COSTILLA COUNTY — On the morning of June 5, Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue (AVSAR) was contacted to assist the Costilla County Sheriff's Office in rescuing an injured climber near the summit of Mt. Lindsey. 

The climber had fallen several hundred feet after a boulder gave way while the climber was ascending the northwest ridge approach of the peak. AVSAR works in collaboration with the Alamosa County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies. 

According to AVSAR, "Rescuers were able to establish contact with the climber and determined that due to the severity of the injury and inclement weather, a helicopter extract would be required. 

"AVSAR immediately began gathering team members and requesting air assets to assist in the mission. Team members met a REACH 71 helicopter at the Mt. Blanca helipad at noon. Due to limited space in the helicopter, only one AVSAR team member was allowed to board the aircraft and fly to the climber for extraction. Concerns were raised by rescuers regarding the helicopter's ability to depart the upper basin with the full crew, climber, and AVSAR team members due to weather conditions. It was decided that should the aircraft would not be able to ascend from the upper basin with everyone, the rescue team member would stay behind and either await later extraction by REACH 71 or descend the trail back to the Lily Lake trailhead. 

"At approximately 1:05 p.m., the helicopter departed the Mt. Blanca helipad with a rescue team member, while a second team member began driving to the Lily Lake trailhead in Huerfano County. At approximately 1:20 p.m., the helicopter team made contact with the climber. By 1:40 p.m., REACH 71 was headed back to the helipad with both the subject and the AVSAR team member. 

"At the helipad, REACH 71 and AVSAR's medical lead assessed the climber's condition and it was determined that transfer to a local hospital by EMS would be appropriate due to the nature of the injuries. The climber was then transferred to the hospital in Alamosa by ambulance. The mission was concluded at 3 p.m." The medical status of the climber is unknown at this time. 

The Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue is a nonprofit, all-volunteer group that partners with the Alamosa Sheriff's Office to assist mountaineers in need. 

The rescue organization encourages you to avoid needing Search and Rescue in the first place and offers the following, "Don't rely on anyone else's opinion about the difficulty of a route — bring your common sense instead. Don't try a new route alone. Pay attention to the weather. Set a turnaround time and stick to it. Tell someone responsible where you are going, what time you will be back, and who to call if you don't make it back as planned." 

The word "volunteer" in the group name, Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue, is the operative here. Volunteer, "a person who does something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it," describes what the members of AVSAR do; it is also the definition of the word from the Cambridge Dictionary. 

In January of this year, Alamosa County Sheriff Robert Jackson Said, "Search and rescue missions are tough physically, and the recoveries are really, really, tough emotionally," said Jackson. Many missions are conducted on the Blanca Massif, and he added that members of the AVSAR team have developed friendships with deceased family members. He commended "those who have recovered their loved ones off that mountain."  

In an emotional moment during an Alamosa County Commissioners meeting, Jackson recounted a mission when he communicated via radio to AVSAR members Crystal Wilson and Stephen Cline that the mission they were about to undertake included retrieving body parts of a deceased.  

"Those were tough times, and we've gotten through it," said Jackson.  

In January, Commissioner Lori Laske read a statement of appreciation to AVSAR: "With our greatest appreciation, we hereby present Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue for your unwavering dedication to your cause, your team, and your fellow man for the sacrifice of mission before self. Thank you for your professionalism and assistance. Presented by the Alamosa County Sheriff's Office."  

The rescue team's motto is, "An all-volunteer, nonprofit organization providing search and rescue services and education in Alamosa, Colorado, so that others may live." 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife sells the CORSAR card, which helps fund volunteer search and rescue teams throughout the state. 

AVSAR is grateful for the hard work and support from: 

Alamosa County Sheriff's Office, Costilla County Sheriff's Office, Huerfano County Sheriff's Office, Colorado State Patrol, Reach Air Medical, Eagle Air Med, and the Alamosa County Ambulance District 

To purchase official AVSAR gear to help support their missions, visit Kristi Mountain Sports in Alamosa. 

The report cited in this article has been edited slightly for clarity.