The Fine Line

By Backcountry Zero

What's The Fine Line about?

The Fine Line is a podcast that tells real stories of adventure, risk and rescue in the backcountry of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The podcast is produced by Backcountry Zero, a vision of the Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation to reduce fatalities in the backcountry.

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The Fine Line episodes:

04.18.2024
54. Big Little Decisions: The Long, Weary Road to Mosquito Lake
Two bikepackers embark on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, a 2,700-mile journey that traverses the Rockies from the Mexico border all the way to Canada. During their trip, a seemingly little decision comes back to haunt them in a...
03.21.2024
53. No Fall Zone: Central Couloir
Season 8 of The Fine Line begins with a story from one of the most recognizable features of the southern Teton range, and a ski line that makes even the bravest skiers buckle their boots a little bit tighter: Cody...
08.24.2023
52. Classic Rock: A Little Piece of Orange Grip
There aren’t many mountain bike trails in Jackson Hole as classic as the one called Ferrin’s. Built in 2005, the trail is one of the most popular in Jackson due to its challenging terrain, proximity to town, and linkage to...
08.10.2023
51. Decision Point: No Guarantees for Tomorrow
On March 29, 2023, skier Dave Brown felt a sudden onset of extreme fatigue that was entirely new to him, and terribly serious. At 67 years old, the former ski patroller had never had any previous medical issues. But during...
07.27.2023
50. Cornice Fall: Heli Rescue in the Salt River Range
How far back is far enough from the edge of a cornice? 10 feet, 20 feet, 30? On March 5, 2023, Jordan Bluse found out the hard way. He was riding his snowmobile with a group of friends in the...
06.15.2023
49. Pedal Strike: Short-haul Behind Snow King
On July 13, 2022, three friends went out for a mountain bike ride on a trail they'd done too many times to count: the classic Ferrins-West Game-Cache Creek loop just outside of Jackson, Wyo. But the ride gets cut short...
05.18.2023
48. Nowhere to Hide: Avalanche on Albright Peak
When skier Benton Hodges heard trees snapping and saw a huge powder cloud below him from an avalanche on Albright Peak in Grand Teton National Park, he thought he’d be in a life-or-death struggle to recover his buried friend. Instead,...
04.27.2023
47. Angel Fire: Broke Down in Hidden Corral
On June 25, 2022, Terri Evenson and Brit West drove a truck and horse trailer way out into a little known corner of the Tetons. The Coyote Meadows trailhead is in Teton County, Wyoming, but it's at least a two-hour...
06.30.2022
46. Open Fracture on Open Book
When climbers Lars Schou and Sahir Enriquez joined up to climb the Open Book in Grand Teton National Park on July 25, 2021, they were confident it would be a beautiful “Sunday cruise” in the mountains. On the third pitch, however,...
05.26.2022
45. A Lot More Than a Chipped Tooth on Togwotee
When the emergency call came in to TCSAR on February 6, 2022, the report said that the patient had crashed on his snowmobile and could not feel his arms or legs. In this episode, TCSAR volunteers Dr. AJ Wheeler and Ryan...
04.21.2022
44. Chivers Ridge: So Close, but So Far
Just one ridge to the south from the top of Teton Pass, Wyo., Chivers Ridge is known as a popular backcountry ski run for its ease of access. But it also features steep drop-offs on either side, as well as...
03.17.2022
43. A Life-Threatening Encounter with Anaphylaxis
While many Jackson Hole locals flocked to the Tetons for a day of powder skiing on February 15, 2020, Teton County Search & Rescue volunteers loaded up their heavy packs for routine training on Snow King Mountain. But the training session...
02.25.2022
42. The Sliver Couloir: The Downfall of Miscommunication
The consequences of not communicating in the mountains became abundantly clear on January 22, 2022, when skiers Collin Binko and Michael Martin encountered a lone snowboarder at the base of the Sliver Couloir in Grand Teton National Park. All three...
10.01.2021
41. Peer Support: Stress Injuries and First Responders
Most of us are pretty good at talking about our physical injuries. A broken wrist on a bike ride. A blown ACL while skiing. When it comes to stress injuries and mental health, however, it’s easy to want to pretend...
08.20.2021
40. Texas Two Step: We Bounce Pretty Good
People and horses have a long shared history in Jackson Hole. But not everyone rides off into the sunset. Example: On September 12, 2020, Teton County Search & Rescue was alerted to two women, sisters from Texas, who had been...
05.28.2021
39. The Ray Shriver Story, Part 2
In Part 2 of "The Ray Shriver Story," Mike Moyer discusses how he survived the tragic helicopter crash that killed his TCSAR teammate, Ray Shriver. Carol Viau, another TCSAR volunteer, talks about how she was first on the scene, while...
05.13.2021
38. The Ray Shriver Story, Part 1
On February 15, 2012, Teton County Search and Rescue received an emergency call to help an injured snowmobiler in the Togwotee area, about 60 miles northeast of Jackson, Wyoming. The response started like many others, with the team gathering at...
03.25.2021
37. Youth in the Backcountry
How does a young person gain access to the backcountry? How do they do it safely? What happens when their Instagram feed is taken over by high flying stunts instead of avalanche awareness? How do they navigate not just the...
02.11.2021
36. Avalanche on Taylor Mountain, Part 2
It’s human nature for all of us to want to prove ourselves. But in backcountry skiing, where margins for error in avalanche terrain can be razor thin, this can be a dangerous path—for experts, beginners, and everyone in between. Concluding...
01.29.2021
35. Avalanche on Taylor Mountain, Part 1
On April 1, 2020, Anna Meteyer met her friend Trace Carrillo for a backcountry snowboard tour on Taylor Mountain, a large peak on the west side of Teton Pass, Wyoming. In this two-part series of The Fine Line, Meteyer describes...
12.24.2020
34. Part 2: Crevasse Rescue on the Teton Glacier
In Part 2 of our story about a crevasse rescue on the Teton Glacier, Jenny Lake Climbing Ranger Mike Shain helps Tyler Willis get off the mountain to medical treatment, and they discuss the lessons that every climber in the...
12.18.2020
33. Part 1: Crevasse Rescue on the Teton Glacier
Thirty feet down a dark, icy crevasse, Tyler Willis never gave up hope that he would be rescued. That he was eventually pulled from the depths of the Teton Glacier by his climbing partner and two passersby after more than...
11.06.2020
32. Night Rescue in Phillips Canyon
Season 5 of The Fine Line begins: On the calm evening of September 5, two mountain bikers set off to ride the technical Phillips Canyon trail off Teton Pass. About halfway into the ride, they approached the second of three...
05.28.2020
31. A Powder Day comes Crashing Down
Four Pines is one of the most popular ski descents in the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort backcountry. And yet, when something goes horribly wrong, as it did for Tom Gehling on the snowy afternoon of February 5, 2019, it can...
04.28.2020
30. Grizzly Attack at Pacific Creek, Part 3
In Chapter 3, James Moore talks with rescuer Lizzie Watson, his wife, Betsy, and brother, Jake Peasley, about his rescue, recovery and even some unexpected moments of humor as rescuers rushed him to safety. Photo: TCSAR team member Lizzie Watson was...
04.21.2020
29. Grizzly Attack at Pacific Creek, Part 2
In Chapter 2, James Moore and his brother, Jake Peasley, describe the intensity of the grizzly attack, and their hasty retreat from the wilderness via horseback to get to help. Photo: TCSAR team member Lizzie Watson was medical lead in...
04.13.2020
28. Grizzly Attack at Pacific Creek, Part 1
James Moore had experience hunting in grizzly country. And if the Teton Wilderness is anything, it's full of grizzly bears. Moore struck out for the Whetstone Mountain area with his brother, Jake Peasley, and good friend Brent Bongers. It didn't...
02.24.2020
27. All Friends on a Powder Day
On Jan. 18, 2019, Jackson skier Jenny Karns fell upside down into a terrain trap during a powder day at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. With her ski partner well ahead and unaware, she became trapped, with just one ski sticking...
01.22.2020
26. Breaking Point in the Spoon Couloir, Encore Episode
The wind. It’s a dangerous variable, stripping snow from one zone and then loading up another. Even when danger is moderate and a ski route, well known, wind can be a wild card. With a heavy dose of wind in...
12.16.2019
25. Rescue on the Reef
On February 20, 2018, IFMGA-certified mountain guide Paul Rachele was trying to set up a winter climbing route on a sharp crag off Teton Pass called The Reef. As he was setting the final anchor, he ran out of rope...
09.23.2019
24. The Search for Bernhard Rietmann
Bernhard Rietmann had a great sense of wanderlust. His drive for adventure landed him in Jackson Hole in the 1960s. Back when tourists only came in summer and innkeepers routinely hung up a gone fishing sign after Labor Day. After...
08.19.2019
23. Struck by Lightning on the Grand Teton
The forecast looked promising the day before. But when climbers set out to summit the Grand Teton on July 21, 2010, a thunderstorm blasted the iconic peak. As repeated lightning strikes pinned climbers to steep, exposed terrain, rangers suddenly found...
06.07.2019
22. Trapped Underground
Spencer and Jessica Christiansen knew once they rappelled into the Darby Canyon Ice Cave they couldn't turn back. Spencer had done what he could to research the route, but the maze-like caves are mostly unmapped and ever changing. As clues...
04.17.2019
21. Once Is Enough
An experienced athlete, Sally Franklyn started skiing with her parents before she could even walk. On March 24, 2012, she and three friends headed for a steep couloir called Once is Enough south of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort boundary. When...
03.14.2019
20. Lost in a Whiteout
After taking a wrong turn on his snowboard in a whiteout, Pierre Bergman ended up stranded and alone in the backcountry. The 26-year-old works at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort where he skis everyday, but even experienced skiers can lose their...
01.02.2019
19. Dogleg Couloir: A lesson on choosing ski partners
Greg Epstein cut his teeth skiing the backcountry of Jackson Hole. Along with friends, he had explored every nook and cranny of Granite Canyon just outside resort boundaries in Grand Teton National Park. As part of his job at Teton...
10.25.2018
18. Gothic Couloir: Blinded by desire
As avalanche season approaches, here's a re-play of our most popular episode ever. When you move to Jackson in your 20’s, you can suddenly find yourself thrust into an extreme playground where the stakes are literally life and death. Accomplished ski...
10.09.2018
17. Lost Hunter
In October of 2012, Jackson architect Paul Duncker met up with friends for a fall hunt in the heart of the Gros Ventre mountains. When Paul didn't return to hunting camp that night, his friends called search and rescue. Early the...
08.23.2018
16. Buffalo Fork River Rescue
Chuck and Brenda Markham were vacationing with friends when they decided to kayak the Buffalo Fork River. The most experienced kayaker in the group, Steve Fretz, took the lead. What they didn’t know that day was that the river was...
06.13.2018
15. Rock Slide in the Tetons
In August of 2017, Will Grenier, his younger sister Cassie and their friend Erin Gibbs were headed up the Middle Teton. They were all experienced hikers. At the time, 24 year old Cassie worked as a recreational therapist and her...
03.21.2018
14. Lost Snowmobilers: Stranded Overnight on Togwotee Pass
Caty Harris loves being outdoors and that's how she wanted to spend her birthday. So she and her boyfriend, BJ Appell rented snowmobiles to explore the trails around Togwotee Pass. Although they followed the map, they took a turn onto...
02.15.2018
13. Gothic Couloir: Blinded by Desire
When you move to Jackson in your 20’s, you can suddenly find yourself thrust into an extreme playground where the stakes are literally life and death. Accomplished ski racers Jim Ryan and Connor Nolan had the skills to tackle some...
12.19.2017
12. Surviving the Widowmaker
A Jackson resident with a long history of rescuing others suddenly finds himself at the mercy of a community of strangers on Teton Pass in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Once the head of the Himalayan Rescue Association in Nepal, Dr. David...
08.03.2017
11. Hiking Blind Date Turns Into High-Stakes Rescue
What happens when a hiking blind date turns into a rescue and the person at your side is someone you just met? Grand Teton National Park employee, Millie Jimenez, recalls how she was hiking on her day off with a...
06.28.2017
10. Dangers of Descending Dissapointment Peak
On a Sunday in late June in Grand Teton National Park, rescue rangers started fielding multiple calls. The first call came at 5:55 p.m. An exhausted hiker was stuck on a steep snowy slope in Upper Granite Canyon. Just 35...
05.23.2017
9. Marsh Creek Tests Swiftwater Savvy
In this episode, two Jackson Hole boaters recall an epic spring when big water lured them to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho. With the traditional boat launch closed, they put in at Marsh Creek, a tributary...
05.03.2017
8. A Maverick Heli Rescue
An ideal ski day on March 3, 2017, turns into an epic rescue and stunning revival on Maverick Peak in Grand Teton National Park.
03.09.2017
7. Breaking Point in the Spoon
Rene Etter-Garrette had been living in Jackson Hole for six winters. He'd found mentors willing to share their backcountry knowledge and skied challenging lines in Grand Teton National Park. On Feb. 4, 2016, Rene and two friends decided to ski...
01.12.2017
6. The Black Hole
Backcountry skiers call the Mosquito Creek Drainage, "The Black Hole." It's a place where the terrain looks disarmingly similar, luring skiers downslope, away from Teton Pass, until it's too late and you're at the bottom. It's an easy mistake to...
12.06.2016
5. Few Clues Lead Search for Missing Sisters
It's a parent's worst fear. Your children, all three of them, vanish in the wilderness. In 2015, three sisters, Megan, Erin and Kelsi Andrews-Sharer, embarked on what started out as a dream backpacking trip into the Gros Ventre Wilderness. This...

What's The Fine Line about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Fine Line episodes:

54. Big Little Decisions: The Long, Weary Road to Mosquito Lake

53. No Fall Zone: Central Couloir

52. Classic Rock: A Little Piece of Orange Grip

51. Decision Point: No Guarantees for Tomorrow

50. Cornice Fall: Heli Rescue in the Salt River Range

49. Pedal Strike: Short-haul Behind Snow King

48. Nowhere to Hide: Avalanche on Albright Peak

47. Angel Fire: Broke Down in Hidden Corral

46. Open Fracture on Open Book

45. A Lot More Than a Chipped Tooth on Togwotee

44. Chivers Ridge: So Close, but So Far

43. A Life-Threatening Encounter with Anaphylaxis

42. The Sliver Couloir: The Downfall of Miscommunication

41. Peer Support: Stress Injuries and First Responders

40. Texas Two Step: We Bounce Pretty Good

39. The Ray Shriver Story, Part 2

38. The Ray Shriver Story, Part 1

37. Youth in the Backcountry

36. Avalanche on Taylor Mountain, Part 2

35. Avalanche on Taylor Mountain, Part 1

34. Part 2: Crevasse Rescue on the Teton Glacier

33. Part 1: Crevasse Rescue on the Teton Glacier

32. Night Rescue in Phillips Canyon

31. A Powder Day comes Crashing Down

30. Grizzly Attack at Pacific Creek, Part 3

29. Grizzly Attack at Pacific Creek, Part 2

28. Grizzly Attack at Pacific Creek, Part 1

27. All Friends on a Powder Day

26. Breaking Point in the Spoon Couloir, Encore Episode

25. Rescue on the Reef

24. The Search for Bernhard Rietmann

23. Struck by Lightning on the Grand Teton

22. Trapped Underground

21. Once Is Enough

20. Lost in a Whiteout

19. Dogleg Couloir: A lesson on choosing ski partners

18. Gothic Couloir: Blinded by desire

17. Lost Hunter

16. Buffalo Fork River Rescue

15. Rock Slide in the Tetons

14. Lost Snowmobilers: Stranded Overnight on Togwotee Pass

13. Gothic Couloir: Blinded by Desire

12. Surviving the Widowmaker

11. Hiking Blind Date Turns Into High-Stakes Rescue

10. Dangers of Descending Dissapointment Peak

9. Marsh Creek Tests Swiftwater Savvy

8. A Maverick Heli Rescue

7. Breaking Point in the Spoon

6. The Black Hole

5. Few Clues Lead Search for Missing Sisters