JACKSON, Wyo. — The Teton County Search & Rescue (TCSAR) Foundation announced that the 77th Annual International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR), which is considered the preeminent mountain search and rescue conference, will be held in Jackson from Oct. 7 to Oct. 12.
TCSAR expects approximately 700 people from alpine areas around the world to attend the weeklong conference and training session, “making it the most international event in Jackson’s history,” per the Foundation.
TCSAR will be the official host of this year’s festivities, marking the first time that an individual search and rescue team will host the conference in the U.S. This will be the second time that the conference has been held in the U.S.; it was held in Lake Tahoe in 2014. Founded in 1946, ICAR began with only 11 member organizations from five alpine countries, expanding today to 123 member organizations from more than 40 countries.
According to the TCSAR Foundation, ICAR holds its annual congress every year at a new location to foster learning, advanced search and rescue training and networking among global teams. The goals of ICAR are to set international standards; promote the exchange of ideas and growth in mountain rescue; and support innovation in rescue gear, avalanche safety, helicopter operations and emergency medicine.
This year’s event will spotlight the essential service team of TCSAR’s first responders, per the Foundation. During the conference, attending rescuers will be shuttled up the tram at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and then will hike down to the top of the Bridger Gondola to go through different training scenarios.
“While most of the 120-plus ICAR member organizations are made up of professional rescuers, TCSAR represents the volunteer spirit that proudly helms most search and rescue teams in the U.S,” the TCSAR Foundation wrote via press release. “By bringing the two models together for a week of practical training, presentations, networking and celebrations, ICAR Jackson Hole will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe how mountain standards are set.”
The following ICAR activities will be free and open to the public:
- Helicopter Demo: Thursday, Oct. 9, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Five helicopters will be on display at the Snow King Ballfield, including an Airbus H145, Bell 407, Colorado National Guard Hoist Aircraft Lakota, Wyoming National Guard Hoist Aircraft Blackhawk and the TCSAR H125.
- Jackson Hole Heritage Night: Friday, Oct. 10, from 5 to 8 p.m. At the Teton County Fairgrounds, local businesses, nonprofits, artists and food trucks will create a vendor village next to a special Jackson Hole Rodeo. The free evening will celebrate food, art, Western heritage and mountain rescue. Performances from the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative will also take place from 6 to 7 p.m.
According to TCSAR, the rise in tourism has led to increased backcountry rescues, placing even more importance on continued training for mountain search and rescue teams.
