TCSAR partners with Star Valley SAR to Rescue Lost Hiker

Jackson, Wyo. — Just after 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14, Teton County Search & Rescue received a call from Star Valley Search & Rescue for helicopter assistance to help a hiker who’d become cliffed out in extreme terrain east of Afton, Wyo.

SVSAR reported that the woman became disoriented and lost in fog at a higher elevation hours earlier and, after becoming wet and cold, followed the wrong ridgeline until deadfall and steep terrain left her unable to continue. Exhausted, lost and recognizing she wouldn’t be able to find her way out before dark, she called for help.

TCSAR and Star Valley SAR partnered for a rescue on June 14, 2023, and completed the mission just as the sun went down. Photo: TCSAR

SVSAR members responded on motorized dirt bikes to a position above and to the south of her, then hiked several miles to her position and made contact. With daylight getting short, SVSAR volunteers believed it would take many hours to help get her down safely without helicopter assistance. That’s when they put in the heli request at TCSAR.

TCSAR volunteers accepted the mission and dispatched a short-haul heli team to the woman’s location. The team also sent ground teams in SAR vehicles as backup.

The heli team found the woman at 8:40 p.m., and successfully short-hauled her to the valley floor just outside of Afton at 8:55 p.m. Short-haul is a rescue method where a patient and rescuers are hoisted via a rope connected to the belly of the helicopter for a short flight out of the backcountry. It is often used in steep terrain where landing the helicopter is not an option. The woman, an Afton resident, did not require medical care and wished to express her gratitude to all responders when debriefed at SVSAR headquarters immediately after her rescue.

The heli team was able to fly back to Jackson without ground assistance, landing at the TCSAR hangar with just five minutes before dark.

TCSAR appreciates the partnership and coordination from our friends at SVSAR, and was happy to be in a position to help the woman get out of the backcountry safely.

Stio highlights The Fine Line podcast with Animated Film

Stio, the Jackson-based maker of mountain apparel, is highlighting The Fine Line podcast with a short-animated film. The film was produced by Two Toes Creative and brings to life The Fine Line episode about a rescue last summer deep in the Teton backcountry.

A short animated film by Two Toes Creative follows a horsepacking accident and short-haul rescue from the summer of 2022.

Now in its seventh season, The Fine Line combines the perspectives of people who’ve experienced a traumatic event in the backcountry with the insights from TCSAR volunteers who came to their aid. Often, the interview is the first time a patient and rescuer get to meet after the incident, providing a path to closure for those involved.

Watch the animated film by clicking the button below, and make sure you subscribe to The Fine Line wherever you get your podcasts.

TCSAR Foundation Initiates Search for New Executive Director

The Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation (TCSARF) has begun the process of hiring its next Executive Director.

The Foundation is a nonprofit that supports Teton County Search & Rescue (TCSAR) volunteers through direct support, community education, and advocacy. Together, TCSAR and the Foundation create a public/private partnership that works to keep Teton County residents and visitors safe in the backcountry 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

This is an opportunity to build on a period of tremendous growth and accomplishment—including the recent completion of the $7.25 million capital campaign to secure a year-round SAR-dedicated helicopter—and lead the Foundation into its next chapter.  

TCSARF has retained Koya Partners, the executive search firm that works exclusively with mission-driven clients, to lead this search. In partnership with Koya, we are now identifying and recruiting exceptional candidates. 

 The Position Profile can be found here. To suggest leaders as potential candidates, you can contact the Koya team directly at tcsarfoundation_ed@koyapartners.com. We would also appreciate it if you would thoughtfully forward this along in your networks. 

Thank you in advance for your help with this important leadership role.