TCSAR's New Helicopter Arrives, Completing Mission Critical Campaign

Teton County Search & Rescue is excited to announce that it has received its year-round rescue helicopter, completing the capital campaign to provide an on-call rescue ship to Teton County and surrounding areas. The helicopter—a single-engine H125 aircraft built by the France-based Airbus and then customized as a rescue ship by Kansas-based EuroTec—officially arrived on Saturday, October 14, 2023. TCSAR volunteers have already begun training in and around the helicopter in preparation for the winter rescue season.

After raising $7.25 million in private donations from the community in a nine-month campaign known as Mission Critical, TCSAR Foundation, the nonprofit that supports TCSAR volunteers, handed over the title and deed of the H125 helicopter to Teton County. Moving forward, the County owns the ship and employs the chief pilot through the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees SAR operations as stipulated by Wyoming state statute. The process has been a prime example of the community benefits resulting from the public/private partnership between the TCSAR Foundation, Sheriff’s Office, and County.

“The new H125 helicopter comes at a time when Teton County Search & Rescue continues to see a high volume of rescue calls, within and outside our county,” says TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart. “Having a rescue-ready helicopter year-round can be the difference between life or death for locals and visitors alike. We are incredibly grateful to our entire community and partners for helping to make this vital rescue tool a reality for Teton County.”

To view the entire press release, learn more about TCSAR’s helicopter program, and see more photos of the new ship, go to TetonCountySAR.org/helicopter.

Thanks for Attending WYSAW! Got questions post event? We have answers.

Thank you to everyone who attended the 9th Annual Wyoming Snow & Avalanche Workshop. This event would not have been possible without all of our incredible speakers, sponsors, the entire crew at The Center for the Arts, the TCSAR Foundation and volunteers, the WYSAW steering committee, and all of you.

Be on the lookout for a post-event survey that includes a sweet discount code from Stio exclusive to WYSAW attendees.

Every presentation was recorded and will be edited and posted to our website within two weeks.

WYSAW is just the first step in continuing our collective efforts to learn how to be safe in the backcountry. Check in with our winter programming at Backcountry Zero, enroll in an avalanche class, and talk to your ski partners about their plans to do the same.

Did you buy tickets in our gargantuan WYSAW raffle? Go here to see if you won!

WYSAW Starts Today! Here is Your Digital Program.

The 9th Annual Wyoming Snow & Avalanche Workshop kicks off today, Friday, October 20, at 12 p.m. at the Center for the Arts. The schedule includes four presentations for the Pro day, which is open to everyone but speakers will tailor their discussions to those who work in the field of snow safety.

The General, or Rec, Day begins Saturday, October 21, at 9 a.m., with doors to the Center opening at 8:30. Pre-register and come early to help soften the check-in scrum.

Pre-registration is now closed, but you can still check-in at the door.

One of the new elements at this year’s WYSAW is that we will not be offering printed programs. Instead, we’ve gone digital. The program is your guide to the event, and includes speaker presentations and bios, sponsor info, how to engage with our 20 vendors set up in the Center’s lobby, and beta on the incredible WYSAW raffle. The program is mobile and desktop compatible.

See you at the Center!