At 11:40 a.m. on Friday, January 2, Teton County Dispatch received a Garmin SOS activation from the Togwotee Pass area. The emergency concerned a 42-year-old snowmobiler who had sustained a significant leg injury after crashing on his machine.

Teton County Search & Rescue mobilized a response that included teams in the helicopter and on snowmobiles. The helicopter team, consisting of the pilot and four SAR volunteers, was able to locate the party and land near the patient. Volunteers assessed his condition and packaged him for internal transport. Three volunteers stayed behind in the field while the pilot and one SAR member flew the patient to a waiting ambulance from Jackson Hole Fire/EMS near Togwotee Mountain Lodge.

Due to weather, the helicopter was unable to return to pick up the members in the field. Instead, TCSAR’s snowmobile team motored out to their teammates and brought them out of the backcountry, a 22-mile roundtrip. Then, they all drove back to SAR HQ in Jackson.

All teams were out of the field by 6 p.m., completing the mission in 6 hours and 20 minutes.