Avalanche Awareness Night, En Español, Coming Up On January 28

Jackson, Wyo. — For the first time, an avalanche awareness workshop is being held in Spanish in order to reach a broader demographic in Jackson Hole. Presented and organized by a diverse group of educators and backcountry safety advocates from Teton County Search & Rescue, Camina Conmingo, Coombs Outdoors, Exum, Jackson Hole Mountain Guides, and the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center, Noche de Concientización Sobre Avalanchas will take place from 6:00-8:30 p.m. on January 28, at the Virginian’s Wister Hall.

The goal of the event is to increase access to essential safety information for community members for whom Spanish is their preferred language. Based on TCSD #1 demographics, an estimated 40 percent of county residents have a home language other than English, and the majority of those are Spanish-speakers.

"Language access is one of the important first steps in ensuring that everyone in our community has the tools and knowledge they need to make informed decisions in the backcountry,” said Piper Worthington, a language access advocate and event co-coordinator. “This event will be educational, but also a celebration of local people and organizations who have changed the ways we think about who is represented in the outdoor industry."

Presenters will offer a dynamic line-up of content for backcountry users of all levels of experience and modalities, and for those who want to learn and be inspired by our local resources.

No registration required and attendance is free. All attendees get one free raffle ticket upon entry for the chance to win some great prizes at the conclusion of the event. For more information, visit BackcountryZero.com/events.

If you have questions about this event, please reach out to TCSAR Foundation Preventative SAR Manager Maddie Johnson: maddie@tetoncountysar.org.

PRESENTATION AGENDA

Avalanche Awareness: Christian Santelices, IFMGA/AMGA Certified Guide
State of the Snowpack: Laura Gaylord, Coombs Outdoors + Exum Mountain Guides
Emergency Response & First Aid: Ryan Mertaugh, Teton County Search & Rescue + JHMG
Backcountry Panel: Backcountry Program Participants, Coombs Outdoors
Keynote Speaker: Vanessa Chavarriaga Posada
Raffle

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.

See It Here: Photo Gallery & Video Presentations from WYSAW

We know how busy schedules can be. We also appreciate the enormous pull of being outside during one of the last beautiful weekends in October. So it’s understandable if you missed the Wyoming Snow & Avalanche Workshop, which drew an attendance of more than 350 people to the Center for the Arts on October 18-19.

And that’s why we record each and every presentation during the event.

We're happy to announce that the videos are now up online.  Each video is edited into individual presentations, and can be found on our WYSAW page, YouTube, and Vimeo.

With fresh snow on the ground, catching up on WYSAW is an appropriate kickoff to a safe and fun winter in the Tetons. 

We are also including a killer photo gallery from the event. All photos below by Zach Montes from Orijin Media. Images may not be used or reproduced without permission.