Same Trail, Different Day: TCSAR Responds to Parallel Trail For Injured Mountain Biker

For the second time in four days, Teton County Search & Rescue was called out to help an injured mountain biker on the Parallel Trail on Teton Pass. This time, on Tuesday, May 27, the patient was a 39-year-old local male who washed out on his bike while navigating a berm turn after a jump. The patient sustained a severe lower leg injury in the process. He called 911 at about 4:37 p.m., which initiated an emergency response.

TCSAR volunteers help an injured mountain biker on the Parallel Trail on May 27, 2025: Photo courtesy: Patrick Cunningham

TCSAR volunteers responded to the Old Pass Road and a truck pull-out above the trail on Hwy. 22. Volunteers arrived on foot and provided treatment in the field to alleviate pain and discomfort. The team then packaged the patient in the wheeled litter and transported him down the trail to a waiting ambulance from Jackson Hole Fire/EMS.

Thanks for being such a great patient! Photo courtesy: Patrick Cunningham

TCSAR Gets Called For First Mountain Bike Rescue of the Summer

On Friday, May 23, a 16-year-old local male sustained injuries when he crashed his mountain bike on the Parallel Trail. Parallel is a downhill-specific bike trail with several jumps, some of which have mandatory gaps.

TCSAR transports an injured mountain biker to the base of the Old Pass Road on May 23, 2025. Photo: TCSAR

At approximately 1 p.m., an emergency call was placed to 911, and dispatch paged Teton County Search & Rescue. Volunteers drove a truck to the Old Pass Road, while other volunteers responded to a brake-check pullout above the trail on Hwy 22. 

Approaching the scene on foot, volunteers reached the patient at about 1:30 p.m. They assessed his injuries and packaged him in the wheeled litter. The team then transported the patient in the wheeled litter for about a half mile down Parallel to a waiting ambulance at the Old Pass Road trailhead. Thanks to the help from Jackson Hole Fire/EMS for the coordinated response to this incident.

This is the first mountain bike rescue of the summer season for Teton County Search & Rescue.

The Fine Line Podcast Presents: A Very Close Call in Phillips Canyon

Jackson, Wyo. — Season 8 of The Fine Line podcast rolls onward with a story about a mountain bike crash with potentially serious consequences on a favorite local trail. The episode dives into the effectiveness of the BackcountrySOS app, and how Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers responded with delicate treatment of potentially life-altering injuries in the field.

“A Bridge Too Far: The Phillip’s Log Strikes Again” airs today, May 23, at 2 p.m. on KHOL 89.1 FM, and afterward on your favorite podcast platform.

Thanks to Rick Gordon and Dr. Tobin Dennis for sharing their experiences so the rest of us can learn—right as mountain bike season ramps up across the Mountain West.

Produced by Backcountry Zero, Season 8 of The Fine Line is presented by Stio, with support from Arc’teryx and KHOL. Original art by Jen Reddy Ink. The Fine Line’s theme song is by Anne & Pete Sibley, with additional music produced by Ben Winship. The Fine Line is produced and hosted by Matt Hansen, with editing and sound by Melinda Binks.

Learn more about The Fine Line atBackcountryZero.com.