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 Provides Heli Assist for Skier Rescue in the Wind River Mountains

At 8:42 p.m. on Monday, April 15, Teton County Search & Rescue received a call from Tip Top Search & Rescue for helicopter assistance to help a female skier having a medical issue deep in the Wind River Mountains.

The 29-year-old patient and her partner were on a multi-day ski traverse of the Winds when her condition deteriorated on Downs Mountain. Downs is a large flat-topped mountain that straddles the Continental Divide at 13,355 feet above sea level.

On their first approach to Downs Mountain, TCSAR encountered low-lying clouds that inhibited their ability to find a proper landing zone.

On Monday, the skiers used a satellite communication device to issue a distress call that was picked up by Tip Top SAR in Sublette County. Tip Top mobilized a ground response and called Teton County SAR for heli assistance. As TCSAR currently has the area’s only SAR-dedicated helicopter, the Jackson-based team was ready and willing to offer its help.

Special permission was granted by the U.S. Forest Service to enter wilderness with both helo and sleds due to the extreme conditions and life-saving measures needed.

Early in the morning on Tuesday, April 16, TCSAR assembled a team consisting of the pilot, one TCSAR volunteer, and one Grand Teton National Park Climbing Ranger. The heli team departed the TCSAR hangar in Jackson at 7 a.m. 

The clouds parted on the team’s second approach, giving them a narrow window to land the helicopter and retrieve the patient before the weather closed back in.

On their initial approach to Downs, the team encountered low-lying clouds that prevented their progress. They came within a mile of the distressed party but had to turn around for their own safety. The team flew back to Jackson to refuel before departing again. Knowing the forecast called for inclement weather starting this afternoon, the team believed Tuesday morning was their best window of opportunity to reach the patient

As they approached Downs on the second flight, the clouds parted, allowing the ship to land near the distressed skier. The team assessed her condition, loaded her into the ship, and flew back to Jackson and transferred her to an ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. 

Downs Mountain is a large, flat-topped mountain in the middle of the Wind River Range. It straddles the Continental Divide at 13,355 feet. The skiers were camped near the top.

Due to weight, flight distance, and the power needed for high-altitude flying, the team could not pick up the woman’s partner. He eventually met up with Tip Top SAR, who brought him out via snowmachine.

This successful rescue is a great example of why TCSAR asked for the community’s help in purchasing a rescue-dedicated helicopter. We are grateful to have this resource, and we are honored to work with our interagency partners and regional SAR teams to bring people out of the backcountry safely. Thank you to Tip Top SAR for coordinating this rescue, and to everyone who has supported these efforts along the way.

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.