If You Don't Know, Don't Go: New Video Highlights Backcountry Survey Program

For the last five years, TCSAR and Backcountry Zero have posted community volunteers at the various backcountry gates at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. These volunteers ask basic questions about the preparedness of those leaving the gates. They are not there to judge or offer any advice or direction. To date, that effort has resulted in the collection of hundreds of survey responses, including nearly 200 from this season alone. That data from these surveys helps establish a baseline for backcountry use and builds awareness about avalanche safety.

At midseason, nearly 30 percent of all people exiting the resort are by themselves. Slightly more are in parties of two. Most are local men above the age of 35, and 80 percent of respondents said they had checked the avalanche bulletin that day. Half of those who responded stated they were “expert” at managing the terrain.

According to the survey, there are still many people exiting the resort with no safety gear and very little formal avalanche training.

If you are exiting the resort boundary (or backcountry skiing anywhere else, for that matter), make sure you have a partner, the proper gear, and a plan. And as they say on the Big Red Box, if you don’t know, don’t go.

Thanks to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for their continued embrace of this program, and for support from Stio, Flylow, and Kate’s Real Food. Video shot, edited and produced by Orijin Media.

TCSAR Featured in 25th Anniversary of Jackson Hole Magazine

Written up as “one of the busiest and best mountain SAR teams in the country,” Teton County Search and Rescue gets a lot of ink in a feature-length article in the Winter 2020 issue of Jackson Hole magazine. The story on TCSAR leads a feature well that also includes a look at Yellowstone National Park 25 years after wolves were introduced, and a collection of profiles on valley locals. Jackson Hole looks at TCSAR’s deep commitment to saving lives, team member profiles, SAR gear, and the team’s dedication to education and community outreach.

Read the entire feature here.

TCSAR showcased in Jackson Hole Magazine.

2019 Rescue Report Details Busy Year for TCSAR

As detailed in the Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation’s recently released 2019 End-of-Year Rescue Report, Teton County’s all-volunteer Search and Rescue team spent nearly 13,000 hours on SAR-related activities, added two months of helicopter service that helped save several people’s lives, and saw members of the public utilize the BackcountrySOS digital app to effectively reach emergency responders to prevent tragic consequences.

It all added up to 2019 being a very busy year for Teton County Search and Rescue. 

“I cannot express how proud the team is when their involvement on a rescue results in saving someone's life and keeping a family together,” says TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart, who joined the team as a volunteer in 2010. “That is why we volunteer, and we could not do our job without the support of the community.”

A SAR team member dives into the Snake River during swiftwater training exercises. Photo: KC Bess

The Rescue Report is released by the nonprofit Foundation on a bi-annual basis. The year-end report includes data and stats on all the rescues performed in the past year in Teton County, and shows how busy the team has been with rescues, training, and community events. From responding to numerous incidents in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry last February, to repeated ATV accidents on the Gros Ventre Road in August, the team was called to action on a wide variety of scenarios requiring different skill sets. 

The report includes briefs on all the rescues performed from June 1 to November 30, 2019 (those from December 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019, are detailed in the Mid-Year Rescue Report released in June). It also highlights the effectiveness of the community’s Heli-Yes campaign, which expanded TCSAR’s helicopter service, and the BackcountrySOS digital app. Released by the Foundation in 2018, the app helped members of the public save lives in 2019 by directly reaching emergency dispatch when cellular service was lacking in the backcountry. The app can be downloaded for free at BackcountrySOS.

Print copies of the Rescue Reports are free and can be found at participating businesses all over Teton County, or downloaded by clicking this link at TetonCountySAR.org.