Western Mountain Rescue Team receives a training course on helicopter rescue safety and procedures with members of Air Methods and CareFlight of the Rockies. The training took place at Gold Creek Campground in the Gunnison National Forest on October 18, 2020.

Western Mountain Rescue Team

The life-saving team ready for any outdoor emergency.

Founded in 1968 by a group of students who came together to search for a missing professor, the Western Mountain Rescue Team (WMRT) has a long service history. It became the first college-based team in the U.S. to earn national accreditation from the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) and has remained the only collegiate team in the country since 1987.

Western Mountain Rescue operates under the Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office as the primary search-and-rescue team for Gunnison County, free of charge. The team specializes in large-scale wilderness search, high-angle rope rescue, low-angle rope rescue, avalanche rescue, winter rescue, mountain safety education, and more. 

Membership

What is Mountain Rescue?

Mountain rescue is the specialized search and rescue operation focused on assisting people in remote, rugged, and high-altitude environments. It involves responding to emergencies such as lost hikers, injured climbers, and avalanches, often in extreme weather and challenging terrain. Rescuers are trained in medical aid, technical rope systems, and navigation to safely locate, assist, and evacuate individuals in distress. These teams, made up of volunteers and professionals, work closely with emergency services to provide life-saving support in the wilderness.

Expectations
Outcomes

Interested and new members should be aware of the following:

  • Membership is not specific to students, community members are welcome.
  • Training includes classroom lectures, field training, and scenarios between September and April.
  • Training takes two years minimum, but new members will be called for missions as early as the second month of their first year.
  • New members commonly put in more than 200 volunteer hours during their first year on the team, and hours only increase as team members train for higher certifications and participate more in the general function of the team.
  • At times, classes and workdays are missed and normal lives interrupted, but it’s a sacrifice that all members acknowledge and wholeheartedly accept.
  • The team averages 40-60 calls a year.

Students who join WMRT gain lifelong skills that are rarely achieved through involvement in other clubs on campus. Members have the opportunity to be an active voice on a voting board, are responsible for their personal position, and develop a voice on the team. Team members work with several agencies, including, but not limited to, local and state law enforcement, Emergency Medical Services, fire crews, the National Park Service, and other SAR operations throughout the state.

Lighting of the W Tradition

Every year, the Mountain Rescue Team hikes to the top of Tenderfoot Mountain and ignites its collegiate "W" to kick off Homecoming weekend. The team wears fun costumes as they light the cotton rags soaked in diesel they placed along the perimeter of the “W” earlier in the day.

Mountain Rescue

Contact Information

wmrt@western.edu

Contact Location

1 Western Way
Gunnison, CO 81230