TCSAR Picks Up Two Rescues On April 18-19

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue responded to two emergency calls over the weekend, showing again the range of skills our volunteers deploy during this seasonal transition.

At 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, a local male snowboarder suffered a severe leg injury while descending a line on the Great White Hump, located north of Teton Pass. It was the second time this month that a skier or snowboarder had been injured after getting caught in an avalanche in this same zone.

In response, TCSAR assembled a short-haul team in the helicopter. The team made contact with the patient about 54 minutes after the initial 911 call. Our team credits the patient’s group for providing interim care before the volunteers were on scene. That care included: Keeping the patient warm with extra clothes and a space blanket; securing the patient in a safe location; cutting out a flat platform to help the responding volunteers load/secure/treat/extract the patient during a heli operation.

TCSAR then short-hauled the patient to a waiting ambulance on Teton Pass, completing the mission in 2 hours, 36 minutes.

The Great White Hump has been the location of two short-haul rescues in April 2026, both involving avalanches. Photo: TCSAR

This incident is another reminder for skiers and snowboarders to be extra cautious during this transitional period in the Tetons, when snow conditions may change rapidly from hour to hour, day to day.

The second rescue call of the weekend came at 4:53 p.m. on Sunday, April 19. This incident concerned two hikers who had been attempting to walk from Cache Creek to the Game Creek Divide and then return via the Skyline trail.

After ascending the Game Creek Divide, the party called 911 to say they were too exhausted to continue. The hikers were advised to begin walking back to the Cache/Game junction where a team of volunteers would meet them.

Two TCSAR volunteers dispatched in a side-by-side vehicle up Cache. When they could not locate the party at the Cache/Game junction, the volunteers hiked about 1.5 miles up the trail, where they found the tired hikers. The volunteers gave them food and water and assisted them back down the trail to the vehicle. From there, the team transported them to their vehicle at the Cache Creek trailhead.

TCSAR Completes Two Rescues, Involving Multiple Agencies, on February 22

On Thursday, February 22, Teton County Search & Rescue responded to two calls that involved multiple agencies across the county: The first was for an injured snowboarder in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry, and the second for an injured snowmobiler in the Togwotee Pass area.

The TCSAR helicopter comes in for a landing during a rescue on Togwotee Pass, on February 22, 2024. Photo: TCSAR

The initial call came in at 11:49 a.m. and concerned a 46-year-old female snowboarder who was injured to the south of JHMR. The woman had crashed on her snowboard between the two bootpacks that lead to an area known as Four Pines. JHMR Ski Patrol responded and provided initial patient care. Once on scene, patrol requested helicopter assistance from TCSAR, which flew to the accident site and landed near the patient. The team loaded her internally into the ship and flew back to the TCSAR hangar where she was transferred to a waiting ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS.

TCSAR’s second call of the day occurred at 1:54 p.m. A 19-year-old male sustained injuries after crashing his snowmobile into a tree on the K Trail, which is east of Mount Leidy. TCSAR again fired up the ship and flew to Windy Point in Grand Teton National Park to pick up two rangers who would assist in the rescue. Also on board were the pilot and one TCSAR volunteer. With inclement weather moving in and out of the area, TCSAR dispatched additional teams on snowmobiles in case the heli had to be grounded. Additionally, a USFS ranger dispatched on a snowmobile toward the accident.

The ship found a weather window and landed near the injured snowmobiler at approximately 3:20 p.m. Rescuers then loaded the patient into the helicopter for transport to a landing zone (LZ) and GTNP ambulance at the USFS Blackrock Ranger Station.

On busy days like this, it’s important to recognize and give thanks to the multiple partnering agencies across Teton County who help the team respond to rescues, as well as the families and partners of TCSAR volunteers who scramble to hold down the fort while their loved ones go into the field. We appreciate you.