JULY 28, 2025 – Colorado Army National Guard Black Hawk aircrew tested their skills and pushed their UH-60 helicopter’s performance to its limits during a dangerous nighttime rescue that set the record for the highest hoist ever conducted by a military aircraft in Colorado.
The rescue required the crew to fly to approximately 14,200 feet above sea level, surpassing the previous record of around 13,700 feet.
On the evening of June 12, 2025, a team at the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site, in Gypsum, Colorado, received an urgent request from the Colorado National Guard Joint Operations Center in Centennial, Colorado: two out-of-state hikers were stranded near the summit of Torreys Peak in the Arapaho National Forest.
While veering off route, the hikers became caught in a storm. After reaching the peak, both hikers were struck by lightning, leaving one unresponsive. Their phone battery was nearly dead.
A ground civilian rescue operation was impossible due to the storm. The only capable aircraft to rescue the hikers was a CONG UH-60.
State Army Aviation Officer for Colorado, Lt. Col. Scott Tucker, underscored why National Guard aviation assets are essential. “A lot of these points on the 14ers are very hard to access via the ground,” Tucker said. “The Colorado National Guard allocates helicopter assets to help the rescue technicians with rescues in the backcountry. Some of these rescues could take up to 36 hours to accomplish on the ground.”
The four-man crew answering the call was comprised of pilot in Command, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jason Reider, pilot, Lt. Col. Brion Stroud, and crew chiefs Sgt. 1st Class Wade Shore and Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Hubbard. They departed with civilian hoist rescue technicians on board from the Vail Mountain Rescue Group: Jessica Hall and Sean O’Brien.
Hubbard stated that a significant number of mathematical calculations must be taken into consideration, such as the weight of the helicopter, its fuel, and the passengers, as well as constantly changing environmental conditions, including temperature and wind, among others, to determine if a safe hoist is possible.
“Power calculations were starting to turn in our favor; however, we were still too heavy,” said Hubbard. “Constant power calculations continued for the next hour while we circled the summit.”
The crew burned fuel to lighten the aircraft and recalculated power margins in real time. Eventually, the pilots made a precision landing at the summit.
Once the rescue technicians had finished packaging the first patient and were no longer able to move by ground, they called for a hoist extraction.
With wind gusts of 30 knots, the crew maintained a stable hover while the technicians connected the unresponsive hiker to the hoist.
“Once the critical patient was onboard, we would then return to the peak to execute a two-wheel landing to load the ambulatory patient,” said Hubbard. The hiker in critical condition was taken to an ambulance waiting at the Loveland Ski Area, where he would then be taken to a hospital.
The crew returned for the second hiker, who was transferred to a burn unit in Denver.
Every year, COARNG aviation elements perform more backcountry search and rescue missions than any other state’s Army National Guard within the lower 48 states. Most years, the COARNG flies more than 60% of all SAR missions in the United States.
In 2024, the COARNG performed 29 SARs, logged over 87 flight hours, and saved 27 lives.
By Staff Sgt. Josiah Pugh