Membership grew significantly in the 1950s. RMRG began modifying military surplus litters and rescue equipment to suit local rescue needs, and this build-our-own tradition continues to this day.
In 1952 RMRG assisted with a major winter search on Hallett Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park for a missing party. The individual's remains were found and recovered. In 1955 a United Airlines DC-4 with 66 people on board crashed into Medicine Bow Peak, killing all aboard. RMRG assisted in recovery efforts, which included one of the first uses of steel cable. The cable tram system allowed relatively efficient lowering of remains over rough alpine terrain.
1956 - Mid-Air Plane Crash over the Grand Canyon
On June 30, 1956 a United Airlines DC-7 airplane with 58 passengers and a TWA Constellation airplane with 70 passengers collided over the Grand Canyon. There were no survivors. RMRG and many other agencies responded to perform recovery operations. (Photo left) The use of an Austrian steel cable winch during the operations gave rise to the development of RMRG's aircraft cable systems for mountain rescue.