At 8:42 p.m. on Monday, April 15, Teton County Search & Rescue received a call from Tip Top Search & Rescue for helicopter assistance to help a female skier having a medical issue deep in the Wind River Mountains. The 29-year-old patient and her partner were on a multi-day ski traverse of the Winds when her condition deteriorated on Downs Mountain. Downs is a large flat-topped mountain that straddles the Continental Divide at 13,355 feet above sea level. On their first approach to Downs Mountain, TCSAR encountered low-lying clouds that inhibited their ability to find a proper landing ..read more

Just before 1 p.m. on Friday, April 12, Teton County Search & Rescue received a call regarding an injured snowboarder on No Name Peak. It was the second time in the last 10 days that the volunteers were called out to No Name, a large mountain prized by local skiers and snowboarders for its steep and immense northeast-facing slope. It is typically accessed from the boundary gates at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and is uncontrolled backcountry terrain. TCSAR volunteers respond to a snowboarder who was injured riding No Name Peak on April 12, 2024. Photo: TCSAR The snowboarder, a local male ..read more

At 2:19 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, Teton County Search & Rescue was called regarding an injured skier on No Name Peak south of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The skier, a 37-year-old local, became injured after falling through a cliff band that hangs off the lower skier’s right section of the mountain’s prominent northeast slope. These two photos show the skier’s tracks going into a cliff band in the lower section of No Name Peak. Photo: TCSAR TCSAR responded with two volunteers in the helicopter, while JHMR dispatched two ski patrollers who approached from the top of the tram. Once TC ..read more

As the importance of mental health continues to be addressed and recognized as a safety issue for backcountry users, TCSAR Foundation was proud to organize a recent workshop detailing the ins and outs of stress trauma and psychological first aid. On March 5, 2024, local TIPS therapists Lewis Smirl and Ryan Burke led 50 first responders, mental health practitioners, mountain guides, and community members passionate about psychological first aid through a workshop on ‘Managing Mental Health in the Mountains.’ Ryan Burke is a local therapist who works with the Teton Interagency Peer Support grou ..read more

As the Jackson Hole community continues to address the importance of mental health, Teton County Search & Rescue will host a workshop on March 5 to help backcountry users obtain tools to recognize how this affects their well-being in the mountains. “Managing Mental Health and Trauma in the Mountains” will be led by local therapists Lewis Smirl and Ryan Burke, and will take place from 6-8 p.m., on Tuesday, March 5, at the Black Diamond store located at 160 W. Pearl, in Jackson.  Smirl and Burke will help participants understand new research about trauma, develop tools to support thems ..read more

On Thursday, February 22, Teton County Search & Rescue responded to two calls that involved multiple agencies across the county: The first was for an injured snowboarder in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry, and the second for an injured snowmobiler in the Togwotee Pass area. The TCSAR helicopter comes in for a landing during a rescue on Togwotee Pass, on February 22, 2024. Photo: TCSAR The initial call came in at 11:49 a.m. and concerned a 46-year-old female snowboarder who was injured to the south of JHMR. The woman had crashed on her snowboard between the two bootpacks that ..read more

Teton County Search & Rescue, along with numerous other community nonprofits and organizations, invites you to celebrate Winter Trails Day on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. We’ll be posted up on Teton Pass from 9 am to noon to offer tips and feedback on backcountry safety, with hot cocoa and other goodies. Hoback Sports will be on hand to provide free backcountry demos, while Teton Backcounty Alliance will provide a free shuttle from Stilson Lot, Old Pass Road, and Coal Creek. The shuttle will pick up and drop people off at Stilson Lot, Old Pass Road, top of Teton Pass, and Coal Creek from 8:30 ..read more

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 dis ..read more

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 traini ..read more

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, howeve ..read more