TCSAR Provides Heli Assist for Injured Skier in Yellowstone National Park

Jackson, Wyo. — On Wednesday, April 24, Teton County Search & Rescue received an alert for an injured female Nordic skier in the Fairy Falls area of Yellowstone National Park near Old Faithful. The 55-year-old woman and her partner had skied about a mile into the backcountry before an injury prevented them from continuing on their own. They issued an emergency call that was picked up by the Yellowstone Communications Center.

Yellowstone National Park has been the site of numerous interagency rescues over the years by Teton County Search & Rescue. Photo: TCSAR

Yellowstone park rangers skied in to help the injured skier. Upon arrival, rangers requested helicopter assistance from TCSAR. At present time, TCSAR has the region's only SAR-dedicated helicopter. Though Yellowstone is not a regular location for TCSAR missions, the team has done and will continue to perform rescues in the park if and when requested by park officials. 

TCSAR was able to find and emergency evac an injured nordic skier from the Fairy Falls area of Yellowstone National Park on April 24, 2024. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR responded to this incident with a heli team consisting of three volunteers and a pilot, with an initial plan of doing a possible short-haul extraction. The team departed the hangar in Jackson at 3:36 p.m.

Flight time to the Fairy Falls area was about 30 minutes. The helicopter circled several times before spotting the injured party. After locating the patient, they landed the ship and were able to load the injured skier and partner into the helicopter. The team then flew the skiers to a landing zone on the Grand Loop Road inside the park, where they transferred the patient to a waiting ambulance.

Thanks to the coordinated response between YNP and TCSAR, the mission was completed in 3 hours, 30 minutes. Photo: TCSAR

Afterward, the team flew back to Jackson, completing the mission in 3 hours, 30 minutes. TCSAR appreciates the coordinated effort from Yellowstone National Park to bring this operation to a successful close.

TCSAR Provides Heli Assist for Skier Rescue in the Wind River Mountains

At 8:42 p.m. on Monday, April 15, Teton County Search & Rescue received a call from Tip Top Search & Rescue for helicopter assistance to help a female skier having a medical issue deep in the Wind River Mountains.

The 29-year-old patient and her partner were on a multi-day ski traverse of the Winds when her condition deteriorated on Downs Mountain. Downs is a large flat-topped mountain that straddles the Continental Divide at 13,355 feet above sea level.

On their first approach to Downs Mountain, TCSAR encountered low-lying clouds that inhibited their ability to find a proper landing zone.

On Monday, the skiers used a satellite communication device to issue a distress call that was picked up by Tip Top SAR in Sublette County. Tip Top mobilized a ground response and called Teton County SAR for heli assistance. As TCSAR currently has the area’s only SAR-dedicated helicopter, the Jackson-based team was ready and willing to offer its help.

Special permission was granted by the U.S. Forest Service to enter wilderness with both helo and sleds due to the extreme conditions and life-saving measures needed.

Early in the morning on Tuesday, April 16, TCSAR assembled a team consisting of the pilot, one TCSAR volunteer, and one Grand Teton National Park Climbing Ranger. The heli team departed the TCSAR hangar in Jackson at 7 a.m. 

The clouds parted on the team’s second approach, giving them a narrow window to land the helicopter and retrieve the patient before the weather closed back in.

On their initial approach to Downs, the team encountered low-lying clouds that prevented their progress. They came within a mile of the distressed party but had to turn around for their own safety. The team flew back to Jackson to refuel before departing again. Knowing the forecast called for inclement weather starting this afternoon, the team believed Tuesday morning was their best window of opportunity to reach the patient

As they approached Downs on the second flight, the clouds parted, allowing the ship to land near the distressed skier. The team assessed her condition, loaded her into the ship, and flew back to Jackson and transferred her to an ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. 

Downs Mountain is a large, flat-topped mountain in the middle of the Wind River Range. It straddles the Continental Divide at 13,355 feet. The skiers were camped near the top.

Due to weight, flight distance, and the power needed for high-altitude flying, the team could not pick up the woman’s partner. He eventually met up with Tip Top SAR, who brought him out via snowmachine.

This successful rescue is a great example of why TCSAR asked for the community’s help in purchasing a rescue-dedicated helicopter. We are grateful to have this resource, and we are honored to work with our interagency partners and regional SAR teams to bring people out of the backcountry safely. Thank you to Tip Top SAR for coordinating this rescue, and to everyone who has supported these efforts along the way.

TCSAR Responds Again to No Name Peak

Just before 1 p.m. on Friday, April 12, Teton County Search & Rescue received a call regarding an injured snowboarder on No Name Peak. It was the second time in the last 10 days that the volunteers were called out to No Name, a large mountain prized by local skiers and snowboarders for its steep and immense northeast-facing slope. It is typically accessed from the boundary gates at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and is uncontrolled backcountry terrain.

TCSAR volunteers respond to a snowboarder who was injured riding No Name Peak on April 12, 2024. Photo: TCSAR

The snowboarder, a local male, had been severely injured after striking rocks while descending the peak. TCSAR volunteers were able to communicate directly with the patient over the phone, and informed him the team would be arriving by helicopter.

Within 25 minutes of receiving the initial rescue call, the TCSAR helicopter lifted off with two volunteers and pilot on board. As they approached No Name, they could easily see the patient from the air and landed within 50 feet of his location. Jackson Hole Ski Patrollers, en route from the top of the aerial tram, arrived on scene simultaneously. 

After assessing the man’s injuries and treating him, the team loaded him internally into the helicopter for transport. The team then flew the patient to the TCSAR hangar where they transferred him to a waiting ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. 

The entire mission was completed in 58 minutes. TCSAR appreciates the partnerships that allow the volunteers to bring injured patients out of the backcountry and into higher medical care.

TCSAR would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that they should dial 911 in case of a backcountry emergency. If you have cellular service, that is the quickest and most efficient way to get a rescue started.