BOZEMAN — Many people in Montana know the terrain can be tough, rugged and dangerous. For hikers and climbers, the risks become especially real when search-and-rescue helicopters appear overhead.
Hiker shares experiences after watching search-and-rescue mission near Granite Peak
“We actually saw the search and rescue. We saw the helicopters. We knew that there was someone missing. It’s very sobering,” Nick Ybarra said.
That’s how Ybarra described watching rescue teams search for a 21-year-old man who was later found dead near Granite Peak.
“When you see that activity when you’re there, it really does remind you of the risk involved,” Ybarra said.
On any given day, Ybarra can usually be found outdoors. The North Dakota native is an avid outdoorsman who founded a nonprofit organization that performs trail maintenance on the Maah Daah Hey Trail, a 150-mile route through the Badlands. His passion for the outdoors eventually led him to mountaineering.
“Quite a few years ago, a buddy of mine got me into a little bit of mountaineering. And it started with Granite Peak,” Ybarra said.
That was in 2020, the first of Ybarra’s three attempts to climb Granite Peak. He has successfully reached the summit twice.
“If you look it up in some of the guidebooks or some of the guiding services, a lot of people describe it as one of the hardest mountains to summit in the United States,” Ybarra said.
Granite Peak, the highest peak in Montana, sits at 12,799 feet, according to AllTrails. Its dangers were brought into focus last week.
According to the Park County Sheriff’s Office, 21-year-old Jackson Slimak of Connecticut was found dead near Granite Peak. In his obituary, Slimak is remembered as an explorer and adventurer from a young age — an honest, forthright, and silly young man who brought joy and laughter to his family.
Slimak’s death happened during the same week Ybarra and a crew of five were climbing the mountain.
“It was about 2 a.m. that night when we heard a helicopter go by, and we didn’t know that there was any kind of a search going on,” Ybarra said.
The next day, Ybarra’s group hiked to their high camp, where they watched the search continue.
“We got to the sites, and we set up camp. That’s when four of the search-and-rescue guys poked their head into one of my buddy’s tents and let them know that they were actively looking for a lost solo climber,” Ybarra said.
The following day, Ybarra and his crew summited Granite Peak while also keeping an eye out for the missing climber. It wasn’t until they were descending that they realized the search might be over.
“We saw that helicopter fly out with a stretcher and a search-and-rescue member on the end of the rope,” Ybarra said.
When Ybarra and his crew returned home, they saw the news.
“We learned that he had passed away,” Ybarra said.
For Ybarra, the experience was a reminder of the risks involved in mountaineering.
“It’s sobering. There’s always the risk that it could not go the way that you hoped it would,” Ybarra said.
The Park County Sheriff’s Office said its investigation is complete and Slimak’s death appears to have been accidental.
For Ybarra and other outdoor enthusiasts, the incident serves as a reminder of the dangers that come with the outdoors.
“Underestimating your abilities is always the best bet in the mountains,” Ybarra said. “And make the hard decision to turn around if you need to.”
