JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) has seen a higher volume of service calls this summer than average, but the number of times the team has been called out to perform a rescue mission has actually dropped.
TCSAR leaders are quick to point out that it’s too early to draw any major conclusions from this season’s rescue resume. Chief Advisor Anthony Stevens told Buckrail that the high call volume could be a result of the growing partnership that TCSAR has with Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and the park’s rescue team, the Jenny Lake Rangers. When a call comes in requesting use of the helicopter in GTNP in the summer, the chopper goes but TCSAR rescuers are not normally deployed. Stevens also said that, so far this summer, the team has not received many calls for mountain bike or horseback riding accidents.
“I can’t really speak to the trends because it’s kind of a three-month period, and whether it’s people self-rescuing, being safer, or not requesting help when they get hurt, I don’t know,” Stevens said. “Or if it’s just one of those summers; maybe they just haven’t had more accidents.”
Rescue data will not be aggregated until TCSAR starts to prepare its end-of-year rescue report in December, but Stevens mentioned that the locations of rescues have been relatively spread out for the number of calls received. According to the 2025 rescue report, TCSAR completed 17 missions on Teton Pass, with 12 of those coming after May 31.
“Normally, our big area in the summer tends to be Teton Pass,” Stevens said. “But this year, it’s been all over. We’ve been to Teton Canyon a bit and we’ve been over to kind of north of Tetonia but not the normal haunts up Cache Creek and Teton Pass.”
Rescue calls from the west side of the Tetons have been supported in part by a new class of TCSAR volunteers, some of whom live in Teton Valley, Idaho. The nine new recruits completed a yearlong, intensive training program and are now operational in the field, Stevens said. With rescuers living in Victor and Driggs, it cuts down on the need to page out the entire team in Jackson, especially if it’s a late-night mission. TCSAR recently responded to a call in that area, and the team of responders was a majority new members.
“They went in and they crushed it,” Stevens said. “They got that person out. They did it with all the skill and grace required of a team member. So it was really cool to watch them work.”
One of the agency’s main priorities is to assist people in the backcountry who find themselves in need of help. But Stevens emphasized the preventative side of search and rescue — namely, being prepared for the chosen objective. “Make sure that you have the proper equipment and the knowledge, the training to be able to achieve that objective.” Proper equipment could be as simple as a headlamp for a late afternoon hike and enough water or a way to treat or filter water. Carrying extra layers is also key for changing mountain weather.
With the gorgeous late summer weather in the valley and the start of hunting season, TCSAR urges backcountry and trail users to prepare thoroughly and have a plan in place. Stevens said there should not be any shame or judgement that comes with calling for help, and he encourages people to call sooner than later, for a variety of reasons. At the end of August, a lost hiker contacted a family member for help, then his cellphone died so dispatch was unable to determine his location. A quick text message sent to 911 early on in an emergency will give first responders a location. And once a location is shared, the person calling for help should remain in the same spot until responders arrive.
“I think that the real take home message, too, is that just because you call for help, rescue is never guaranteed when you want it,” Stevens said. “If it’s the middle of the night and we can’t access it easily, we may opt to come in first thing in the morning. Or if you are in a spot where it’s going to require a helicopter evacuation, well, helicopters are limited to weather and light and overall conditions. And so it’s one of those things, we just want folks to really know what they’re getting into and make good choices.”
