Team rescues injured backcountry skier in Lake Tahoe

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office brought together a Search and Rescue team on Sunday, February 26 after they were notified of an injured woman in the Eagle Buttress area that needed to be rescued off the mountain.

The 56-year-old Truckee woman was in the backcountry skiing with a group when she suffered an injury to her leg and was unable to ski out on her own.

Eagle Buttress is located to the north of Eagle Lake near Emerald Bay.

A weather system was approaching the Sierra at the time of the call, with heavy clouds and strong winds in the area the group was skiing. Attempts were made to use a helicopter for extraction but weather made this impossible. Search and Rescue volunteers from the El Dorado County and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office used skis and snowshoes to hike in and recover the victim.

A cascade toboggan was used to transport the victim out of the backcountry, where she was transported to a nearby hospital for further treatment.