Crews rescue four college students in dangerous conditions from Red River Gorge

Four college students who were camping in Red River Gorge were rescued by helicopter on Monday after an arctic cold front that struck the region left them stranded in the area.

According to a Facebook post from Powell County Search & Rescue, the call was received at 9:28 a.m. after students from Asbury College camped on top of Courthouse Rock in Red River Gorge overnight, underestimating weather conditions.

Kristin Gousse, Powell County Search & Rescue spokesperson, said the use of a helicopter for rescue missions is typically rare, but given snowy and icy conditions was deemed necessary. Search and rescue teams initially hiked to the location with Kentucky State Police on standby.

“[Search & Rescue] hiked in and once they got there, they realized it definitely was too dangerous so again they reached out through our County Emergency Management Director,” Gousse said. “They approved KSP to do the mission, [KSP] accepted it and they were able to fly out.”

According to the Facebook post, the rescue took place around 2:05 p.m. The students were flown to Middlefork Fire Department where they were evaluated by medical personnel.

Gousse confirmed the students had no reported injuries.

A Powell County Search & Rescue volunteer, who often works with the Kentucky State Police Hoist Program, helped to secure the helicopter usage and a safe landing location, Gousse said.

"Having trained with the KSP Hoist Program, he was able to coordinate their involvement," she said. "So we put them on notice saying ‘Hey, we’ve been to Courthouse Rock before, we know how treacherous that climb is to get to the top in good conditions, so considering it was icy and snowy there was a chance it would be too dangerous to try and get our team members up there to set up a system to get them down.'"

The rescue, originally supposed to be a hoist mission, became a helicopter rescue after providing photos to the pilot, who felt confident in landing on the terrain, making it safer for involved parties, said Gousse. She continued, saying it was the first-ever helicopter to land on top of Courthouse Rock.

According to a post from Kentucky State Police on X, formerly Twitter, the mission was successful with the help of organizations including the KSP Aircraft Branch, REDSTAR Wilderness EMS, Powell County Search & Rescue, and Wolfe County Search & Rescue.

Gousse said Powell County’s Search & Rescue is primarily volunteer and donation-based, but helicopter rescues involving other organizations vary.

“We don’t accrue many costs at all ... everybody who responds is voluntary," she said. "Typically, the costs of fuel for our rescue truck, for gear and equipment, we just get from donations, or we do apply for grants so we get some money there. Other than that, there’s no cost to taxpayers or anybody who’s rescued.”

Protocols with Kentucky State Police differ, she said.

“Because it’s going up to a state emergency operation center, they approved to fund it and so KSP could send them a bill but typically they don’t," she said.

This story may update.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Crews help students stranded in dangerous weather in Red River Gorge