Search and Rescue volunteers make multiple rescues on Presidents Day
TETON COUNTY, Wyoming (KIFI) - Search & Rescue crews in Teton County were kept busy on Presidents Day, responding to three calls for help over 24 hours.
One call was in the middle of the night, and two others came late on Monday as darkness fell, according to a post on the Teton County Search & Rescue (TCSAR) Facebook page. The rescues were made on one of the busiest ski and backcountry winter sports holidays of the year according to Kelly Canyon Ski Resort.
The first call in this latest cycle came at 1:30 in the morning on Monday, February 17.
According to rescue crews, a pair of snowmobilers got stuck on a road near Triangle X Ranch and decided to walk out. One person lost a boot in the deep snow. A small TCSAR team found the stranded couple, providing a sock, a boot, and a free ride out of the backcountry.
The next call arrived at 4:40 p.m. on Monday, according to rescue crews.
A local skier had been caught and injured by an avalanche in the Granite Canyon, outside the JHMR boundary. The avalanche carried her a few hundred feet down the slope and she crashed into a tree, according to Ski Patrol.
Grand Teton National Park rangers coordinated the rescue effort with the Jenny Lake Rangers, JHMR Ski Patrol, and Teton County Search & Rescue. The skier was transported out of the canyon by toboggan and a heli team found a narrow window of weather and daylight to short-haul the injured woman to the base of Teton Village.
"Our team greatly values the partnership with JHMR Ski Patrol and the Jenny Lake Rangers for helping to resolve this incident in a quick and efficient manner," said Teton County Search & Rescue officials.
The third call of the cycle came just minutes after the initial page for the Granite Canyon avalanche, according to TCSAR.
A pair of snowmachiners had become stuck near Baldy Knoll. A team of three TCSAR volunteers departed up the trail on snowmobiles and located the stuck party at 6:40 p.m. The volunteers helped the snowmobilers dig out their sleds and all were able to safely navigate back to the trailhead.
