Join us August 15 for "Lessons at 13,000 Feet: Stories from the High Alpine"

Jackson, Wyo. — On August 15, Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation, Teton Climber’s Coalition and Jenny Lake Rangers are proud to present an evening where stories of close calls, misadventures, and first-responder perspectives are being given a stage for listening and reflection. 

This free event features live storytelling at the Black Diamond store in downtown Jackson.

As we enter the prime season for high altitude adventures, ‘Lessons at 13,000 Feet: Stories from the High Alpine’ will share insights to how people survive, and respond to, backcountry accidents above the treeline.

Storytellers include local climbers Lars Schou and Hadden Goodman, along with Jenny Lake Climbing Rangers Zack Little and Ken Kries, and TCSAR volunteer Jen Reddy. Each speaker will go into detail about how an experience in the mountains influenced their relationship to risk and adventure. 

While Little and Kries will discuss their points of view from a first-responder perspective, Reddy, Schou and Goodman will discuss incidents involving serious injuries: what happened, how they each responded to the trauma, and how it may have changed their relationship to risk and mountain adventures. 

Incidents like this are not uncommon in the Tetons, but getting to understand the decisions that contributed to them, and the reflections they’ve catalyzed, is an experience few get to have.

Doors open at 6 p.m., stories begin at 6:30 p.m. Roadhouse Beer and Yeah Buddy pizza provided. Register HERE to let us know you’re coming and be entered into a raffle!

TCSAR Foundation Welcomes Two New Board Members

Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation, the nonprofit whose mission is to empower TCSAR volunteers through direct support, community education and advocacy, welcomed two new board members on July 1.

The Foundation also bids a fond farewell to Leslie Mattson, who served on the board for three consecutive three-year terms.

“Leslie brought immense nonprofit experience and knowledge to the Foundation at a time when the organization saw rapid growth, both in terms of fundraising and ever-increasing rescue demands on the volunteer team,” said TCSAR Foundation Board President Hugh O’Halloran. “The entire TCSAR family extends our sincere gratitude to Leslie for her nine years of service.”

Joining TCSAR Foundation's 15-member Board of Directors are Kevin Olson and Maggie Schilling.

Kevin Olson is the majority owner, CEO and president of Jackson, Wyo.-based Teton Media Works Inc. (TMW). TMW’s media assets consist of local newspapers (Jackson Hole News&Guide, Jackson Hole Daily), magazines (Jackson Hole, Teton Family, Grand Wedding, Best of Jackson Hole), affiliated websites and digital news stream, Buckrail.com.

Kevin, his wife, Shelley, and family moved from Orange County, Calif., in 2001 to become the Associate Publisher of the Jackson Hole News. Prior to this, he held a variety of leadership positions at the Orange County Register newspaper in Santa Ana, Calif., including national advertising sales, regional sales management, marketing, product development and special publishing projects.

In 2012, Kevin founded TMW to acquire the portfolio of local publications and advertising services benefiting local residents, businesses and visitors in the greater Jackson Hole area. Kevin graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Telecommunications at Arizona State University. ASU was not far from his hometown of Scottsdale, Az.

A motivating factor in Kevin’s move to Jackson Hole was his long-time leaning toward skiing, mountains, lakes, cycling, golf, and a quality of life allowing time for family activities and community service. Kevin is an active Rotarian with two stints on its board and now president of its Foundation, past board chairman for Jackson Hole Young Life, past chairman of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce and recent past President of the Wyoming Press Association’s board of directors.

Maggie Schilling brings a diversity of skills to the TCSAR Foundation board, having worked in the nonprofit, local government, and private sectors during her 25 years in the valley. Her current work with Navigate, LLC centers on working with local communities and employers to help address housing challenges.

Previous roles at the Teton County Library Foundation, Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative, and Teton Science Schools focused on fundraising and nonprofit operations and management. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her family in all seasons, whether it is hiking, biking, climbing, fishing, or skiing. After her husband was short-hauled by TCSAR off of Snow King following a mountain bike accident, she began volunteering for the TCSAR Foundation and is thrilled to now join the board. 

TCSAR's 2024 Midseason Rescue Report Is Now Available

Teton County Search & Rescue is pleased to announce the release of its 2024 Midseason Review and Rescue Report. Published in July, the 28-page report details the six-month rescue period between December 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024. It includes incident summaries throughout those six months, graphs and charts that pinpoint certain trends for backcountry emergencies, lessons learned for backcountry safety, and highlights the dedication of TCSAR’s 39 volunteers.

TCSAR volunteers dedicated more than 5,200 hours back to the community in the first half of 2024. Photo: Anthony Pecci

During those six months, TCSAR volunteers dedicated more than 5,200 hours to SAR-related activities, including trainings, community events, and saving lives on rescues.

“TCSAR embraces problem solving,” TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart writes in the opening letter to the Rescue Report. “Every time someone calls 911 and our team is called out, we have a defined problem—someone is hurt, lost, or both. But the problems never end there… As hurdles stack up, our volunteers thrive on systematically developing solutions. The volunteers take this approach to everything we do, and we try our hardest to do our job regardless of the challenges.”

The Rescue Report shows that the volunteers responded to 46 calls for service, about average for those six months. However, April saw a higher-than-average seven call-outs, including three that were high-stakes medical responses, and three that were out-of-county interagency operations. 

During the first half of 2024, TCSAR performed 14 outside agency assists, coordinating with state and federal partners to respond to backcountry emergencies across the region.

Much of that is due to the game-changing arrival of TCSAR’s new rescue helicopter in October 2023. This Rescue Report is TCSAR’s first opportunity to reflect on how the ship has aided in the team’s mission, and the hard work that has gone into building up a new aviation program.

According to the report, TCSAR’s new helicopter flew 27 missions between its arrival on October 14, 2023, and June 1, 2024.

““This achievement would not have happened without the community’s generous support and the team’s commitment to solve problems.””

— Cody Lockhart, TCSAR Chief Advisor

The Rescue Report also highlights TCSAR Foundation’s preventative Search & Rescue efforts through Backcountry Zero, which seeks to provide education and outreach to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in the backcountry. As seen in the report, hundreds of people attended hands-on workshops through Backcountry Zero, and thousands tuned in to Season 8 of The Fine Line podcast, which explores personal stories of adventure, risk and rescue.

Rescue Reports are free and can be found in multiple businesses around Jackson Hole. Digital versions are available to download at TetonCountySAR.org. If you would like to be included in our mailing list, please send your mailing address to info@tetoncountysar.org.

TCSAR invites the public to read through the Rescue Report, reflect on the volunteers’ commitment to community service, and see how you can be involved with the team’s Preventative Search & Rescue efforts through Backcountry Zero.