{"id":41362,"date":"2022-04-04T03:37:07","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T09:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/man-recounts-la-plata-mountains-avalanche-rescue-and-road-to-recovery\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:00:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:00:40","slug":"man-recounts-la-plata-mountains-avalanche-rescue-and-road-to-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/man-recounts-la-plata-mountains-avalanche-rescue-and-road-to-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Man recounts La Plata Mountains avalanche, rescue and road to recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Mint
Mint Henk stands in front of a \u201cwelcome home\u201d sign his children, Harper and Maple, made for him after his hospital stay in Colorado Springs. Henk was caught in an avalanche while skiing in the backcountry on Parrot Peak in the La Plata Mountains on Feb. 26. A month later, he is back on his feet. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Mint Henk looked over his shoulder twice as he passed over a steep roll on the northeast side of Parrot Peak in the La Plata Mountains. He made several turns, monitoring the snow as he made his way down the chute.<\/p>\n

It was shortly after noon on Feb. 26, about 14 miles northwest of Durango, and his friend, Alex Vidal, waited on the slope above him.<\/p>\n

Henk, 37, was well-trained in avalanche precautions. He had previously served as a guide at Silverton Mountain and completed the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education\u2019s Level 2 course designed to prepare expert skiers for the backcountry.<\/p>\n

And Henk had a plan.<\/p>\n

He would carry speed and exit to a ridgeline to his left if an avalanche started.<\/p>\n

He had the gear, too \u2013 a helmet, a beacon and an avalanche air bag.<\/p>\n

But before he could make it to the ridgeline, a crushing wall of snow enveloped him.<\/p>\n

\"Mint
Mint Henk holds his destroyed helmet on Thursday after an avalanche almost took his life in the La Plata Mountains. In addition to a helmet, Henk was skiing with an avalanche air bag and a beacon. He attributes his survival to the equipment, the training and preparation of his skiing partner Alex Vidal, and the rescue and medical teams who cared for him. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cIt was almost like an Olympic swimming pool in Saran Wrap hung from a line that was cut,\u201d Henk said. \u201cIt just dropped instantly.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 1,000 feet down the mountain, he looked down at his leg as he lay partially buried in snow. He could see the blood leaking through his waterproof pants, though he couldn\u2019t see his broken femur extending through the back of his left leg.<\/p>\n

He felt cold as blood left his body in liters.<\/p>\n

As Flight For Life touched down on the mountainside and rescuers ran to his aid, he lost consciousness.<\/p>\n

Henk was caught in one of the most severe avalanches in Colorado this ski season. Preparation, a quick response and quality medical care saved his life and his leg. More than a month removed from the accident, Henk expresses gratitude for those who tended to him and the support of the Durango community as he makes a speedy recovery.<\/p>\n

The avalanche<\/div>\n

Before Henk left with Vidal on Saturday morning, he checked the Colorado Avalanche Information Center\u2019s backcountry avalanche forecast. It listed the avalanche danger as considerable, a 3 on a scale of 5.<\/p>\n

The two spoke about the risk but felt like the recent snow was worth it. One of the few days he could ski, Henk was pressed to get into the backcountry.<\/p>\n

\"A
A photograph of the avalanche path taken by Flight For Life the day after Mint Henk was caught in the slide. The circle at the top marks where Henk triggered the avalanche and the \u201cX\u201d at the bottom shows where he was carried. Henk fell 1,100 feet downhill with the avalanche, according to an incident report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. (Courtesy of Flight For Life)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Henk and Vidal parked along County Road 124 north of Mayday and put on their skins, climbing the mountain and skiing down the shoulder of Parrot Peak.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were presented with no instabilities or issues,\u201d Henk said. \u201cWe took it one pitch at a time and did the whole protocol and were happy with how things looked and felt and skied.\u201d<\/p>\n

The men again put on their skins and climbed up the mountain to an area of dense trees that transitioned into a clear chute. They descended one at a time and after several hundred feet Henk left as Vidal arrived.<\/p>\n

The conditions were considerably different and Henk glanced over his shoulder like he usually did when he was uncertain.<\/p>\n

Before he could react, the snow smashed into him.<\/p>\n\n

Henk had seen plenty of avalanches while working avalanche control on Silverton Mountain and Mount Baker in Washington, but this slide was unique.<\/p>\n

Unlike others that paused before they began to slide as they built up energy after the snow\u2019s collapse, the avalanche Henk found himself caught in immediately began to move.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe force and speed that snow hit me with was something I hadn\u2019t seen. I\u2019d seen lots of slides from doing avy work, throwing explosives and ski cutting,\u201d he said. \u201cThis was instantaneous. The speed at which this slide hit me was startling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Somehow, Henk\u2019s air bag deployed as he tumbled down the mountain surrounded by snow and debris, though he doesn\u2019t remember pulling the release.<\/p>\n

The avalanche was a 2.5 out of 5 on the avalanche destructive force scale, somewhere between a D2, which can kill a person, and a D3, which can destroy a log house, said Ethan Greene, director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.<\/p>\n

\"An
An investigator with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center stands about where Mint Henk landed after he was partially buried in an avalanche on Parrot Peak in the La Plata Mountains. The avalanche broke trees up to a foot in diameter, according to an incident report conducted by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. (Courtesy of Colorado Avalanche Information Center)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

It was one of three avalanches in Colorado this year that registered D2.5 or higher.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you get caught in that, that is a really dangerous avalanche for a person who is not in a car or in a building,\u201d Greene said.<\/p>\n

The response<\/div>\n

As soon as Vidal realized what had happened, he called 911, according to an incident report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.<\/p>\n

He skied on the surface of the avalanche searching for Henk with his rescue transceiver, and at the base found Henk partially buried but severely injured.<\/p>\n

Blood stained the snow as Vidal dug Henk\u2019s legs free. Vidal, who had taken an avalanche rescue course the previous week, took some mesh he had on hand and fashioned a tourniquet to limit the bleeding.<\/p>\n

\"An
An investigator with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center stands at the toe of the avalanche on Feb. 27. Mint Henk\u2019s avalanche air bag was deployed, though he doesn\u2019t remember doing so, and it helped carry him to the toe of the avalanche. At its deepest, the avalanche debris was 10 feet deep. The Flight For Life helicopter landed near the aspen trees in the background, one of just two places a helicopter can land near Parrot Peak, said Ron Corkish, president of La Plata County Search and Rescue. (Courtesy of Colorado Avalanche Information Center)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Though he was in shock, Henk knew what was happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew my femur was broken. I knew I was bleeding. And I was cold,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Concerned about additional avalanches, Vidal moved Henk down the mountain to a group of trees.<\/p>\n

Seventeen minutes after his first call, Vidal phoned 911 again to let rescuers know the extent of Henk\u2019s injuries.<\/p>\n

As Vidal cared for Henk, La Plata County Search and Rescue sprang into action.<\/p>\n

When Ron Corkish, president of La Plata County Search and Rescue, heard Vidal\u2019s description of Henk\u2019s injuries, the team immediately called Flight For Life.<\/p>\n

As Flight For Life responded, Search and Rescue positioned teams at the mouth of La Plata Canyon and Hesperus Ski Area in case the helicopter could not reach the men.<\/p>\n

\"Mint
Mint Henk in a Flight For Life plane as he is transported from Mercy Hospital to Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs. Katy Henk, Henk\u2019s wife, estimated that it took about 45 minutes to get the stretcher on the plane. When Katy first arrived at Mercy Hospital, Henk had already received six units of blood. Throughout his emergency care, Henk was given 7 to 8 liters of blood, he and Katy said. (Courtesy of Katy Henk)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Just over an hour after the avalanche, the helicopter crew texted Vidal at 1:25 p.m. and after landing the helicopter reached Henk seven minutes later within the \u201cgolden hour\u201d when trauma patients begin to deteriorate, Corkish said.<\/p>\n

In the Parrot Peak area, there are two landing zones where helicopters can reach someone. Henk and Vidal happened to be only several hundred feet from one of those landing zones, Corkish said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything was going in his favor as far as Flight For Life being available, being proximal to about the only landing zone that\u2019s in that area and having enough daylight and weather conditions to safely pull off that event,\u201d Corkish said.<\/p>\n

Because of Henk\u2019s leg and concern that he had a spine injury, it took Flight For Life and Vidal over an hour to get him in position in the toboggan to be flown to Mercy Hospital, Henk said.<\/p>\n

Henk\u2019s wife, Katy, estimated that he reached Mercy by about 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

After Flight For Life dropped Henk at Mercy, the helicopter returned to pick up Vidal because of the risk of further avalanches.<\/p>\n

Medical care<\/div>\n

Katy Henk had the couple\u2019s two young children and one of their friends for a sleepover when she received a call around 4 p.m. from a friend who worked in Mercy Hospital\u2019s emergency department.<\/p>\n

\"Mint
Mint Henk winks for his children with his wife, Katy, while in Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs. Within four days of the accident Henk was back on his feet walking. Doctors told Henk 80% of those with his spine injury end up paralyzed. (Courtesy of Katy Henk)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Katy, who works at Animas Surgical Hospital, began asking questions and her friend told her that Henk had been in an avalanche and a CT scan revealed he had broken his femur and his spine.<\/p>\n

She told their two children, Harper and Maple, that Henk had gotten an \u201cowie\u201d and was at the hospital. She asked a friend to take the three children for the night.<\/p>\n

When she arrived at Mercy, Henk had already been given six units of blood. In all, he received 7 to 8 liters.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt some point, I was more other people\u2019s blood than I was my own blood,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

After four hours, the nurse at the hospital told Katy they were transferring Henk to Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs on a Flight For Life plane, and they we\u2019re trying to get her on the flight.<\/p>\n

An ambulance ferried Katy and Henk to Durango-La Plata County Airport, but everything went slowly because of Henk\u2019s stretcher and the medical equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey barely could get his stretcher on there with all that it had,\u201d Katy said.<\/p>\n

Henk, Katy and two nurses flew the short distance to Colorado Springs in a freezing airplane. When they arrived they were again met by an ambulance that took them to Penrose while accidentally running a red light.<\/p>\n

At about 2 a.m., more than 12 hours after the avalanche, they arrived at the hospital where Henk was carried to the neurotrauma floor.<\/p>\n

Katy sat with Henk and a nurse as a stream of doctors flowed in and out of his room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just tried to wrap our heads around the situation,\u201d Katy said.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, once he was stable, Henk underwent surgery on his leg. Surgeons placed a permanent metal rod with three screws on the bottom and one screw on the top to hold his leg together.<\/p>\n

\"Mint
Mint Henk\u2019s X-ray of his broken left femur after an avalanche that registered a 2.5 on a scale of 5. The avalanche was one of the three strongest in Colorado this ski season. The force was enough to kill a person and nearly enough to destroy a log house, according to Ethan Greene, director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. Doctors placed a permanent metal rod in Henk\u2019s leg and had Henk walking two days after the surgery. (Courtesy of Katy Henk)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A day later doctors fused Henk\u2019s broken spine.<\/p>\n

They would later tell him that 80% of those with his type of spine injury would end up paralyzed.<\/p>\n

After four days of being unconscious, Henk woke up on a Tuesday. By Friday, less than a week after the accident, Katy and Henk were driving back to Durango.<\/p>\n

Recovery<\/div>\n

Doctors removed Henk\u2019s intubation tube on Tuesday and as Henk worked through what he was feeling in his back and leg, they told him he was going to walk that day.<\/p>\n

\"Mint
Mint Henk gives thanks to his rescuers, medical staff, the Durango community, friends, family and his wife as he talks on Thursday from his La Plata County home. Henk and his wife, Katy, said the support their family has received has been overwhelming. A GoFundMe for the Henks has surpassed their $50,000 goal and allowed the family to focus on Henk\u2019s recovery. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cAt first, you go, \u2018This is a joke. There\u2019s no way I\u2019m going to be able to walk,\u201d Henk said. \u201cYou\u2019re pretty shattered, and then through their and your will, you make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the last month, Henk has transitioned from a walker to crutches to a single crutch. He now can walk on his own, though his left leg is still swollen and requires elevation.<\/p>\n

The Durango community has shown an outpouring of support for the Henks, delivering meals and raising money. A GoFundMe for the family, under the title Help the Henk Family<\/a>, has surpassed its goal and raised more than $52,000. And at Second Ave Sports, where Henk works as a mechanic, he received a standing ovation when he first visited the shop.<\/p>\n

The support has allowed Katy and Henk to focus on his recovery and their children.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe community aspect of this story is something that I didn\u2019t expect and it\u2019s overwhelming and awe-inspiring for us,\u201d Henk said.<\/p>\n

\"Mint
Mint Henk, with his leg wrapped, details the avalanche that left him with a broken femur and back. Henk\u2019s doctors have said his back will take three months to recover and his leg will take 18 months, his wife, Katy, said. Henk has progressed rapidly in recent weeks but plans to slow down and focus on a full recovery. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Henk has been progressing rapidly as he works through physical therapy, but a full recovery will take time. His doctors estimated a recovery time of three months for his back and 18 months for his leg, Katy said.<\/p>\n

In hindsight, Henk looks back on the accident and questions some of his decision-making. With limited time for recreation and with climate change altering winters, he said he felt pressure to get into the backcountry, forcing him to take greater risk.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main thing I\u2019ve learned is that when you read that avy report you\u2019re better off going \u2018All right, maybe I take this weekend off,\u2019\u201d Henk said.<\/p>\n

So far this ski season, 16 people have been caught in avalanches and six have been killed. Henk said everything aligned to keep him alive and in relatively good health. He and Vidal had all the safety gear they needed and both had practice and experience dealing with avalanches.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was planning and preparation, and there was luck,\u201d Henk said. \u201cThey both ended up being extremely important where I\u2019m in this favorable position that I\u2019m extremely grateful for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"More
More than a month after the avalanche, Mint Henk\u2019s left leg still has swelling. Henk\u2019s skiing partner, Alex Vidal, fashioned a tourniquet to limit the bleeding, which Henk says made a big difference saving his life and his leg. Vidal had taken an avalanche rescue course just a week earlier. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Henk called Vidal one of his heroes, and he shared a deep appreciation for all of those who rescued and cared for him. He recalled one of the nurses at Penrose Hospital named Gabe who encouraged him and gave him the positive feedback that spurred his quick recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love to express my gratitude for all those involved with Search and Rescue, the doctors, the nurses. My part in this whole thing is strictly physical,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While it will be some time before Henk gets back on skis, he still loves the sport and wants to impart that love to his children. While in the past he avoided ski areas, Henk said he now would enjoy skiing with his children at Purgatory Resort.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a learning experience and it gives you a new outlook on life,\u201d Katy said. \u201cIt just makes you more understanding and more thankful for what you do have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A welcome home sign that Mint Henk\u2019s children, Harper and Maple, made for him hangs below a family portrait Thursday in his La Plata County home. Henk said he still loves skiing and hopes to share his passion for the sport with his children. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

As Henk has tried to make sense of the accident, he has worked to form a narrative so that he and those around him can take the positive from an avalanche and heal.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to create a narrative that\u2019s helpful for you and others,\u201d Henk said. \u201c\u2026 Things went wrong. I made poor decisions at certain times even though I was trying to make the best decisions possible. After that, things went incredibly. I had wonderful and knowledgeable people help me out and put me back together. We\u2019re moving forward and we\u2019re learning lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n

ahannon@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

survived a crushing wall of snow on Parrot Peak near Hesperus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[378,377,950,1152,971,28,475,1807,3172,976],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-41362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-alpine-skiing","tag-avalanche-landslide","tag-durango","tag-emergency-incident","tag-emergency-planning","tag-headlines","tag-la-plata-county-colorado","tag-la-plata-county-search-and-rescue","tag-mountains","tag-outdoor-recreation"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41362"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84939,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41362\/revisions\/84939"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41362"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=41362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}