Mickey Wilson started his morning with a chill day of solo-skiing in mind. Little did he know he would end up saving a man’s life.
“Today I saved someone's life...” That is how Mickey Wilson started his Instagram post recalling his, and his friend’s brave rescue of another one of their buddies. According to Wilson, one of their crew got his backpack stuck in the chairlift as they were unloading. This caused the border to be dragged back down the hill by the lift. In the terrifying and panicked moments, Wilson and his crew watched as their friend had his backpack wrapped around his neck, dangling from the chair lift. In desperation he and his friends ran down the hill after getting off themselves.Panic set in and we struggled in vain for about a minute to build a human pyramid to get to him but the powder was too deep and we toppled over.”Ski patrol was on their way, but the fact of the matter was, this man was dangling by his neck. Time was of the essence. After calling to the lift operator, asking if the machine ran backwards, the answer was no. That’s when Wilson had his “eureka” moment. "I knew my slackline experience prepared me perfectly for this so I burst into action.” he wrote.
Wilson realized he could climb the tower and made his way down to the chair. He says, “It was like second nature, just like being on a slackline only way colder and made of steel.” After a few attempts to shake the bag loose, a ski patrolman that arrived on the scene threw him a knife. In an amazing moment of fate the strap broke on the first try. The unconscious friend fell to the snow, where 8 or so patrolmen began CPR.
The friend was quickly sent down the hill, where an ambulance awaited to take him to the Denver hospital. He is in good condition and will be quickly released.
Mickey Wilson’s quick thinking under pressure coupled with his slacklining skills has officially made him a hero and legend. Wilson has expressed nothing but gratitude for #slacklife and the ski patrol for their hard work and efforts in reviving his friend. Most importantly, he’s thankful his friend is alive!
