Search and Rescue
Archive
The data doesn’t lie: middle-aged men are most likely to misjudge their abilities and get in over their heads
The two backcountry climbers never reached the splitboards and skis they stashed to descend the California fourteener
A skier was swept over 1,000 feet down a couloir on Quandary Peak when another party set off a slide above him, violating backcountry protocols
Most backcountry lightning education—including what’s taught by major outdoor organizations—is antiquated. Here’s your overdue expert update.
We dug into the numbers with the Colorado Avalanche Information Center to find out
The crash unfortunately took three lives, including an American IFMGA guide
AspectAvy, a new app developed by a guide, promises to help skiers make more conservative decisions in the backcountry. Some avalanche experts aren’t so sure.
According to a report by the Los Angeles Times and subsequent news sources, California ski accidents are up nearly 50 percent over the past two years
A student from the University of Vermont suffered fatal traumatic injuries after sliding 600 feet down the famed Northeast ski face. Two others suffered serious injuries and required rescue.
A recent SAR communique reams out an incautious adventurer who climbed up the peak amid dangerous conditions and then called for emergency lifesaving
Rescue operations are underway after skiers triggered an avalanche on KT-22 terrain Wednesday morning
A hiker rescued in California last week is the latest to find themselves pinned under a big rock. But they’re far from the first—or the unluckiest—to have a bad encounter with a boulder.
A search dog named Pocket helps bring families hope and closure. She was recently honored by the American Kennel Club for her work.
Search and rescue officials are urging adventurers to carry appropriate gear after an unprepared hiker nearly died on one of the state’s high mountains
The ordeal is a reminder to value your own situational awareness over what Big Tech may tell you about a trail
Deep in the Canadian wilderness, two professional climbers in dire straits triggered a rescue with their cell phone
The climber is in critical condition following gear-ripping fall on pitch four of The Great White Wall
“It is amazing to be above ground again,” the grateful U.S. researcher told reporters from a stretcher on Tuesday, September 12
A 37-hour rescue mission ended on Tuesday after officials in Indonesia located six of the missing seven people. The search continues for an Indonesian sailor who disappeared.
During a particularly difficult mission, the search and rescue volunteer found resolve in her team members
The death is the third snow-related fatality that local search and rescue has responded to over the past three weeks
A group of young hikers used Apple’s Emergency SOS system to trigger a rescue
Kaitlyn Brann, 34, died after being struck on a popular route on May 12
Officials say evidence suggests the men were caught by a flash flood. This is the second double tragedy in the famous slot canyon this year.
Matthew Read, 19, spent two days stranded in the woods
Indian mountaineer Anaug Maloo was stranded in a crevasse for three days, until a team of rescuers overcame improbable odds to save him
Lifesavers in Colorado recently rescued multiple hikers who had lost their footwear on the same slushy trail
A proposed law would require hikers who ignored warning signs or walked on closed trails to reimburse the state for SAR
SAR crews in Oregon discovered the trapped motorist after he used his ingenuity to send an SOS signal
Rescue crews in SoCal are already warning hikers to skip the snowy San Jacinto Mountains
After the enormous earthquake in February, one group of Turkish mountaineers headed east, to help in any way they could
This wild story out of coastal Oregon has it all
Hikers in New Hampshire can already be charged for lifesaving, and a proposed law would punish those who refuse to pay. Editor Adam Roy thinks it’s a terrible and dangerous policy.
Why people keep running into trouble on the highest peak in Los Angeles County
Two stranded hikers survived a night in the wilderness after illicit explosives grounded a helicopter
A new state law boost the budget for lifesaving crews and grants legal protections to volunteer rescuers
A storm rolled into Riverside County on October 22, stranding the duo high on a famed rock climbing route
Meet one of the winners of the 2021 Defender Service Awards—and the rescue vehicle that helps them get the work done
Two days after Nelson went missing on Manaslu, details about the ski mountaineer’s accident are emerging
A mare named Oriana is lucky to be alive after a terrifying tumble down a ravine in Oregon
A group of researchers from University of California at Irvine investigated the link between SAR incidents, park visitation, and Twitter posts. Their conclusions could inform how hikers portray their own adventures—and view those of others—online.
How people get lost (and found) in the outdoors
When Cody Sheehy was six years old, he disappeared into the Oregon wilderness. More than three decades later, he insists the experience gave him an invaluable life lesson.
He was an environmentalist versed in the dangers of our warming world, an expert trail runner, and eminently capable of moving far and fast outside. The heat killed him all the same.
The accident highlights an industry at a crossroads and raises a crucial question: As safety schools boom, who is responsible for making sure the students come home?
While climbing Alaska’s Eagle Peak, Joe Yelverton’s life changed in a single moment. His account of the experience won our inaugural survival-stories essay contest.
What it feels like to rescue a surfer from the massive winter waves that crash into the Hawaiian island
A fatal avalanche near Hoosier Pass, Colorado, is a reminder that dangerous slides can occur on gentle terrain
The ‘Row of Life’ drifted for nearly 4,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean until, one day, it washed ashore
Hikers rescue stranded dog on Pico de Orizaba, Mikaela Shiffrin ties World Cup wins record, New Zealand MP bikes to childbirth
California rescue aided by drone, Mikaela Shiffrin chases ski record, and turkey trot Strava art
Climber charged for Denali SOS call, woman is youngest to run 100 marathons, Bearsun takes Manhattan
Another reminder that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet—especially when your life’s at stake
If you get lost or injured in the woods these days, aid might come from above—in the form of small-propeller drones that are revolutionizing SAR and saving lives
The remarkable survival story of Claire Nelson, whose solo hike in the desert turned into a desperate fight for her life
What it takes to be a part of the rescue team on one of the world’s most dangerous mountains
Need to add knot-tying skills to your life but don’t know where to start? Follow along with professional tree climber Waldo Etherington.
What should do you if an avalanche strikes? Pro skiers Chris Rubens and Greg Hill discuss basic scenarios and rescue techniques.
Skiers are claiming that there are issues with Pieps DSP backcountry safety devices
What to do when you're on an outdoor adventure and disaster strikes
A slab of snow fell and trapped her in a streambed in a place where few skiers dared to go
In Oregon's Clackamas County, a fight between a sheriff and an elite search and rescue unit reveals how local politics can collide with recreational safety for residents and visitors alike
One person was killed and another seriously injured at Alpine Meadows in California
With Americans surging onto public lands like never before, search and rescue operations are becoming overwhelmed—and help is not on the way
After losing the trail and his shoes, hiker Nick Noland descended 4.5 miles in 16-degree weather
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort created this video to celebrate the women of its ski-patrol team
How witnessing a bad fall changed my perspective on climbing
When the climber took a fall, Alex Honnold caught her with his bare hands
What could have been a fatal fall is just a stepping stone on Harrington's path to become the first woman to free climb one of El Cap's hardest routes in a day
Two years after he was saved in a remote canyon, our host talks with one of his rescuers about coping with life-altering trauma
What happens when you find yourself on El Cap with a badly injured partner? Former Yosemite Search and Rescue (YOSAR) worker Josie McKee and climber Quinn Brett found out.
It took an epic effort to get him out. Two years later, the healing for him and his rescuers continues.
The gear and the skills you need to get home safely
In April, alpinists David Lama, Jess Roskelley, and Hansjörg Auer went silent during a harrowing expedition in Canada. The climbing community mobilized, first for a search and then for a memorial. In the wake of the tragedy, writer Nick Heil examines the motives of cutting-edge climbers and wonders: How close should we stand to our own mortality to feel alive?
Five days after an ad hoc army of volunteer searchers rescued hiker Amanda Eller, the yoga teacher missing for 17 days on Maui, the same crew located missing person Noah "Kekai" Mina just 20 miles away. This time, the ending was not so happy.
The bodies of Daniele Nardi and Tom Ballard have been located after 14 days of searching
For some climbing rangers in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, every ridgeline holds the memory of a rescue, every peak a body bag. It's more than they can handle alone.
For years, three old friends from California had been making an annual pilgrimage to fish Alaska's wild and pristine waterways. But in 2018, only two came home.