"Rescue on the Reef" recounts tense winter accident on Teton Pass

On February 20, 2018, IFMGA-certified mountain guide Paul Rachele was trying to set up a winter climbing route on a sharp crag off Teton Pass called The Reef. As he was setting the final anchor on this uncommon, infrequently climbed cliffband, he ran out of rope and fell 100 feet, sustaining numerous severe injuries. Alone and unable to walk, his call for help set in motion a rapid response as rescuers raced against the clock to get him to safety before nightfall.

Mountain guide Paul Rachele (middle) with TCSAR members Phillip Fox (left) and Alex St. Clair at the KHOL radio studios in Jackson, Wyo. Photo: TCSAR Foundation

The accident is the focus on the latest episode of “The Fine Line,” the podcast produced by Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation and Backcountry Zero. For this episode, podcast host Rebecca Huntington sits down with Rachele and responding TCSAR members Phillip Fox and Alex St. Clair. Fox and St. Clair came into TCSAR in the same 2015 class. On this incident, Fox was on short-haul while St. Clair was lead medic on the ground.

During the podcast, Rachele is eloquent in his descriptions of winter climbing and in explaining why he is drawn to The Reef, even to this day despite his troubled history on this particular rock. Meanwhile, Fox and St. Clair articulate the ins and outs of a hasty rescue operation where everything had to be perfect—or else face a much more dire outcome.

This episode can be heard now at BackcountryZero.com, via Soundcloud or iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Join TCSAR and JH Sports for "Winter Welcome" on December 21

Ski season is finally here, and we hope you've been able to get out to enjoy the snow with friends and family. This Saturday, come help us celebrate the arrival of winter with JH Sports in Teton Village. "Winter Welcome" is a fun, all-ages party benefitting Teton County Search and Rescue.

The event starts at 3:30 p.m. in the Gabe Room, located on the third floor of the Bridger Center at the base of JHMR. This means that you can ski all day, and then come on upstairs for pizza from Pinky G's, beers from Snake River Brewing, and a raffle with $25,000 in prizes from more than 50 outdoor brands.

Raffle tickets cost just $5 and can be bought online, or by cash/card at JH Sports, Hole in the Wall Snowboard Shop, and the JH Resort store in downtown Jackson. Winners will be announced at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 21. (You don't need to be present to win, but then you'd miss out on all the fun.) All proceeds go to TCSAR, which directly helps our all-volunteer team save lives in the Jackson Hole backcountry.

"This will be significant for TCSAR," says Larry Hartenstein, general manager for JH Sports. "It helps them pay for things like heli rescues and specialized equipment. We all want and need TCSAR to be ready!"

Winter Programming Heats Up

In TCSAR’s effort to be proactive in helping people make the best decisions in the backcountry, we’ve planned numerous winter programs to keep you ready when the time comes to do the right thing. If you do lunges for your quads, why wouldn’t you do an equivalent exercise for your brain? Below is a list of programs to put on your calendar to stay in the know. More info can be found on the events page at Backcountry Zero. And if you’re looking for a guide or pursuing formal avalanche education, check out our list of local resources.

• November 12: Backcountry Safety Bash, with the Young Professionals of the Tetons, at 5:30 p.m. at the Wort Hotel

• November 12: Women’s Avalanche Awareness Night, with SheJumps, at 6 p.m. at the TCSAR Hangar

• November 19: Youth What’s in Your Pack Class, a fun and informative FREE workshop for kids in grades 3-7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the TCSAR Hangar. Register here.

• November 20: Deadline to apply for a mountain safety scholarship with the Jackson Hole Babe Force. Apply here.

• November 21: Youth What’s in Your Pack Class, a second FREE workshop for older kids in the 8-12 grades, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the TCSAR Hangar. Register here.

• December 3: Adult What’s in Your Pack Class, a fun and informative workshop discussing packing essentials, winter trip planning with Sarah Carpenter of AAI; how to address injuries and hypothermia; and winter fire building, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the TCSAR Hangar. Register here.

• December 5: 20th Annual Skinny Skis Avalanche Awareness Night, from 5-9 p.m. at the Center for the Arts. A fundraiser for TCSAR and the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center, this annual event is the perfect night to get dialed for the winter. Keynote speaker Noah Howell is a lifelong backcountry skier and mountaineer who will share photos on a recent trip to climb and ski the daunting Mount Foraker in the Alaska Range. Pre-register here and get a free beer.

• December 11: State of the Snowpack, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Headwall Sports. This popular series is back for the 2019/20 season, featuring a new speaker every two weeks detailing what’s going on in our local snowpack.

• December 21: Winter Welcome at JH Sports. This fun event is a great opportunity donate to TCSAR and win some really cool prizes in one of the best raffles of the year.

• January 1: State of the Snowpack, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Headwall Sports.

• January 15: State of the Snowpack, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Headwall Sports.

• January 29: State of the Snowpack, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Headwall Sports.

• February 12: State of the Snowpack, from 6:30-8 p.m. at Headwall Sports.