TCSAR Responds to Injured Mountain Biker on Phillips Ridge Trail

At 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4, TCSAR was called to respond to an injured mountain biker on the Phillips Ridge Trail. The 35-year-old local male, riding alone, was descending a series of switchbacks on his bike when he crashed about a mile from the trailhead on Fish Creek Road. He sustained multiple upper body injuries.

TCSAR responded with teams on foot and in a RZR side-by-side. The volunteers reached the patient and found him next to the trail. They were able to help him walk a short distance to the RZR and transport him down to the trailhead. Opting against an ambulance, the man met his girlfriend there and she transported him to higher medical care.

The volunteers headed back to the hangar in Jackson, completing the mission in 1 hour, 55 minutes.

TCSAR volunteers use a RZR side-by-side to access an injured mountain biker on the Phillips Ridge Trail on September 4, 2024. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR Provides Heli Assist for Injured Hiker near Ketchum, Idaho

This release has been corrected from an earlier version to indicate that local rescuers were able to reach the patient.

Jackson, Wyo. — At 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 24, Teton County Search & Rescue received a request for helicopter assistance for an injured hiker in the mountains east of Ketchum, Idaho. The hiker, an adult male, had fallen while attempting Hyndman Peak, a 12,012-foot mountain in the Pioneer Mountain Range. 

Hyndman Peak is a 12,012-foot mountain in the Pioneer Mountains of Idaho. Photo: TCSAR

Near the top of the peak, the man had fallen into extremely rugged terrain and sustained a serious leg injury. A mutual aid response between the Ketchum Fire and Sun Valley Fire departments coordinated the rescue. Incident command’s initial approach placed three local first-responders on a saddle below the Hyndman summit via a helicopter from Air St. Luke’s. Those three individuals were able to access the top of the peak and then descend to the patient, where they began initial treatment and packaging for a technical rescue. Deciding that they would need a heli team with short-haul capabilities in order to complete the rescue, they called Teton County, Wyoming, dispatch and were connected to TCSAR. 

TCSAR has an established history of assisting rescue agencies outside of Teton County if the request meets certain operational criteria. In 2023, the team conducted nine out-of-county assists; this incident marked the team’s fifth out-of-county call in 2024. 

This was the fifth out-of-county rescue performed by TCSAR in 2024. Photo: TCSAR

As the team considered the request on Saturday, they looked at several factors, including: flight distance to the subject, weather, weight of the ship and crew, fuel capacity, and the safety of the rescue team. Knowing that taking the TCSAR heli out of the county was a big decision, they checked in with their partners at Grand Teton National Park and the U.S. Forest Service to ensure the county had a backup plan while the team was conducting the Idaho mission.

After running through the rescue scenario, the team felt confident they would be able to help their Idaho neighbors. The heli team, consisting of the pilot and two TCSAR volunteers, was able to fly directly to the patient and successfully short-haul him to a waiting ambulance at a nearby trailhead. Short-haul is a method of rescue in which rescuers and patient are hoisted via a long line connected to the belly of the helicopter. It is often used in terrain that is too steep or rugged to land a ship. 

TCSAR appreciates the coordination of this rescue from Ketchum and Sun Valley Fire. Photo: TCSAR

After transferring the patient to the local EMS provider, the Jackson team flew to the Freidman Memorial Airport outside of Hailey, refueled, and departed for Jackson, completing the mission in 5 hours, 30 minutes. 

Throughout the mission, TCSAR held radio contact with the homebase in Jackson as well as the incident command in Ketchum. The team is grateful for the coordination from Ketchum and Sun Valley Fire and was happy to be able to help bring the patient safely out of the backcountry.

ATV Crash on Shadow Mountain Triggers Response from Teton County Search & Rescue and Multiple Agencies

Jackson, Wyo. — At 1:32 p.m. on Tuesday, August 6, Teton County Search & Rescue was contacted by dispatch regarding an ATV crash on Shadow Mountain, a popular recreation site about 20 miles north of Jackson in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. The patient, a 16-year-old female visiting from out of town, sustained serious head trauma. 

The TCSAR ship prepares for a short-haul operation on August 6, 2024. Photo: TCSAR

The girl and two family members were riding two machines as part of a larger guided group, but they were separated from the group at the time of the crash. The girl was wearing a helmet and it is unknown what caused the accident.

After receiving the emergency alert, TCSAR sent volunteers into the field in the helicopter and ground vehicles as backup support. Meanwhile, the team also called in Air Idaho, a medical air ambulance to provide flight-for-life transport if necessary. 

With the accident site in a densely forested area on Shadow, the TCSAR helicopter inserted two volunteers onto the scene via a long line. The volunteers detached from the helicopter to begin initial treatment and patient packaging for a short-haul operation. As the TCSAR ship prepared to pick up the patient and rescuers, a thunderstorm moved in and caused the helicopter to be grounded on the valley floor.

Multiple agencies responded to the ATV crash on Shadow Mountain on August 6, 2024. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR volunteers in a RZR side-by-side vehicle subsequently drove to the scene and picked up the patient and transported her down a dirt road. Taking advantage of a weather window, the TCSAR helicopter lifted off and picked up the patient from the RZR team and transferred her to a Jackson Hole Fire/EMS ambulance and the Air Idaho ship parked at a landing zone at Lost Creek Ranch.

Medical providers continued caring for the patient, who was transported by Air Idaho to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. TCSAR extends our most sincere thoughts and prayers to the girl and her family during this difficult time. The team is grateful for the support from participating agencies, and offers its gratitude to Lost Creek Ranch, which was not involved in this incident, for providing a landing zone for two helicopters and a safe space to conduct this rescue.