JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) had 50 rescues involving 74 patients between Dec. 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, according to the recently released Midyear Rescue Report.
“Winter rescues for TCSAR have always been correlated with weather—the more storms we get, the more rescues we have,” wrote Cody Lockhart, TCSAR chief advisor.
Lockhart noted the record snow levels from this past winter and that winter rescues are generally more challenging due to the conditions. TCSAR reported 20 rescues in February and 19 rescues in March.
The rescue report details incident summaries starting with the first rescue of the 2022/2023 winter season on Dec. 16, 2022. TCSAR notes that the intention behind sharing the incident reports “is not to cast shame or judgment on anyone who needs help,” but to “provide lessons learned and help everyone be aware and mindful of the importance of decision-making and preparedness in the backcountry.”
According to the Midyear Report, 42% of rescues involved lift-access backcountry skiing and snowboarding, 28% involved snowmobiling, 14% involved backcountry skiing and 8% of the calls were false activations. In the past 10 years, 56% of all TCSAR rescues have involved backcountry skiers/snowboarders and 37% have involved snowmobilers. The remaining 7% is categorized as “other.”
TCSAR volunteers have already logged 3,360 hours for rescues and 3,431 hours of training from Dec. 1, 2022, to May 31.
In 2023 the organization is celebrating 30 years of search and rescue service. The original class, formed in 1993, included 30 volunteers.
The full report is available here.
