TCSAR Completes Two Rescues, Involving Multiple Agencies, on February 22

On Thursday, February 22, Teton County Search & Rescue responded to two calls that involved multiple agencies across the county: The first was for an injured snowboarder in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry, and the second for an injured snowmobiler in the Togwotee Pass area.

The TCSAR helicopter comes in for a landing during a rescue on Togwotee Pass, on February 22, 2024. Photo: TCSAR

The initial call came in at 11:49 a.m. and concerned a 46-year-old female snowboarder who was injured to the south of JHMR. The woman had crashed on her snowboard between the two bootpacks that lead to an area known as Four Pines. JHMR Ski Patrol responded and provided initial patient care. Once on scene, patrol requested helicopter assistance from TCSAR, which flew to the accident site and landed near the patient. The team loaded her internally into the ship and flew back to the TCSAR hangar where she was transferred to a waiting ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS.

TCSAR’s second call of the day occurred at 1:54 p.m. A 19-year-old male sustained injuries after crashing his snowmobile into a tree on the K Trail, which is east of Mount Leidy. TCSAR again fired up the ship and flew to Windy Point in Grand Teton National Park to pick up two rangers who would assist in the rescue. Also on board were the pilot and one TCSAR volunteer. With inclement weather moving in and out of the area, TCSAR dispatched additional teams on snowmobiles in case the heli had to be grounded. Additionally, a USFS ranger dispatched on a snowmobile toward the accident.

The ship found a weather window and landed near the injured snowmobiler at approximately 3:20 p.m. Rescuers then loaded the patient into the helicopter for transport to a landing zone (LZ) and GTNP ambulance at the USFS Blackrock Ranger Station.

On busy days like this, it’s important to recognize and give thanks to the multiple partnering agencies across Teton County who help the team respond to rescues, as well as the families and partners of TCSAR volunteers who scramble to hold down the fort while their loved ones go into the field. We appreciate you.

TCSAR's End-of-Year Report Highlights Extraordinary Year for Local Rescue Team

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue’s 2023 End-of-Year Rescue Report, released this week, shows that this past year was one of the most eventful and extraordinary in the organization's 30-year history.

Not only did TCSAR have the third-highest rescue call volume on its books, it also landed its very own full-time rescue helicopter, stood up an aviation program, released its first new logo in 30 years, celebrated its 30-year anniversary, and hired a new Executive Director to lead the TCSAR Foundation.

The report, which is published twice a year by TCSAR Foundation, shows that the 39 volunteers at TCSAR donated 11,589 hours back to the community on SAR-related activities. This includes 5,307 hours on rescues, 5,779 hours on training, and 503 hours on community events and backcountry safety education.

“Our core function is to provide Search & Rescue services to those in need in the Jackson Hole backcountry,” writes TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart in the report’s intro. “We accomplish this by working as a Team. This is a job we all take seriously and are proud to do. A lot has changed in a generation, but the core values set by our founders remain the same: service to the community, commitment to Team, and the tireless pursuit to be Rescue Ready.”

Along with incident summaries for every rescue call between June 1-November 30, 2023, key findings from the 2023 End-of-Year Rescue Report include:

• From December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, TCSAR received 112 calls for service. This is below the records set in 2022 and 2021, which saw 136 calls and 126, respectively.

• From June 1-November 30, the most rescue calls came from hikers (17) and mountain bikers (8). There were no backcountry fatalities in TCSAR’s service area in that six-month period.

• Men continue to outpace women as rescue patients, with males accounting for 64 percent of rescuees for the last six months.

• 27 percent of rescues were for those between the ages of 16-30, the highest percentage by age group.

• The most common areas for rescue calls during 2023 were from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry, Togwotee Pass, Teton Pass, and on the west side of the Tetons in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

Rescue Reports are intended to provide lessons learned, raise backcountry safety awareness, and highlight the essential service provided by TCSAR volunteers and their partners. The reports are free and can be picked up at a number of businesses throughout Teton County, or viewed online at TetonCountySAR.org. If you’d like a print copy for your business or home, please send a request to info@tetoncountysar.org.

TCSAR and JHMR Ski Patrol Partner for Big Rescue Effort in No Name Canyon

At noon on Wednesday, March 22, Teton County Search & Rescue was notified of an injured backcountry skier in No Name Canyon. The skier became injured while descending a steep, very narrow southeast-facing couloir known as Mini Gothic. The 37-year-old male had accessed the area after entering the backcountry through a gate at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The accident left the skier in significant pain and unable to ski or walk.

TCSAR, JHMR Ski Patrol, and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS provide care for an injured skier on March 22, 2023. Photo: TCSAR

Getting to this location from the resort generally requires about 1.5-2 hours of hiking, ascending on touring equipment, and traversing on skis. The skier’s location, steep terrain, and inclement weather created challenging conditions for a rescue, and TCSAR volunteers considered numerous options for how to get the patient out safely.

After careful analysis of the weather, TCSAR decided to deploy a helicopter for a short-haul operation to extract the patient. The helicopter flew to the accident site and dropped off two TCSAR volunteers to care for the patient at roughly 9,600 feet. The helicopter lifted off and left the crew in the field before landing on Fish Creek Road to rig for short-haul; this step is mandatory to attach a rope to the bottom of the helicopter that is used to pick up the patient and rescuers for a short flight out of the backcountry. 

TCSAR volunteers used climbing skins on skis to ascend a ridge out to No Name Canyon, a backcountry area south of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Photo: TCSAR

Meanwhile, Jackson Hole Ski Patrol dispatched two members to the site as TCSAR sent a ski team of eight volunteers to the aerial tram at JHMR as backup. As the ski team went up the tram, inclement weather grounded the helicopter on Fish Creek Road. At approximately 2:10 p.m., the ski team entered the backcountry from a top gate at the resort and began making their way toward the patient. The helicopter eventually was not able to fly due to icing, leaving the full response to the ski team.

Ski patrol arrived on scene carrying a rescue sled and were tremendously helpful in coordinating the response. TCSAR’s ski team arrived at the patient soon after, at roughly 3 p.m. Ski patrol and TCSAR volunteers packaged the patient and together transported him down the mountain in the rescue sled. 

The teams guided the sled down 2,800 vertical feet over roughly two miles and variable terrain to Fish Creek Road, where the patient was handed over to an ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS at 4 p.m. The various members of ski patrol and TCSAR closed the mission and headed back to their respective bases. It was a great partnership on a big rescue effort.

This was the third time in the last six weeks that TCSAR has come to the rescue of a skier in No Name Canyon. Today’s incident serves as a healthy reminder of the time, resources, and people hours in the field necessary to pull off a rescue when the helicopter can’t fly.