Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast: How TCSAR Volunteers Rely on their Heli Training

When operating around the helicopter, TCSAR volunteers follow this important mantra: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

“There’s a lot going on–lots of noise, wind and things move pretty fast–so it can be nice to slow things down,” says Ian Johnston, who joined the team just this past year and went through his inaugural helicopter training. “We don’t ever rush when we’re around the helicopter. Pilot Steve Wilson is as cool as a cucumber and will allow you to figure out what you need to do to complete the mission.”

Ashley Didion, another new volunteer, recalls how much her training came into play on her first heli mission.

We are about halfway to reaching our goal for providing a year's worth of training and equipment purchases for TCSAR volunteers! If you haven't donated yet, please know that all contributions are currently doubled and go directly toward TCSAR's emergency helicopter operations. Double your impact today!

"My first heli rescue happened March 13, 2021,” she says. “There were two lost skiers in the backcountry, unprepared to stay the night. It was this experience that relayed to me how strategic the team's training had been. I knew my gear, the steps to prepare for a safe flight, was prepared for communication with my helmet and radio, could enter and exit without hesitation, and knew the roles of my teammates. These skills of preparation and communication were already seeded and well rooted."

About 45 minutes before sundown, the team spotted the lost skiers from the air, landed nearby and flew them out of the backcountry so they might ski another day.

"I was boggled by how small they were," Didion says. "There is a skill in sighting a person from the air."

She stresses how much emphasis TCSAR places on collective team humility and understanding.

"There is no pride or shaming on this team, especially around the heli," Didion says. "We put ourselves at risk to save others, and this risk is never forgotten, it is never misunderstood. The pilot always says how many 'souls' he has on board. We put our souls into our training and rescues, and I love how it is never unrecognized by all on the team."

Thank you to everyone who has already donated during this Heli-Yes! campaign. Your contributions truly make a difference in people's lives.

"Chivers Ridge: So Close, but So Far" reveals Dynamic Rescue on Teton Pass

Just one ridge to the south from the top of Teton Pass, Chivers Ridge is known as an entry level backcountry ski run for its ease of access, as well as a quick hit that can be easily lapped by doing car shuttles from the trailhead at the bottom of the pass.

But that doesn’t mean it can’t be dangerous. There are numerous steep drop-offs on either side, and Chivers also contains manmade infrastructure such as power lines and cables that you may not always expect to find on a backcountry run.

Matt Bambach receives patient care from friend Jules Bell. The two give their unique perspectives on an accident on Chivers Ridge in the next episode of The Fine Line. Courtesy photo.

On January 23, 2022, Matt Bambach, a 29-year-old skier, found this out the hard way. That morning, he gathered on the pass with a bunch of friends to celebrate his roommate’s birthday. It was supposed to be a fun day of party skiing. But on their very first run, it all came crashing down when he sustained a life-threatening injury about halfway down Chivers Ridge. Despite how close he was to the road, it presented some very real challenges for his companions as well as the response from Teton County Search and Rescue.

Left to Right: KC Bess, Matt Bambach, and Anthony Stevens.

This incident is the focus of the next episode of The Fine Line, our podcast about adventure, risk and rescue in the Jackson Hole backcountry. In “Chivers Ridge: So Close, but So Far,” Bambach recounts his freak accident and the subsequent response from TCSAR volunteers Anthony Stevens and KC Bess. The volunteers also offer an in-depth look at TCSAR’s short-haul operations to help accentuate the importance of the current Heli-Yes! campaign. Meanwhile, Jules Bell explains how she was suddenly put into the position of keeping Bambach from bleeding to death while maintaining composure to dial for help.

The episode also presents an opportunity to learn some cool history about early skiing on Teton Pass.

Thank you to Roadhouse Brewing Co. for the generous sponsorship of The Fine Line.

This Ship Saves Lives: Please Help Support TCSAR's Emergency Rescue Helicopter

““The level of care was top notch. They kept me warm, as I’d been laying in the snow for an hour and a half. I wasn’t out of it, I didn’t lose consciousness but I wasn’t all there either. Everyone was so nice and so thoughtful, and kept me informed with everything they were doing as they were doing it. Believe it or not, for such a horrible experience, my rescue out of there was a good experience.””

— Eva Murphy, rescued by TCSAR

On April 13, TCSAR Foundation will be launching its annual Heli-Yes! campaign to help ensure Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers are trained to the highest possible standards so that our community continues to have reliable emergency helicopter service.

Over the next four weeks, the Foundation will be challenging the community to raise money for TCSAR’s emergency helicopter program. An anonymous local donor has generously offered a match gift of up to $35,000. This means that every dollar that gets donated will be matched, effectively doubling each contribution until we meet our challenge. With the Teton County Sheriff’s Office budgeting for eight months of TCSAR’s helicopter service, the Heli-Yes! campaign ensures that volunteers have the training and personal flight equipment they need to execute life-saving missions.

As the Jackson Hole backcountry continues to see record numbers of visitors, the helicopter enables TCSAR volunteers to quickly and efficiently respond to life-threatening injuries. But it takes great commitment and training for the volunteers to keep themselves and their patients safe, all while providing professional medical care in the field.

This winter alone, TCSAR used the helicopter 20 times—the second winter in a row that the team has seen such high frequency with the ship—with at least 10 of those missions being life or death scenarios.

Kevin Flueger, a 33-year-old Jackson resident, was one of those rescued this winter after breaking his leg while skiing in the backcountry south of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

“Without the helicopter, that could’ve shaped up to be one of the worst days of my life,” Flueger says. “But it was so smooth and so quick that I was at the ambulance within an hour of breaking my leg. It took something that was scary and potentially deadly, and became something that was not that bad of an experience.”

Eva Murphy, a 68-year-old ER nurse from Memphis, Tenn., echoed that sentiment. She suffered potentially life-threatening injuries, including a broken femur, after crashing on her snowmobile in the Granite Creek drainage in January. The TCSAR helicopter team was able to land near her and transport her quickly out of the backcountry. 

“The level of care was top notch,” Murphy says of TCSAR. “They kept me warm, as I’d been laying in the snow for an hour and a half. I wasn’t out of it, I didn’t lose consciousness but I wasn’t all there either. Everyone was so nice and so thoughtful, and kept me informed with everything they were doing as they were doing it. Believe it or not, for such a horrible experience, my rescue out of there was a good experience.”

By donating to Heli-Yes! you are investing in TCSAR volunteers' ability to continue to take on complex missions and reunite loved ones with their families and friends.

Thank you for helping our heli fly.

For more on Heli-Yes! and to contribute, please visit TetonCountySAR.org/heli-yes.