Jackson, Wyo. — On Wednesday, April 24, Teton County Search & Rescue received an alert for an injured female Nordic skier in the Fairy Falls area of Yellowstone National Park near Old Faithful. The 55-year-old woman and her partner had skied about a mile into the backcountry before an injury prevented them from continuing on their own. They issued an emergency call that was picked up by the Yellowstone Communications Center.

Yellowstone National Park has been the site of numerous interagency rescues over the years by Teton County Search & Rescue. Photo: TCSAR

Yellowstone park rangers skied in to help the injured skier. Upon arrival, rangers requested helicopter assistance from TCSAR. At present time, TCSAR has the region's only SAR-dedicated helicopter. Though Yellowstone is not a regular location for TCSAR missions, the team has done and will continue to perform rescues in the park if and when requested by park officials.

TCSAR was able to find and emergency evac an injured nordic skier from the Fairy Falls area of Yellowstone National Park on April 24, 2024. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR responded to this incident with a heli team consisting of three volunteers and a pilot, with an initial plan of doing a possible short-haul extraction. The team departed the hangar in Jackson at 3:36 p.m.

Flight time to the Fairy Falls area was about 30 minutes. The helicopter circled several times before spotting the injured party. After locating the patient, they landed the ship and were able to load the injured skier and partner into the helicopter. The team then flew the skiers to a landing zone on the Grand Loop Road inside the park, where they transferred the patient to a waiting ambulance.

Thanks to the coordinated response between YNP and TCSAR, the mission was completed in 3 hours, 30 minutes. Photo: TCSAR

Afterward, the team flew back to Jackson, completing the mission in 3 hours, 30 minutes. TCSAR appreciates the coordinated effort from Yellowstone National Park to bring this operation to a successful close.