Resilience is like a whitebark pine tree: When life tries to beat you down, you stand up strong in the face of adversity.

 So what does that mean for those of us who like to go into the mountains?

In this episode of The Fine Line, we step aside from our stories of rescues to have a conversation about resilience and the importance of mental health as a backcountry safety issue.

Our guests for this show are:

Josie McKee is a professional climber, mental health coach for climbers, a volunteer with Lander Search & Rescue, and the director of communications and operations for the Responder Alliance.

Hunter Lee is a mental health coach and founder of Flourish JH.

They sit down with host Matt Hansen to explain why resilience matters to mountain athletes and how backcountry users can be aware of how stress may impact their decision-making.

The Fine Line theme song is by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music provided by Ben Winship. Original artwork by Jen Reddy Ink. Editing and sound by Melinda Binks. This interview was recorded in the studios of KHOL 89.1 FM.

This episode is sponsored by https://arcteryx.com.

For more on resilience and stress injuries, go to www.ResponderAlliance.com.

To find Hunter Lee, go to www.FlourishJH.com.

The most famous North Face in the United States... a terrible accident... a daring helicopter rescue... and some important lessons learned about risk and what it means to move on from chasing your dream.

In this next episode of The Fine Line, climber Jim Dahle explains how a fall on the North Face of the Grand Teton left him unconscious, with severe head, neck, and facial trauma. His partner, Christian Feinhauer, was left to treat his longtime friend and call for help from the Jenny Lake Rangers.

Ken Kreis, a year-round Jenny Lake Ranger, discusses how the rescue unfolded into a helicopter mission, where the blades of the ship were just feet from the cliff face. The pilot that day was Jon Bourke, from Teton County Search & Rescue, underscoring the critical partnership between TCSAR and the Jenny Lake Rangers.

As Dahle says, “Not all heroes were capes. Some of them wear harnesses.”

You can learn more about the Jenny Lake Rangers and how you can support them at www.gtnpf.org/jenny-lake-rangers.

Story and interview by Matt Hansen. Editing and sound by Melinda Binks. This story was recorded in the studios of KHOL 89.1 FM. Original artwork by Jen Reddy Ink.

The Fine Line theme song is by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music provided by Ben Winship.

This episode is sponsored by RoadhouseBrewery.com.

When climber Dave Black got a new lease on life after receiving a revolutionary treatment for Parkinson’s, he wanted to once again stand on the summit of the Grand Teton. A lifelong climber with 15-20 ascents on the Grand, he invited two younger climbers to join him for a push up the Exum Ridge on July 16, 2024.

The events that occurred that day revealed several complex layers of high consequence adventure: decision-making, preparedness, person-to-person conflict, and the effect of a disease like Parkinson’s.

In this episode, Dave is joined by Lexie Hunsaker, a seasonal Jenny Lake Climbing Ranger at Grand Teton National Park, who was inserted via helicopter short-haul—at about 12,800 feet up—to assist in the response.

You can learn more about the Jenny Lake Rangers and how you can support them at www.gtnpf.org/jenny-lake-rangers.

This interview is by Matt Hansen. Editing and sound are by Melinda Binks. This story was recorded in the studios of KHOL 89.1 FM.

The Fine Line theme song is by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music provided by Ben Winship. Original artwork by Jen Reddy Ink.

Huge thanks Arcteryx.com for sponsoring this episode.

Season 9 of The Fine Line begins. In this premiere episode, we go deep into a backcountry skiing accident that occurred on May 18, 2024.
Mark Fellermann and Tanner Flanagan recount how a picture-perfect spring day turned into a near-death experience after an accident in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry.
Meanwhile, Teton County Search & Rescue volunteer Brook Yeomans explains how this rescue went to the heart of why he wanted to become a volunteer in the first place.

This episode covers the importance of being familiar with your gear, the special bond between ski partners, and how mental health can play a significant role in backcountry accidents.

“Ride the Tram, Ski the ‘Shoe” is the first of six episodes in Season 9. This story was recorded in the studios of KHOL 89.1 FM. Editing and sound are by Melinda Binks. Hosted and produced by Matt Hansen from the Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation.

The Fine Line theme song is by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music provided by Ben Winship. The original cover art is by Jen Reddy.

This episode of The Fine Line is sponsored by Roadhousebrewery.com. Learn more about The Fine Line and additional risk mitigation programming at BackcountryZero.com.

A new season of The Fine Line drops on May 29. Join Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation and Backcountry Zero as we bring you honest conversations about how accidents happen in the backcountry, and how first responders solve complex problems to get people home safely.

In the first of six episodes, Season 9 begins with a story about a backcountry ski accident outside the boundary of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Then, we dive into two separate climbing accidents on the Grand Teton, an all-night rescue of an injured hunter deep in grizzly country, a candid conversation about how mental health is a backcountry safety issue, and a ‘slam dunk’ snowmobile rescue that turned into an epic all-nighter for Teton County Search & Rescue.

The Fine Line features music from former longtime Jackson residents Anne and Pete Sibley, Victor, Idaho-based musician Ben Winship, and original cover art by Jen Reddy. The show’s editing and sound are by Melinda Binks. Matt Hansen is the host and producer.

Season 9 of The Fine Line is sponsored by Roadhouse Brewing Co. and by Arc’teryx. The show can be heard every Thursday at 2 p.m. on KHOL 89.1 FM in Jackson, Wyo., and downloaded for free wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more at BackcountryZero.com.

Season 8 of The Fine Line concludes with a wild story that demonstrates how there will always be people who go right up to the edge in the Tetons, and venture beyond it despite the risks.

The story includes the keen perspectives of Teton County Search & Rescue volunteer Anthony Stevens and TCSAR Chief Pilot Steve Wilson, and how they rescued local snowboarder Sasha Motivala after a traumatic accident on No Name Peak back in April.

Please tune in for this thought-provoking conversation about risk tolerance, decision-making, and the lifesaving skillsets of Teton County Search & Rescue.

Produced by Backcountry Zero, Season 8 of The Fine Line is presented by Stio, with support from Roadhouse Brewing Co., Arc'teryx and KHOL.

Editing for The Fine Line is by Melinda Binks, with original artwork by Jen Reddy. The theme song is by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music produced by Ben Winship. Interview and storytelling by Matt Hansen.

Thank you so much for listening to The Fine Line. If you like what you hear, please leave us a review and share it with a friend.

Mount Glory is well known among backcountry skiers and snowboarders. But as a summer hiking trail?

Not quite the same draw.

And yet, for Lou and Kathy Fatkin, it made for the ideal location when they set out for a hike up the steep, dusty trail on July 16, 2023. Their story about the consequences of that day, despite the hardship, lends inspiration for experiencing some of our country's most treasured landscapes.

TCSAR volunteer Anna DiSanto joins in the conversation about the team’s response: a good old-fashioned boots on the ground gruntfest during one of the hottest days of the year.

Interview by Matt Hansen. Editing and sound by Melinda Binks. This story was recorded in the studios of KHOL 89.1 FM.

The Fine Line theme song is by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music provided by Ben Winship. Original artwork by Jen Reddy Ink.

This episode of The Fine Line is presented by www.stio.com, with additional support from https://roadhousebrewery.com and https://891khol.org.

There are a million and one ways for people to get into trouble in the backcountry. And it is unfair to assume that everyone is being reckless. Sometimes, they just get their foot stuck.

In this episode of The Fine Line, Teton County Search & Rescue volunteer Doug Van Houten takes us back to an incident from 2018 when the SAR team had to pull out all the stops in order to help a Nordic skier get out of a jam, literally.

Interview by Matt Hansen. Editing and sound by Melinda Binks. This story was recorded in the studios of KHOL 89.1 FM.

The Fine Line theme song is by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music written and produced by Ben Winship. The original cover art is by Jen Reddy.

This episode of The Fine Line is presented by Stio, with additional support from Arc’teryx and KHOL.

Season 8 of The Fine Line rolls onward with a story about a mountain bike crash with potentially serious consequences on a trail near Teton Pass, Wyoming. The episode dives into the effectiveness of the BackcountrySOS app, and how Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers responded with delicate treatment of potentially life-altering injuries.

Thanks to Rick Gordon and Dr. Tobin Dennis for sharing their experiences so the rest of us can learn—right as mountain bike season ramps up across the Mountain West. To hear another episode about misadventures on this same log bridge, check out "Night Rescue in Phillips Canyon" from Season 5.

Season 8 of The Fine Line is presented by Stio, with support from Arc’teryx and KHOL. The original cover art is by Jen Reddy. The Fine Line’s theme song is by Anne & Pete Sibley, with additional music produced by Ben Winship. The Fine Line is produced and hosted by Matt Hansen, with editing and sound by Melinda Binks.

Learn more about The Fine Line at BackcountryZero.com.

Teton County Search & Rescue volunteer Carol Viau, one of the longest tenured members on the team, shares this memorable story from her very first rescue. It was October 26, 2000, a time before cell phones were ubiquitous, and when most callouts for TCSAR required good old-fashioned boots on the ground.

"A Whistle in the Dark" reveals how and why someone is drawn to be a first responder, how intuition and basic skills can be invaluable during a cold, dark search, and how gentle conversations with a person in need can help us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.

Produced by Backcountry Zero, The Fine Line is presented by Stio, with additional support from Roadhouse Brewing Co. and KHOL 89.1 FM in Jackson.

This episode was produced by Matt Hansen. Editing and sound by Melinda Binks. The story was recorded in the studios of KHOL 89.1 FM.

The Fine Line theme song is by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music provided by Ben Winship. Original artwork by Jen Reddy Ink.