Off-Duty Durham, NH, Firefighter Helps in Mount Washington Rescue

An off-duty Durham firefighter was part of a unique rescue of a woman injured on Mount Washington during an unusually hot Saturday.

Kirsten Hugger, 37, of Mont Vernon hit some rocks and fell several hundred feet as she was backcountry skiing around 2:50 p.m. while on Mount Washington during Saturday's heat, according to NH Fish & Game. She and a friend were skiing in the Great Gulf on a ski run known as Airplane Gully, an area of Mount Washington known for holding its snow the longest in the White Mountains.

The firefighter, whose identity was not disclosed by Fish & Game, and an EMT assessed her medical condition after witnessing her fall on the steep terrain. While awaiting the arrival of volunteer rescue workers, the firefighter was among those who lifted her 700 feet back to the Great Gulf and then to the Cog Railway tracks, according to Fish & Game.

The group flagged down a train, which took Hugger to the base station.

Fish & Game said Hugger is an experienced backcountry skier and her injuries were not serious, but she needed help out of the ravine.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH