Announcing the 2025 New Class of Volunteers

Jackson, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue is excited to introduce the 10 new volunteers who were brought onto the team in 2025. Being a TCSAR volunteer is an enormous commitment, and these 10 volunteers embody the spirit of community service and teamwork that help make TCSAR what it is.

The new volunteers are: Tommy Basore, Gretchen Cherry, Matt Chorney, Doug Cook, Oliver Dev, Thomas Ferguson, Bria Gillespie, Joe Grout, Kaeli McClenahan, Sam Wasserman.

“These new volunteers represent the next generation of TCSAR: strong, humble, and dedicated,” said TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart. “Their arrival reminds me that leadership in this organization has always been less about individuals and more about stewardship—passing on knowledge, values, and trust to those who will carry the mission forward.”

The TCSAR Class of 2025: Back row, L to R: Thomas Ferguson, Tommy Basore, Oliver Dev, Joe Grout. Front row, L to R: Matt Chorney, Doug Cook, Bria Gillespie, Gretchen Cherry, Kaeli McLenahan, Sam Wasserman. Photo: Morris Weintraub

Since the team's founding in 1993, TCSAR has had 12 classes of volunteers. The process of building a new class is lengthy, with this one starting last winter from a pool of 180 candidates. After a series of interviews with TCSAR volunteers, these 10 individuals were selected and began their training in June. Since then, they have each completed 200 hours of training, and are now being included in callouts as associate members with the rest of the team.

Please help us welcome them to our TCSAR family. We are very grateful to have them on board.

Photo Gallery: Helicopters On Display in Jackson Hole

On Thursday, October 9, attendees with the International Commission for Alpine Rescue and the Jackson community were treated to a rare display of helicopters at the base of Snow King Mountain.

Providing a glimpse of aviation mastery were the following: Airbus H145 D3, Bell 407, Leonardo AW169, and the TCSAR Airbus H125. For a few hours on Thursday, TCSAR welcomed the public to meet the pilots and take in what was definitely a first (and perhaps only) such experience in Jackson. Many thanks to Snow King Mountain, the Town of Jackson, and all those awesome kids who came out to give TCSAR a lift!

Photo gallery by Griffin Kerwin.

Photo Gallery: ICAR Practical Day at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

On October 8, several hundred rescuers from around the U.S. and world engaged in several training sessions at about 9,000 feet at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. As part of Practical Day for the 2025 International Commission for Alpine Rescue, attendees partook in the following:

🚁 Helicopter safety and rescue
🤖 Drones for search and rescue and mountain safety
🧗‍♂️ High-angle rigging for rescue
❄️ Avalanche rescue, including the latest in beacon technology and search functions
🩺 Medical and patient treatment
🐶 Everyone's favorite: SAR dogs

Plus, TCSAR performed a short-haul demonstration with a couple of pickoffs on a rock wall.

With the stunning backdrop of the aerial tram, Tensleep Bowl, and the rock face above Toilet Bowl, Practical Day was the ideal venue for a crisp and clear October day.

Thanks to the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol for their huge help in organizing, and to the entire team at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for providing such an incredible venue.

Photos by Griffin Kerwin, David Bowers, and Grandbunden Örn Arnarson. All right reserved. Images may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from TCSAR and the photographer.