With Old Bill’s Giving Season on us, it's important to reflect on the values that have been baked into 30 years of Teton County Search & Rescue. A particularly important one is doing whatever it takes to help someone get out of the backcountry alive. Back in the early days of TCSAR, volunteers often used whatever tools they had available—including their own snowmobiles.
"I was the motorhead of the team, so I was more into using the snowmachine," says John Davidson, a TCSAR volunteer for 16 years, starting with the team in 1995. "We could pack some gear in, tow a toboggan behind us, and then tow you out to an ambulance."
"It was pretty common for the team to use snowmobiles for rescues back then," he says. "We didn’t always have access to a helicopter, and the weather wasn't always good. When we could get a helicopter, it was a race to see if we could get there before they could."