Item: THERMAL UAS USE DURING A NIGHTTIME SEARCH AT VAIL PASS, COLORADO
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Title: THERMAL UAS USE DURING A NIGHTTIME SEARCH AT VAIL PASS, COLORADO
Proceedings: Proceedings, International Snow Science Workshop, Whistler, BC, Canada, 2026
Authors:
- Drew Gibson [ Summit County Rescue Group, Frisco, CO, USA ]
- Austin Finnell [ Summit County Rescue Group, Frisco, CO, USA ]
- Aaron J. Parmet [ Summit County Rescue Group, Frisco, CO, USA ]
Date: 2026-09-28
Abstract: Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG) deployed an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) equipped with a thermal camera during an overnight response for a missing individual near Vail Pass, Colorado, on 7–8 March 2026. The subject was overdue in avalanche terrain during Considerable hazard, and nighttime field searching quickly reached limits where further travel would have exposed rescuers to unacceptable risk. SCRG's UAS team used thermal imagery to identify a recent avalanche, with two ski tracks entering the start zone and only one visible exit track. That finding shifted the mission from a broad overdue search to a focused avalanche response, reduced rescuer exposure to hazardous terrain in the dark, and helped align incoming resources. Here, we present the incident timeline, key operational decision points, and lessons learned from using a DJI Matrice platform with a thermal camera as a nighttime avalanche search tool. The case highlights how UAS observations changed the search problem and provides practical lessons for UAS tasking, sensor use, deployment, staffing, and mission coordination during nighttime winter searches.
Object ID: ISSW2026_P4.3.pdf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15788/1790099322
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s): Austin Finnell
Keywords: Search and Rescue, Instrumentation and Remote Sensing, Avalanche Response, Case Studies, Unmanned Aircraft System, Thermal Imaging.
Page Number(s): 299 - 304
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