Question for the patrollers

I have been interested in this method of evacuation, which seems unnecessary and dangerous.  This is a conscious victim with no apparent lifethreatening injury.  I understand that in certain situations (bleeding) there is a golden hour but this is not that.  In some images, this tether seems to be over a hundred feet long.  This raises risks of hitting trees and other obstructions.  It seems to me that a standard ski litter, snowmobile or snowcat would be more appropriate.  What do you think, is this a situation of "we have the tool lets use it."

I agree, may be a bit overkill for the situation.  

Might be a case of "We have $10,000, lets use it."   1/2 kidding.

Of course, she was going about Mach 4, so perhaps it was prudent.

My guess is that the chopper was paid for, waiting close by, so, they just used it. Sort of like the super portable med response teams that travel with the F1 circus. Probably modeled after that.

I assume this is the Lindsey Vann transport you are referring to.
As a patroller this is my $0.02.
You never know what the team on the hill may have suspected, they may have thought there was a chance of additional internal injuries given the MOI - she hit very hard. It may have been that given who she was that the best course for her to get back on skis was a fast trip to the OR. If it were you or I and there was no suspicion of a spine or other internal injury and there was circulation and sensation in the leg we would have probably gotten a bus ride. Rank has it's privileges. But let me also say that new training protocols are teaching being more conservative and calling in the big guns sooner. I don't think they would have pulled  a chopper out of the lineup if it wasn't serious. That's one less bird available if the next racer exploded.

Concur with DDan. Huge MOI with tremendous potential for a variety of bad injuries. At this level I doubt cost of the evac is an issue. Elite level downhill? Very steep terrain so a sled ride would probably be problematic, as well as slow. FWIW, professional helo rescue folks (Coast Guard, etc) do these long cable rescues all the time. Seems unlikely that this is a lets-do-this-just-because-we-can scenario. 2 cents.

Thanks!

According to some of the guys I know who have skied Europe, that's the standard Austrian evacuation plan.  That's why you buy insurance when you ski the Alps.

mm

it was protocol for this race and agreed to by all organizers.  i dont know the exacts of it, i assume if a skier couldnt ski down on own then it was a requirement to fly them in helicopter.  I believe it would most likely be due to the distance from venue to hospital.

Did you see on Universal that a course worker was hurt and the same deal the Heli picked them up and flew then out.  Makes for great TV.