TCSAR Responds to Three Rescue Calls, including Interagency Effort, on President’s Day

Teton County Search & Rescue received three calls for help over 24 hours on President’s Day. One was in the middle of the night, and two others came late on Monday as darkness fell.

While our valley’s rescuers are always ready to respond, backcountry users should please remember that recreating in the late hours carries very small margins for error. Accidents at these times result in challenging conditions for first-responders, especially during big storm cycles that have produced dangerous avalanche conditions. Since Friday, February 14, the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center has rated the avalanche hazards in the Tetons as “considerable.”

TCSAR appreciates the attraction of recreating in powder, and understands that accidents happen. Our volunteers are out there enjoying the snow as well. But we want to remind everyone to please do your enjoying in the daytime, when there is still plenty of light to work with should you have an emergency.

The first call in this latest cycle came at 1:30 in the morning on Monday, February 17. Two people had taken an evening snowmobile ride up a Forest Service Road near Triangle X. The pair became stuck and decided to walk out, with one person losing a boot in the deep snow. Due to the time of the call, a small team from TCSAR assembled and entered the field on snowmobiles. The volunteers soon found the stranded couple. The team provided a warm sock and boot and a free ride out of the backcountry, returning to the Jackson hangar at 5:15 a.m.

The next call arrived at approximately 4:40 p.m. on Monday, February 17. The alert regarded a local skier who’d been caught and injured by an avalanche in Granite Canyon, outside of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort boundary. As Granite Canyon lies within Grand Teton National Park, the park coordinated the rescue effort among the Jenny Lake Rangers, JHMR Ski Patrol, and Teton County Search & Rescue.

The female skier was reportedly skiing in the lower half of Granite Canyon when she was caught by the avalanche. She became injured after she was carried a few hundred feet down the slope and into a tree. Jackson Hole Ski Patrol arrived on scene to provide initial patient care. Patrol placed her in a toboggan for the long traverse out of the canyon. Meanwhile, TCSAR initiated a helicopter response with the pilot, one Jenny Lake Ranger, and two TCSAR volunteers. Park rangers also prepped a snowmobile team as backup in case the ship could not fly due to weather and time of day.

The heli team found a narrow window of weather and daylight and successfully short-hauled the patient to the base of Teton Village. The helicopter quickly departed back to Jackson before dark.

Our team greatly values the partnership with JHMR Ski Patrol and the Jenny Lake Rangers for helping to resolve this incident in a quick and efficient manner.

The third call of the cycle came in just minutes after the initial page for the Granite Canyon avalanche. This call concerned a pair of snowmachiners who had become stuck near Baldy Knoll on the west side of the Tetons. A team of three TCSAR volunteers departed up the trail on snowmobiles and located the stuck party at 6:40 p.m. The volunteers helped the snowmobilers dig out their sleds and all were able to safely navigate back to the trailhead.

Honoring Ray Shriver: Father, Loving Partner, Adventurer, Mountaineer, Mentor, Dog Handler

February 15 is a somber day for Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers. On this day in 2012, founding TCSAR member Ray Shriver tragically died in a helicopter crash during a rescue mission. 

On the anniversary of his passing, we commemorate Ray's life and legacy, and keep his family in our thoughts and prayers. It's important that our community never forget his invaluable contributions to TCSAR, and how he made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of others.

This year, we want to share a poem from TCSAR volunteer Terri Romanowski. The day after the crash, Terri did the only thing she could think of to make sense of the tragedy. She sat down and put the below words to paper as a way of honoring her friend and mentor.

You can learn more about Ray and his legacy by visiting the Shriver Society, which was created in his honor.

From wherever you are, please join us in giving thanks to Ray for helping make TCSAR what it is today.

Last night we lost a great friend,
a rescuer through and through right to the end.

Ray not only was a rescuer but a K9 extraordinaire,
he taught and mentored many, leaving none to spare.

Yesterday, they received the call sending them out,
gathering equipment, through the door they were en route.

When life hangs in the balance needing critical care,
these selfless providers quickly took to the air.

Trained for the work, with skills tried and true,
spending endless hours without pay, to deal with all the rescues they attend to.

Deep down we know there’s always a chance a member may not come home,
the mission yesterday was his last to be flown.

On the way to seek additional help something went terribly wrong,
now we gather together and try to stay strong.

This goes to all the red coats and first responders of the Valley,
who never, ever fail to rally.

Putting others first, helping their neighbors through the worst,
risking their lives each and every day,
keeping most from harm’s way.

Selflessly our service to community is our reward,
unfortunately at times it can also be our sword.

—Terri Romanowski, SAR #25,
TCSAR volunteer since 2001, pictured below with
Ray Shriver and search dog Kita.

TCSAR Stays Busy with Two Rescues in Three Days

Two rescues in three days has kept Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers busy. Following trends from the past 5-10 years, February is typically one of the busiest months of the year for TCSAR.

At approximately 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 8, TCSAR was notified of three snowboarders stranded out of bounds in the Grand Targhee backcountry. The group—one adult male, one 18-year-old female, and one 16-year-old male—was uninjured, but unable to return to the resort or find a safe descent through complex terrain. They were reportedly not carrying backcountry safety equipment.

Teton County Search & Rescue short-hauls a snowboarder from steep, complex terrain in Teton Canyon, Wyoming. Photo: TCSAR

Grand Targhee Ski Patrol made initial contact and requested helicopter assistance due to the steep terrain. The TCSAR pilot and short-haul team flew in, extricating two members first, then returning for the third snowboarder and a TCSAR volunteer. All were flown to the Teton Canyon Trailhead (pictured) before the team refueled in Driggs and returned to Jackson.

TCSAR appreciates the coordination and efforts from Grand Targhee Ski Patrol to help resolve this incident.

On Monday, February 10, at 10:15 a.m., two backcountry skiers on the south side of Teton Pass called 911 after encountering a male skier experiencing a medical issue.

At the time, a TCSAR short-haul team was about to begin routine training in Jackson. The pilot and three volunteers immediately diverted to the scene in Olympic Bowl. The helicopter dropped off two volunteers, who skied to the patient and initiated treatment. Given his condition, they called for a short-haul operation, lifting him to an ambulance near the top of Teton Pass. The time from the 911 call to ambulance transfer took just 40 minutes.

TCSAR commends the reporting skiers for assisting in the response and stresses the importance of calling 911 at the first sign of an emergency, even when details are unclear. After the incident, the two skiers continued their day, and the volunteers resumed their training.