This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

An extreme-sports athlete injured in a helicopter crash in Russia earlier this month is scheduled to return to Utah in the next few days.

Mike Trabert, 60, was on a heli-skiing trip down a volcanic mountain in Kamchatka, Russia, on April 18 when a gust of wind caused the helicopter carrying him and his friends to crash.

Trabert broke his neck and some ribs, his sister told The Salt Lake Tribune last week, and was taken to a hospital in Petropavlovsk, Russia — a city in remote southeastern Russia.

This week, a medical transport team from a private Alabama-based company called AirMed International was on the way to Petropavlovsk to get Mike Trabert, according to a news release from Sue Winchester, a spokeswoman for University of Utah Health, which was coordinating Mike Trabert's return.

The group will fly from Anchorage, Alaska, to Russia, and then back to Anchorage, before making its way to Salt Lake City, the release says. Mike Trabert's family raised nearly $120,000 online to pay for the transport.

Dinny Trabert — a U. employee and Mike Trabert's wife — said in the release that she is grateful for community support, particularly from people her husband has touched during his career as a tennis pro and coach in California and Utah.

"We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support we have received during this difficult time," she wrote on the fundraising site. "Words cannot express how thankful we are for all of the contributions and donations that have been made to help us get Mike home safely."

An ambulance is scheduled to meet the plane in Salt Lake City and take Mike Trabert to University Hospital, the release says. Dinny Trabert said a team of doctors and nurses is "prepped and waiting" for her husband's arrival.

Based on X-rays shared by the Russian hospital, Mike Trabert's Utah doctors expect that he will need surgery, the release said. His sister said language barriers made it difficult to understand Mike Trabert's exact diagnosis.

The family is asking for privacy as Mike Trabert arrives home, his condition is assessed and he is stabilized, according to the release.

"Thank you for your donations, your love and your prayers," Dinny Trabert wrote on the fundraising site. "Together, we will get Mike back to the life he loves very soon."

Twitter: @mnoblenews