TCSAR Volunteers Stay Busy with Two Rescues in Two Days

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers were called out for rescues on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 28 and 29, with both incidents utilizing the team’s leased helicopter to help bring patients out of the backcountry.

Hwy 22 was briefly closed on the afternoon of March 29 so that TCSAR volunteers could create a landing zone for a rescue mission in Mail Cabin. The short-haul line is visible below the ship. Photo: TCSAR

On Tuesday, the call came in at 1:30 p.m. regarding an injured snowmobiler on Togwotee Pass. A man in his mid 50’s had sustained injuries when he rolled his sled during a guided snowmobile trip. The initial page also concerned a missing person from the same party who had become lost after trying to sled out of the backcountry to get help. That person was eventually located while TCSAR mobilized a ground team on snowmobiles and a team of volunteers in the helicopter.

The heli team flew to the accident site and the team was able to load the patient internally for a short flight to a landing zone (LZ) and waiting ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS at the Blackrock Ranger Station on Hwy 287.

On Wednesday, TCSAR was called at 11:47 a.m. by a skier who reported his partner was having a medical issue in Mail Cabin, to the west of Teton Pass. The skier had to leave his partner behind on the trail in order to ski out to find cell phone service. TCSAR initiated a helicopter response, with ground teams as backup in case the helicopter could not fly, and to secure an LZ at a parking lot or traffic pullout on Hwy 22. The team also put in a request for Air Idaho, a private air ambulance based in Driggs, in case the patient needed a flight to a regional hospital.

Initially, the TCSAR heli team could not pinpoint the exact location of the patient due to thick timber and steep ravine features of Mail Cabin. After circling the area numerous times, the team spotted the patient near a meadow about one mile from the Coal Creek parking lot. 

Teton County Sheriff Deputies were instrumental to help briefly close the highway as TCSAR volunteers rigged the ship for short-haul. Meanwhile, volunteers packaged the patient for flight and short-hauled him to an LZ on the highway, where he was transferred to an ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. Further air resources were not needed, and all team members exited the field.

TCSAR Responds to Two Callouts Over the Weekend, including One that Ends in Fatality

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue responded to a pair of accidents this weekend, including one that tragically ended as a fatality on Togwotee Pass on Sunday, March 12.

The first call came at 1 p.m. on Saturday from a husband and wife floating in a raft on the Snake River. That morning, the couple from Twin Falls, Idaho, had rented a raft and launched at the Wilson Bridge with the goal of floating to the South Park Landing 13 miles downriver. A few miles into their voyage, they realized they would not be able to navigate the river, which typically splits into different channels about a mile downriver of the put-in. Deep snow also made it hard for them to walk on the banks. On March 11, the Snake was flowing about 800 cfs, which is close to the 27-year median flow for this time of year, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

TCSAR helps some floaters out of a jam on the Snake River on Saturday, March 11. Photo: TCSAR

Recognizing they’d gone as far as they could safely go, the couple parked their raft along the side of the river next to the levee and called for help. TCSAR volunteers responded by driving snowmobiles down the levee to the waiting couple. The volunteers lifted the raft out of the water and towed it behind a snowmobile back to a private road where the couple could pick it up later. The couple were given a lift on snowmobiles back to the Wilson Bridge.

This incident is a good example of why it’s important to call Search & Rescue before a situation escalates into a more challenging or dangerous scenario—not just for yourself but first responders as well. TCSAR was happy to help out this couple and bring this incident to a safe conclusion.

At 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, TCSAR received a call about a snowmobiler who had been trapped under his machine in deep snow. A 42-year-old man from Casper was riding with a partner when the two lost sight of each other on Togwotee Pass. They had been riding near the X Trail, which is a spur of the larger CD Trail near the top of the pass. The partner eventually found the man from Casper pinned under his sled in the snow. The partner was able to send out an SOS alert on a satellite device, which mobilized first responders. 

TCSAR responds to a snowmobile accident that had a tragic outcome on Togwotee Pass on March 12. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR responded via snowmobiles and the helicopter. Multiple partner agencies also responded to the effort, including Teton County Sheriff Deputies and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. Once on scene, it was determined that the patient was deceased and that the cause of the accident was not avalanche-related.

TCSAR extends its sincere condolences to the man’s family and friends, and wishes to thank the cooperating agencies for the response.

AMPL and TCSAR Foundation Partner to Install New Beacon Checker Stations at Popular Trailheads

Ten new beacon checker stations help snow riders be better prepared for backcountry adventures.

Jackson, Wyo. — Backcountry users now have access to 10 additional avalanche beacon checker stations thanks to a partnership between AMPL and Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation. Several of the new stations provide safety messaging and infrastructure to areas frequented by snowmobilers. The new stations are located at the following trailheads: Coal Creek, Phillips Bench, Mosquito Creek, North Fork Fall Creek, Dog Creek/Pritchard, Cliff Creek, Brush Creek (Toppings Lake), with another three going up on Togwotee Pass, including top of Togwotee, Breccia Cliffs access, and Angle Mountain access.

Will Mook from AMPL demonstrates the new beacon checker station at Mosquito Creek. Photo: TCSAR Foundation

The process started two years ago when AMPL raised the funds to purchase five beacon checker stations. TCSAR Foundation, through its Backcountry Zero initiative, helped raise money for additional stations from a local men’s group alongside the Stephen P. Adamson, Jr., Memorial Fund.

“AMPL's goal of installing beacon checkers was to promote safe, responsible recreation by bringing avalanche awareness to popular trailheads around the county,” said Will Mook, Executive Director of AMPL. “Beacon checkers serve as a great reminder that the terrain accessible from these trailheads can be consequential avalanche terrain, and users should be prepared before leaving the parking lot. If these signs save just one life, they will have been worth the investment.”

Each station includes a QR code directly to the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center forecast, a checklist for proper safety equipment, and prompts to consider the consequences of your decisions. They also include a flashing indicator that shows whether your avalanche beacon is transmitting.

The green circle indicates that your avalanche beacon is properly transmitting. Photo: TCSAR Foundation

“The beacon checkers are an amazing resource, both to answer the ‘are you beeping question’ and to visually remind people that this is something to stop and think about before heading out,” said Liz King, Associate Director for TCSAR Foundation. “While they don’t replace a proper transceiver check with your partners, these units will help ensure no one enters the backcountry without a transmitting beacon.”