TCSAR Volunteers Stay Busy with Two Rescues in Two Days

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers were called out for rescues on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 28 and 29, with both incidents utilizing the team’s leased helicopter to help bring patients out of the backcountry.

Hwy 22 was briefly closed on the afternoon of March 29 so that TCSAR volunteers could create a landing zone for a rescue mission in Mail Cabin. The short-haul line is visible below the ship. Photo: TCSAR

On Tuesday, the call came in at 1:30 p.m. regarding an injured snowmobiler on Togwotee Pass. A man in his mid 50’s had sustained injuries when he rolled his sled during a guided snowmobile trip. The initial page also concerned a missing person from the same party who had become lost after trying to sled out of the backcountry to get help. That person was eventually located while TCSAR mobilized a ground team on snowmobiles and a team of volunteers in the helicopter.

The heli team flew to the accident site and the team was able to load the patient internally for a short flight to a landing zone (LZ) and waiting ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS at the Blackrock Ranger Station on Hwy 287.

On Wednesday, TCSAR was called at 11:47 a.m. by a skier who reported his partner was having a medical issue in Mail Cabin, to the west of Teton Pass. The skier had to leave his partner behind on the trail in order to ski out to find cell phone service. TCSAR initiated a helicopter response, with ground teams as backup in case the helicopter could not fly, and to secure an LZ at a parking lot or traffic pullout on Hwy 22. The team also put in a request for Air Idaho, a private air ambulance based in Driggs, in case the patient needed a flight to a regional hospital.

Initially, the TCSAR heli team could not pinpoint the exact location of the patient due to thick timber and steep ravine features of Mail Cabin. After circling the area numerous times, the team spotted the patient near a meadow about one mile from the Coal Creek parking lot. 

Teton County Sheriff Deputies were instrumental to help briefly close the highway as TCSAR volunteers rigged the ship for short-haul. Meanwhile, volunteers packaged the patient for flight and short-hauled him to an LZ on the highway, where he was transferred to an ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. Further air resources were not needed, and all team members exited the field.

TCSAR and JHMR Ski Patrol Partner for Big Rescue Effort in No Name Canyon

At noon on Wednesday, March 22, Teton County Search & Rescue was notified of an injured backcountry skier in No Name Canyon. The skier became injured while descending a steep, very narrow southeast-facing couloir known as Mini Gothic. The 37-year-old male had accessed the area after entering the backcountry through a gate at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The accident left the skier in significant pain and unable to ski or walk.

TCSAR, JHMR Ski Patrol, and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS provide care for an injured skier on March 22, 2023. Photo: TCSAR

Getting to this location from the resort generally requires about 1.5-2 hours of hiking, ascending on touring equipment, and traversing on skis. The skier’s location, steep terrain, and inclement weather created challenging conditions for a rescue, and TCSAR volunteers considered numerous options for how to get the patient out safely.

After careful analysis of the weather, TCSAR decided to deploy a helicopter for a short-haul operation to extract the patient. The helicopter flew to the accident site and dropped off two TCSAR volunteers to care for the patient at roughly 9,600 feet. The helicopter lifted off and left the crew in the field before landing on Fish Creek Road to rig for short-haul; this step is mandatory to attach a rope to the bottom of the helicopter that is used to pick up the patient and rescuers for a short flight out of the backcountry. 

TCSAR volunteers used climbing skins on skis to ascend a ridge out to No Name Canyon, a backcountry area south of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Photo: TCSAR

Meanwhile, Jackson Hole Ski Patrol dispatched two members to the site as TCSAR sent a ski team of eight volunteers to the aerial tram at JHMR as backup. As the ski team went up the tram, inclement weather grounded the helicopter on Fish Creek Road. At approximately 2:10 p.m., the ski team entered the backcountry from a top gate at the resort and began making their way toward the patient. The helicopter eventually was not able to fly due to icing, leaving the full response to the ski team.

Ski patrol arrived on scene carrying a rescue sled and were tremendously helpful in coordinating the response. TCSAR’s ski team arrived at the patient soon after, at roughly 3 p.m. Ski patrol and TCSAR volunteers packaged the patient and together transported him down the mountain in the rescue sled. 

The teams guided the sled down 2,800 vertical feet over roughly two miles and variable terrain to Fish Creek Road, where the patient was handed over to an ambulance with Jackson Hole Fire/EMS at 4 p.m. The various members of ski patrol and TCSAR closed the mission and headed back to their respective bases. It was a great partnership on a big rescue effort.

This was the third time in the last six weeks that TCSAR has come to the rescue of a skier in No Name Canyon. Today’s incident serves as a healthy reminder of the time, resources, and people hours in the field necessary to pull off a rescue when the helicopter can’t fly.

TCSAR Foundation and Roadhouse Host Special Beer Release to Support Mission Critical

Jackson, Wyo. — Please join TCSAR Foundation and Roadhouse Brewing from 6-9 p.m. on March 21 for a special release of the new Landing Zone IPA in support of Mission Critical.

Starting tonight at the Pub & Eatery on the Town Square, Roadhouse will be donating $1 from each pint sold of the new Landing Zone IPA to Mission Critical—TCSAR's initiative to purchase a year-round rescue helicopter for Teton County. 

Roadhouse’s newest offering, Landing Zone is a Cold IPA—a light IPA-style beer brewed with their very own house lager yeast. Expertly crafted for a cool 5.1% ABV packed full of American and New Zealand hops, the Landing Zone has a very drinkable body with generous aromas of tropical fruit, white grape, and sweet berry. Available only at the Roadhouse Pub & Eatery, proud supporters of TCSAR volunteers and backcountry safety in Jackson Hole.

This evening, TCSAR Foundation will also be raffling off some awesome prizes donated by Stio, Teton Gravity Research, LEM Helmets, Rocky Talkie Radios, and Purple Orange in support of the helicopter campaign.

DJ Knew Jack, KHOL’s Musical Director, will be spinning the tunes.

No tickets necessary, and everyone's invited.

Tonight, make the Roadhouse your LZ!