JACKSON, Wyo. — Teton County Search and Rescue (TCSAR) has released its End-of-Year Rescue Report, which highlights 2023 as one of the most eventful in the organization’s 30-year history.
According to TCSAR, 2023 marked the third-highest rescue call volume, the acquisition of a full-time rescue helicopter, the launch of its own aviation program, its first new logo in 30 years, the celebration of its 30-year anniversary and the new addition of TCSAR Foundation Executive Director Keegan Young.
Matt Hansen, TCSAR Communications Director, told Buckrail via email that the new aviation program is a huge lift for the pilot and volunteers, providing the organization with a fuel truck, a maintenance program and other helicopter infrastructure installed at the hangar.
The report is published twice a year by the TCSAR Foundation, and documents that 39 volunteers donated 11,589 hours back to the community on SAR-related activities. This includes 5,307 hours on rescues, 5,779 hours on training and 503 hours on community events and backcountry safety education.
“Our core function is to provide Search and Rescue services to those in need in the Jackson Hole backcountry,” TCSAR Chief Advisor Cody Lockhart wrote in the report. “We accomplish this by working as a team. This is a job we all take seriously and are proud to do. A lot has changed in a generation, but the core values set by our founders remain the same: service to the community, commitment to Team and the tireless pursuit to be rescue ready.”
The report provides incident summaries for all the rescue calls between June 1 to Nov. 30. Key findings from the 2023 End-of-Year Rescue Report include:
- From Dec. 1, 2022 to Nov. 30, 2023, TCSAR received 112 calls for service. This is below the records set in 2022 and 2021, which saw 136 calls and 126, respectively.
- From June 1 to Nov. 30, the most rescue calls came from hikers (17) and mountain bikers (8). There were no backcountry fatalities in TCSAR’s service area in that six-month period.
- Men continue to outpace women as rescue patients, with males accounting for 64 percent of rescuees for the last six months.
- 27 percent of rescues were for those between the ages of 16 to 30, the highest percentage by age group.
- The most common areas for rescue calls during 2023 were from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry, Togwotee Pass, Teton Pass and on the west side of the Tetons in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.
According to TCSAR, rescue reports are intended to provide lessons learned, raise backcountry safety awareness and highlight the essential service provided by TCSAR volunteers and its partners. The reports are free and can be picked up at a number of businesses throughout Teton County, or viewed online at TetonCountySAR.org. To print a copy, send a request to info@tetoncountysar.org.
