The Guardia Civil, mountain-rescue team based in Granada were called out to rescue three skiers in the Corral del Veleta area of Sierra Nevada.

The first flight was to rescue a skier who had gone over a long drop and fractured his tibia and fibula. The second flight  was for two others because they had panicked when they saw their companion drop out of sight and were unable to get out of where they were without outside help.

When the 49-year-old injured man dropped some 200 metres, his companions phoned 112 for help, who in turn called out the mountain-rescue service. The rescuers were flown in using one of the Guardia Civil helicopters earmarked for this kind of task.

After flying over the area and spotting the three skiers, the pilot managed to partially land on the front of it skids, to keep the aircraft level on the steep mountainside. Furthermore the snow was over a metre deep and with fissures making it unstable.

The rescuers jumped out and strapped up the injured man and then flew him directly to the PTS General Hospital in Granada. Once he was delivered, they returned to pick up his two companions, who were exhausted and were scared of slipping over the shelf themselves. This required the same, very complicated, ‘perching’ manoeuvre in order to get them aboard so that they could be flown to the Hoya de la Mora.

(News/Noticias: Sierra Nevada, Granada, Andalucia)