TCSAR Recues Injured Skier on No Name Peak

At 2:19 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, Teton County Search & Rescue was called regarding an injured skier on No Name Peak south of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The skier, a 37-year-old local, became injured after falling through a cliff band that hangs off the lower skier’s right section of the mountain’s prominent northeast slope.

These two photos show the skier’s tracks going into a cliff band in the lower section of No Name Peak. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR responded with two volunteers in the helicopter, while JHMR dispatched two ski patrollers who approached from the top of the tram. Once TCSAR arrived on scene, the ship set down in the bowl below the peak, and one volunteer was able to traverse over to the injured skier and his party. The other volunteer stayed with the ship to rig for short-haul, a method of rescue in which a patient can be transported out of the backcountry via a long rope connected to the helicopter.

The team then placed the skier in a screamer suit—a full-body harness that gets clipped into the long line—and flew him and the SAR volunteers to the landing zone at the base of Teton Village, where they met an ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS.

Thanks to the JHMR Ski Patrol and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS for the partnership in helping to get this skier out of the backcountry and to higher medical care.

Managing Mental Health in the Mountains

As the importance of mental health continues to be addressed and recognized as a safety issue for backcountry users, TCSAR Foundation was proud to organize a recent workshop detailing the ins and outs of stress trauma and psychological first aid.

On March 5, 2024, local TIPS therapists Lewis Smirl and Ryan Burke led 50 first responders, mental health practitioners, mountain guides, and community members passionate about psychological first aid through a workshop on ‘Managing Mental Health in the Mountains.’

Ryan Burke is a local therapist who works with the Teton Interagency Peer Support group, commonly known as TIPs. Photo: Taylor Fasolo

After a brief deep dive into the neuroscience of stress exposure, Lewis and Ryan facilitated an open conversation about the interface of mountain town culture and trauma. Participant questions underlined the prevalence of ‘stress injuries’ in Jackson and the stigma that can exist surrounding peer and professional support.

Therapist Lewis Smirl engages with the audience on March 5 at the Black Diamond store in downtown Jackson. Photo: Taylor Fasolo

Thank you to Black Diamond for hosting, Yeah Buddy for providing pizza, and Lewis, Ryan, and everyone who attended for making this night so meaningful. Mental health is incident prevention and we appreciate your commitment to normalizing these conversations.

If you need stress injury support, check out Responder Alliance, Mountain Muskox, Redside Foundation, Soar4Life, and the Community Counseling Center of JH. And don’t forget all Teton County first responders get FREE access to therapy thanks to the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole’s Teton Interagency Peer Support (TIPS) program.

TCSAR Foundation will continue to make this issue a priority in our educational programming. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media to be alerted when new classes are scheduled. You can find all of our programming on the events page at Backcountry Zero.

Join TCSAR for a Mental Health Workshop on March 5

As the Jackson Hole community continues to address the importance of mental health, Teton County Search & Rescue will host a workshop on March 5 to help backcountry users obtain tools to recognize how this affects their well-being in the mountains.

“Managing Mental Health and Trauma in the Mountains” will be led by local therapists Lewis Smirl and Ryan Burke, and will take place from 6-8 p.m., on Tuesday, March 5, at the Black Diamond store located at 160 W. Pearl, in Jackson. 

Smirl and Burke will help participants understand new research about trauma, develop tools to support themselves and others through stress injuries, and engage in discussions that allow you to expand your network of people who are passionate about the intersection of mental health, emotional resilience and the role of vulnerability in mountain towns like Jackson. 

Registration is $20, with discount codes available in order to make this important class available to anyone who wants to attend. To receive a discount, please email TCSAR Foundation PSAR Coordinator Maddie Johnson (maddie@tetoncoutysar.org). Yeah Buddy pizza will be provided!

To learn more, please visit BackcountryZero.com.