By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
A backcountry skier was mauled and seriously injured by a brown bear in the mountains near Haines Saturday, and was airlifted to Juneau by a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka helicopter crew.
The skier was in a party of three at an elevation of 1,600 feet near Chilkoot Lake when the bear rushed out of its den and attacked, causing injuries to the skier’s head and hands, the Coast Guard said in a press release.
“The injuries were serious,” Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer First Class Nate Littlejohn told the Sentinel today. “This was somebody that needed to be hoisted by helicopter and brought to emergency services in Juneau.”
The man was reported in stable condition today at Bartlett Medical Center.
“He was serious, but stable and in good spirits,” Bartlett spokesperson Katie Bausler said. She recalled a similar incident in the spring of 2016, when a bear attacked and mauled UAS Professor Forest Wagner.
Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Carl Koch said that the incident was not due to an aggressive bear. Rather, the group accidentally skied past a bear den.
“They skied right near a den. This was not a bear out and about that was aggressive. This was defensive,” Koch said, noting that it was likely a sow protecting her cub.
This video still shows the victim of a bear mauling being hoisted in a litter onto a U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Sitka Jayhawk helicopter late afternoon Saturday. The man suffered injuries to his head and hands after being attacked on a mountain during a backcountry skiing outing near Haines. He was flown to Juneau and placed in the care of awaiting EMS. (Photo from video provided by USCG)
Because of the remote location and the fact that the bear did not act out of aggression, Koch said, ADFG does not plan to pursue the animal.
“It’s defensive situation in a remote area. We won’t try to go hunt it, especially if it’s a sow defending a cub,” he said.
The biologist added that Southeast Alaskan brown bears do not enter full hibernation, but rather spend the winter in a state of torpor. Bears in this condition can be woken by nearby movement, he said.
Koch encouraged hikers to carry bear spray at all times of the year.
Regarding the Saturday rescue, the Coast Guard praised the three skiers for the precautions they had taken prior to their trip into the backcountry.
“The other two members in the patient’s skiing party had the proper equipment and knowledge to assist with his injuries and communicate for help in 15 degree temperatures with sunset approaching,” Lt. Cmdr. Will Sirokman said in the USCG press release.
Sirokman was the co-pilot of the rescue helicopter. “Their satellite communication device provided the precise GPS coordinates and elevation of their location. Equally important, they had brightly colored fabric to signal the helicopter as we approached. This was absolutely crucial to us finding them in a timely manner.”
Littlejohn also stressed the importance of being prepared.
“Everybody that wants to recreate in the backcountry anywhere, especially in Alaska in the winter time, should absolutely be prepared for anything,” he said. “And I want to reiterate that while folks may have devices that allow them to be located such as a personal locator beacon or any other sort of device, a helicopter arriving at your exact coordinates may not be able to see you if you’re in the woods. So having bright color clothing or anything to get the attention of an aircrew such as a mirror or smoke signal… is critical.”
