Mountain Bike Safety

Classic Rock: the Exciting Season Finale The Fine Line

In the next episode of The Fine Line podcast, we close out Season 7 with a wild story from August 22, 2022. The conversation goes deep into how a highly experienced mountain biker got a little too close to that big rock on Ferrin’s—yes, that rock—and how her companion and Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers helped her get home during a torrential rainstorm.

Listen today at 2 p.m. on KHOL 89.1 FM, and afterward wherever you get your podcasts.

As this is the final episode of Season 7, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has come on this podcast to share their stories of resilience and survival, and to our generous sponsors Roadhouse Brewing Co., and Stio.

Special thanks to the musical artists Anne & Pete Sibley and Ben Winship for providing such beautiful sounds to accompany these stories, and to Melinda Binks for her masterful editing and partnership in producing this podcast with Matt Hansen. Caryn Flanagan is our smooth voice for sponsor readings.

And of course, to all the TCSAR volunteers who give so much of themselves to our community to bring people home after an accident in the backcountry. We are all indebted to your service.

TCSAR Responds to Three Calls in Two Days

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers responded to three calls between July 7-8, making for a busy few days that covered nearly their entire service area.

Just before noon on Friday, July 7, a local woman in her 50s was hiking with her dog on the History trail when she came down with a lower leg injury. TCSAR responded with a team driving the RZR (a utility terrain vehicle) up the Old Pass Road. The volunteers located the patient, splinted the injury, transported her in the wheeled litter back to the RZR, and drove her down the Old Pass Road to her vehicle. The team completed the mission in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

TCSAR uses the wheeled litter to help transport an injured patient out of Teton Canyon, on the west side of the Tetons. Photo: TCSAR

At 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, July 8, the team received a call regarding a cyclist having a medical issue at Mosquito Lake off the Union Pass Road. TCSAR volunteers responded by driving a SAR truck towing the RZR on a trailer to the north access of Union Pass Road. They then drove the RZR down the dirt road to Mosquito Lake, where they met the patient and his riding partner, who were both visiting from out of state. The team then drove the men, with their bikes loaded on a bike rack attached to the RZR, out of the backcountry and back to Jackson for higher medical care. Due to the remoteness of Mosquito Lake and the long drive, this mission wrapped up in 8 hours, 32 minutes.


As that rescue call played out on Saturday, TCSAR received a call at 12:25 p.m. from the west side of the Tetons. This concerned a visiting man in his mid-60s who had sustained a lower leg injury while hiking on the North Teton trail of Table Mountain. The man’s companions were able to provide initial treatment but required further assistance from TCSAR to get out of the backcountry. Volunteers drove to the trailhead and entered the backcountry on foot carrying the wheeled litter. Once on scene, they packaged the man in the litter and wheeled him out about a mile to the trailhead. The mission took 5 hours and 5 minutes to complete.

Bike Safety, Brews, and support for TCSAR set for Snake River Brewery on May 18

With trail season coming into swing, TCSAR is excited to highlight the importance of backcountry bike safety at the Snake River Brewery on Thursday, May 18. The community is encouraged to ride a bike to the Brew Pub where local bike shops will be giving out free safety checks, advice on how to outfit your bike for the summer, and where Friends of Pathways will have bike course set up for test rides. (Please, wear your helmet and obey all traffic laws!)

Recent trends show mountain biking accidents on the rise in the Jackson Hole area. Last summer, TCSAR volunteers responded to 13 bike accidents—the most ever in a single season. Not only were bike accidents more frequent, the severity of the injuries were also a cause for concern.

Deemed “Mission Critical Mass,” the May 18 event is also a great opportunity to publicly support TCSAR’s campaign to bring a year-round rescue helicopter to Teton County. The Brew Pub has generously offered to donate $1 for every beer to TCSAR. Plus, the event includes a special raffle supporting the helicopter campaign featuring some incredible prizes, including:

Raffle tickets cost $50 and are in limited supply. As of May 17, there were only 20 tickets left! Winners will be announced during Mission Critical Mass, but you don’t have to present to win.

A heartfelt thank you to all the sponsors of Mission Critical Mass!