TCSAR and Grand Targhee Ski Patrol Rescue Skier after Cornice Fall

Just past 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21, Teton County Search & Rescue was dispatched regarding an injured skier in the Grand Targhee backcountry.

The skier, a 27-year-old male from Washington, sustained injuries after falling off a cornice in an out-of-bounds area accessed off Mary’s Nipple from Grand Targhee Ski Resort. The skier was on a ridgeline when the cornice broke beneath him, causing him to fall approximately 100 feet into the basin below.

Photo by TCSAR. Cornice failure can be seen just left of center on the ridgeline.

Coordinating with Grand Targhee Ski Patrol, TCSAR dispatched a team of volunteers in the SAR helicopter to the site of the accident. Ski patrol reached the patient first, provided initial care, and packaged him for helicopter transport. TCSAR then short-hauled the man—a method in which rescuers and patient are long-lined beneath the helicopter—to a waiting ambulance at the base of Targhee.

TCSAR appreciates the well-coordinated response from Grand Targhee Ski Patrol, and would like to remind backcountry users to be extremely cautious of cornices while approaching or traversing ridgelines.

Ray Rides With Us

On this day, we commemorate the life and legacy of Ray Shriver. Ray was a founding member of Teton County Search & Rescue who died in a helicopter crash while on a rescue mission on February 15, 2012. He was also a father, partner, friend, dog-handler, skier, mountaineer, and valued community member. As seen in this photo (Ray is wearing the green helmet), he was instrumental in helping to train volunteers for short-haul and other helicopter operations, along with myriad other rescue skills.

Ray’s legacy of hard work and integrity lives on within TCSAR.

“Ray's serious focus during training and missions could be intimidating at times for younger team members, but the example he set was, ‘Keep your head in the game,'" remembers Mike Moyer, another founding member of TCSAR who continues to serve on the team.

“We do important and dangerous stuff,” Mike says. “There's a time for laughter and there's a time for kidding, but there’s also a time to keep our heads in the game, particularly when we’re doing the more risky stuff. 

“In Ray's honor, let’s keep our heads in the game.”

Thank you to all who continue to support TCSAR in Ray's honor. He will always be a source of inspiration for the entire TCSAR family.

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.