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MOAB — Two BASE jumpers were rescued in separate incidents after being injured near Moab over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
A 37-year-old man was rescued by Grand County sheriff's deputies after breaking his leg while BASE jumping near Moab on Wednesday.
The man "suffered an open lower-leg fracture after parachuting from the Dragon's Nest" BASE jumping point near the Fisher Towers, according to a Facebook post from the Grand County search and rescue team. He landed on a ledge below the jump point at the top of a steep slope about 1,800 vertical feet above the Fisher Towers trailhead, the post said.
BASE is an acronym for building, antenna, span (such as a bridge) and earth (such as a cliff), all of which jumpers parachute down from.
A companion of the BASE jumper flew to the accident site to provide aid. Emergency medical responders and search and rescue personnel were flown to the site via helicopter.
Both individuals were then raised to the top of the cliff by rope, and the injured man was taken to the hospital. A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter was used to take the uninjured person back to the trailhead, and shuttle search and rescue and medical personnel to the same site.
The entire operation took seven hours, the post said.
Another BASE jumper was injured on Saturday near Corral Canyon just north of Moab after tumbling through a boulder field following a rough landing, the Facebook post said. Bystanders carried the man — who suffered wrist and ankle injuries — down a slope to a dirt road, where emergency medical personnel were able to treat him.
"Each Thanksgiving week, BASE jumpers from around the world congregate in Moab for the annual fundraising Turkey Boogie," the post said, noting that county search and rescue crews responded to five incidents during the week of Thanksgiving last year.
