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.

TCSAR Responds to Avalanche Fatality on Togwotee Pass

We are deeply saddened to report that a skier has died as a result of an avalanche on Togwotee Pass on Saturday, January 4, 2025. More details about the accident will emerge following an investigation by the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center.

Just before noon on Saturday, Teton County Search & Rescue was called to respond to a known avalanche burial on Togwotee Pass. The emergency alert came in via iPhone satellite text-to-911, but it was unclear whether the avalanche involved snowmobilers or skiers. For anyone using this relatively new function, please include the nature of your emergency, mechanism of injury, and number of people in your party. Including that info can help first responders efficiently develop solutions to the problems.

Initial reports indicated that a group of four was in the Breccia Cliffs area when they triggered an avalanche. As TCSAR mobilized, the team learned that it was a party of four skiers who’d triggered the slide as they were ascending a skin track. The avalanche partially buried one skier and fully buried another. The partially buried skier sustained a lower leg injury.

TCSAR responded with teams in the helicopter, on snowmobiles, and on skis. The helicopter team lifted off but returned when weather conditions did not permit an air response. The snowmobile team was also unable to reach the party of skiers due to the challenging conditions.

A team of skiers from TCSAR approached the area on skins and were able to get on scene at approximately 3:47 p.m. They began to apply treatment to the injured skier and remaining members of the party. The volunteers also worked to begin recovering the deceased skier for transport out of the backcountry. The volunteers worked into the evening, skiing the injured skier out of the backcountry in a litter to a waiting ambulance from Grand Teton National Park. The team also skied the deceased skier out via a sked. This serves as an important reminder of how much longer a mission can take when the helicopter is grounded, and is another factor to consider in your backcountry planning should an accident occur.

TCSAR extends its most sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased skier.

25th Annual Avy Night Helps Support TCSAR and BTAC

The 25th Annual Skinny Skis Avy Night takes place this Thursday, December 5, at the Center for the Arts. One of our community's best winter gatherings, Avy Night runs from 5:30-9 p.m. Attendance is free with a suggested donation at the door supporting Teton County Search & Rescue. We will have some tables set up in the upstairs lobby to help answer your questions, sell some TCSAR merch, and help you find your way into the venue for the show.

During the event, TCSAR Foundation’s Maddie Johnson will be presenting about some cool events and programming you can expect this winter from Backcountry Zero.

Presented by the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center Foundation and Skinny Skis, the event is a must-attend for local winter enthusiasts.

Featuring a panel of first-person avalanche accounts, a keynote presentation by Jamie Weeks, and a stacked raffle, Avy Night is your chance to celebrate our community’s incredible backcountry culture, refresh your decision-making skills, & maybe even win some great new swag.