GTNP and TCSAR Partner for Avalanche Rescue in the Tetons

MOOSE, Wyo.— On Sunday afternoon, February 4, Grand Teton National Park rangers requested helicopter assistance from Teton County Search & Rescue (TCSAR) to respond to an injured skier on Prospectors Mountain inside the park. The skier, a 29-year-old local woman, along with four men were near the top of the Banana Couloir at 10,800 feet when they triggered and were caught by an avalanche. Three in the group were able to self-arrest, while one of the men was carried 500 feet and the woman was carried by the snow slide approximately 1,500 vertical feet. Neither skier was fully buried, however, the woman sustained serious injuries.

The upper reaches of the Banana Couloir in GTNP. Photo: TCSAR

TCSAR prepared the helicopter with three rescue volunteers and a pilot. The crew flew up into the Banana, a prominent couloir on the east face of Prospectors Mountain. The volunteers were able to short-haul the injured skier off the mountain and fly her to a waiting National Park Service ambulance at Windy Point Turnout. The rest of the party were able to ski out on their own. 

An avalanche on February 4, 2024, caught and carried five skiers, one of whom was swept 1,500 vertical feet down the mountain. Photo: TCSAR

Short-haul is a rescue method where a patient and rescuer are secured to a fix rope that is 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. 

With new snow falling on the Tetons, backcountry users are being reminded to read the daily avalanche forecast at the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center. TCSAR and Grand Teton were appreciative of the collaborative effort to bring this incident to a close.

TCSAR's End-of-Year Report Highlights Extraordinary Year for Local Rescue Team

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue’s 2023 End-of-Year Rescue Report, released this week, shows that this past year was one of the most eventful and extraordinary in the organization's 30-year history.

Not only did TCSAR have the third-highest rescue call volume on its books, it also landed its very own full-time rescue helicopter, stood up an aviation program, released its first new logo in 30 years, celebrated its 30-year anniversary, and hired a new Executive Director to lead the TCSAR Foundation.

The report, which is published twice a year by TCSAR Foundation, shows that the 39 volunteers at TCSAR donated 11,589 hours back to the community on SAR-related activities. This includes 5,307 hours on rescues, 5,779 hours on training, and 503 hours on community events and backcountry safety education.

“Our core function is to provide Search & Rescue services to those in need in the Jackson Hole backcountry,” writes TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart in the report’s intro. “We accomplish this by working as a Team. This is a job we all take seriously and are proud to do. A lot has changed in a generation, but the core values set by our founders remain the same: service to the community, commitment to Team, and the tireless pursuit to be Rescue Ready.”

Along with incident summaries for every rescue call between June 1-November 30, 2023, key findings from the 2023 End-of-Year Rescue Report include:

• From December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, TCSAR received 112 calls for service. This is below the records set in 2022 and 2021, which saw 136 calls and 126, respectively.

• From June 1-November 30, the most rescue calls came from hikers (17) and mountain bikers (8). There were no backcountry fatalities in TCSAR’s service area in that six-month period.

• Men continue to outpace women as rescue patients, with males accounting for 64 percent of rescuees for the last six months.

• 27 percent of rescues were for those between the ages of 16-30, the highest percentage by age group.

• The most common areas for rescue calls during 2023 were from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry, Togwotee Pass, Teton Pass, and on the west side of the Tetons in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

Rescue Reports are intended to provide lessons learned, raise backcountry safety awareness, and highlight the essential service provided by TCSAR volunteers and their partners. The reports are free and can be picked up at a number of businesses throughout Teton County, or viewed online at TetonCountySAR.org. If you’d like a print copy for your business or home, please send a request to info@tetoncountysar.org.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town—in the Shiny Red TCSAR Helicopter

The radio alert came in a little scratchy and a lot fuzzy. The gear from the latest rescue had been properly stowed, the floor scrubbed to a sparkling shine, a few lingering cookies gobbled up at the end of another day at Teton County Search & Rescue. But there was something in that muffled alert that tickled the volunteers’ ears: 

Santa Claus was coming to town, and due to mechanical issues of his sled and a few stubborn reindeer (who shall go nameless), he needed a ride. And who else but TCSAR would be able to help good ol’ Kris Kringle make sure he finds his way to local children, in a shiny red helicopter no less?

But there was also a mission element to helping Santa and an elf get around to local kids. Anytime the volunteers can train in and around the helicopter provides extra safety for them and their patients. Giving the jolly old elf a lift would also be a wonderful way to spread good will and gratitude to this community for supporting Mission Critical, which secured a year-round SAR helicopter for Teton County through philanthropy.

Photo: Chris Leigh/TCSAR

“Safety is first and foremost in everything we do, and this is a great opportunity for our volunteers to learn and practice with Mr. Claus, arguably one of the best aviation experts out there,” said TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart.

So the volunteers jumped up! They grinned big grins! Remembering that slow is smooth and smooth is fast, they grabbed their flight helmets and radios, fired up the single engine H125 ship, and went through their standard Green-Amber-Red (GAR) safety checks. 

Photo: Chris Leigh/TCSAR

Even Santa got a harness. “I think there’s an XXXL in there somewhere,” pilot Steve Wilson remarked upon meeting the rather rotund bearded fellow.

Last week, TCSAR helped Santa get to Teton Science School and they made the following operational plan for Friday morning, December 22 (weather depending): TCSAR would fly Santa to all local schools in the Teton County School District. Using safety procedures for each site, the heli team would deposit Santa and an elf at the schools so they could spread holiday wishes and collect letters from the schoolchildren. Like all flight operations, TCSAR volunteers will be on the ground to manage each landing zone to the highest safety standards. The Jenny Lake Rangers, friends of TCSAR and interagency partners, plan to help on the ground with schools in Moran and Kelly.

After visiting each school, TCSAR will help get Santa back to his sleigh after some routine maintenance at the SAR hangar, feed the reindeer a few extra Kate’s bars, and bid them all good luck on their long journey back to the North Pole. 

As Santa lifted off into the big Wyoming sky, the volunteers could hear him exclaim: “Merry Christmas to all—and thanks for helping me be prepared and practiced for presents!”