JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search & Rescue (TCSAR) released the Midseason Review and Rescue Report, which details the past six months of rescues, from Dec. 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024.
According to the report, TCSAR volunteers responded to 37 calls for help, 25 of which used the new helicopter. Twenty-four of the calls were from skiers/snowboarders.
According to the report, since its delivery in October 2023, the TCSAR helicopter has flown on 27 missions, totaling 34.9 hours. Eight of those missions were for lift-serviced backcountry users and included 17 rescues for skiers/snowboarders, six snowmobilers, three hikers, a speed flyer and a hunter. This will be the first summer TCSAR has access to a helicopter. Prior to raising $7.25 million to buy the H125 helicopter, TCSAR contracted a helicopter from Oct. 1 through May 31.
The helicopter was used on 14 outside agency assists, which include Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park and out-of-county rescues, assisting search and rescue agencies in Sublette and Lincoln Counties in Wyoming and Teton County, Idaho. TCSAR also works with Jenny Lake Rangers, Jackson Hole Ski Patrol and Grand Targhee Ski Patrol to train with the helicopter.
“Although the ship has only been here a short time, it took years of planning to design what we feel is the perfect tool for the type of operations we perform,” TCSAR Chief Pilot Steve Wilson said in the report. “There are many added safety and performance features that help increase situational awareness for pilot and crew. Along with a strong culture of safety, these upgrades will ideally create longevity in our program and ultimately impact more lives.”
The report includes detailed incident summaries on each rescue in the past six months, in an effort to “provide lessons learned and help everyone be aware and mindful of the importance of decision-making and preparedness in the backcountry.”
Skiers/snowboarders and snowmobilers continue to be the most frequently rescued group, the report states, totaling 24 and 14 calls for help respectively. Patient demographics found that 46% of rescues involved females, and 54% involved males, with 10 patients being 16 to 30 years old, six patients 31 to 45 years old, six patients 46 to 60 years old and four patients over 60 years old.
The most rescues were made in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry with 11, followed by eight in the Togwotee Pass area and six each in both Grand Teton National Park and on Teton Pass.
Compared to previous years, calls for help this past winter were within a “normal year range” and well below the 2023 peak. April was busier than average with seven call-outs, with three being medical responses and three being out-of-county operations.
While the report runs through May, TCSAR has noted in a recent incident report that the agency is off to a busy summer, having received eight calls in June.
TCSAR, formed in 1993, currently has 39 volunteers who dedicated more than 5,200 hours to SAR-related activities in the past six months, including training, community events and rescues.
