"He was in bad shape when we got to him," said Tim Carter, 26, of Ketchum. "What he fell down was pretty crazy."

Carter and another skier stayed with Roach while Terry and a fifth skier hurried down the drainage for help.

Once Terry made the call, a rescue effort involving the Ketchum Fire Department, Blaine County Search and Rescue and a Life Flight helicopter crew from St. Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise got underway.

It would soon hit a snag.

The helicopter got to the area at about 1:12 p.m. and picked up two local firefighter rescuers.

But the two firefighters were soon on the ground again near Kane Lake trail when the helicopter crew spotted people on top of a ridge waving enthusiastically.

They were just hikers saying hello to the helicopter, delaying the rescue effort for nearly 20 minutes.

Luckily, Roach was just on the other side of the ridge, said one of the crew members.

In Boise, Roach was treated for scrapes and bruises, but had no major injuries.

As for Terry, who’d run down the hill in his ski boots to save his friend, he went home to a cold beer on Sunday evening.

Roach said he might not ski much the rest of this summer when telephoned at the hospital Tuesday morning.