October 28, 2025: Missing Hunter on Lynx Pass

Shortly after midnight, RCSAR was paged regarding a missing hunter in the Lynx Pass area. The missing hunter’s friend was unsure of where the parties had entered the backcountry or where they split up and reported that the missing hunter’s cell phone had been left in the parties’ truck. Early the following morning, one of RCSAR’s Incident Commanders met with the reporting party to gather additional information and identify the location where the missing hunter was last seen. While additional team members mobilized to the scene, the IC and a Routt County Sheriff's Office (RCSO) deputy drove a county road along the edge of the search area. They located the missing hunter on the road, reunited him with his friend at their campsite, and all SAR members stood down.

November 17, 2025: Stranded Hunters in California Park

RCSAR was paged to assist two hunters whose vehicle became stuck in snow and mud in the California Park area. County Road 80 is not maintained in the winter, but unseasonably warm and dry conditions enabled the hunters to access the area with a truck and trailer. Unfortunately, an early season storm dropped several inches of snow and their vehicle became stuck in the mud. Given the late time of day, no tow companies were available to assist. A team of three RCSAR team members took the team’s UTV out to pick up the hunters. The team then dropped them off at a local hotel. A local tow service assisted them with the vehicle the following day.

December 26, 2025: Injured Snowmobiler on Rabbit Ears Pass

RCSAR was paged to assist an injured snowmobiler on Rabbit Ears Pass. Routt, Grand, and Jackson counties all converge on Rabbit Ears Pass. RCSAR can often respond the quickest to locations on the pass, and RCSAR works with Grand and Jackson to provide the best response to calls for service. In this case, the snowmobiler was in Grand County, but RCSAR responded to the call. Steamboat Springs Fire and Rescue paramedics were initially taken to the snowmobiler’s location by a snowmobile tour company, and they assessed and provided care for the snowmobiler’s injury. RCSAR responded to the scene, packaged the snowmobiler in a patient sled, and transported her to a waiting ambulance.

Local Fundraisers

We are extremely thankful for the support we receive from several local businesses every year. On December 13th, The Barley and NineSevenZero hosted their annual Hangin’ with Jerry fundraiser benefitting RCSAR. Each year this fun event has grown, with $5,250 raised this year. 

In early December, Mountain Tap Brewery released another Rescue Brew. Proceeds from the sale of this cold-brewed IPA benefit the team. Mountain Tap also includes RCSAR in its Token Tuesday program, where $1 from every beer sold on Tuesday nights is donated to area non-profits.

On the day before Thanksgiving, Corner Slice again hosted the Turkey Derby benefit for RCSAR. The event featured live music, turkey feast pizzas, and games and raised $700 for the team.

On November 22nd, Steamboat Resort presented RCSAR with a $20,000 donation at its opening day festivities. The donation was one of several large donations made to local non-profits. We appreciate Steamboat Resort’s ongoing support of our team and our collaboration with the resort on rescues in the resort side country.

Team Celebration

In early December, RCSAR held its annual holiday party at the Old Town Pub to honor team members’ dedication and service throughout the year. As in year’s past, RCSAR was joined by members of the Routt County Sheriff’s Department, Routt County Crisis Support, and Classic Air Medical. We couldn’t do our jobs without these partners! During the event, awards were presented to Jody McGee for Team Member of the Year and Eva Vaitkus for the President’s Award. Congrats to Jody and Eva and thanks for your outstanding service to the team.

There is a wealth of information available to help you stay safe in the backcountry during the winter. Below are some of our favorites.

Check the avalanche forecast. Every time you venture into the backcountry, review the avalanche forecast published by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).

Check the weather forecast. We like to review the point forecast from the National Weather Service. You can also check Steamboat Resorts LIVE Steamboat Mountain Ski Area Webcams to gauge realtime snowfall amounts. 

Recreate responsibly. Review this article from the Colorado Tourism Office, in partnership with CSAR and CAIC, for some tips on winter recreation safety. 

State of the Snowpack. On January 24th at 6:30 p.m., the Drew Hyde Memorial Fund is presenting its an annual State of the Snowpack discussion. The event will take place at the Bud Werner Library. There will be presentations by a CAIC forecaster, RCSAR team members, and Classic Air Medical. Food and refreshments will be available and door prizes will be awarded. Proceeds from the event benefit Friends of CAIC, and there is a suggested entry donation of $10. We encourage you to attend this informative and educational event.

Every year our team responds to a number of missions that are particularly challenging — either emotionally or physically or both. In July 2025, RCSAR assisted Jackson County with the search for Derek Pettigrew, a young man who grew up in Steamboat Springs. Unfortunately and sadly, we were not able to find Derek despite bringing in multiple agencies, deploying the latest technology, and working over 650 total hours on planning and operations, with 3 days of searching in the field. The outcome is difficult to accept.

Derek’s family recently created the Pettigrew Family Fund in support of RCSAR. His family’s words on the fund’s page are heart wrenching, but they also remind us of why we do what we do. The Pettigrew family pledged to match the first $50,000 donated to the fund. In just 3 weeks, the fund received more than $50,000 in donations. As of January 20, the Pettigrews have raised $107,086 in honor of their son.

Our hearts remain with the Pettigrew family, and we cannot thank them enough for their generosity to our team. To read their story or donate to the fund, visit the Colorado Gives Day page dedicated to the fund - Pettigrew Family Fund.

A Final Reminder

RCSAR services are always free of charge, no matter the time of day, the location, or the circumstances. We are a 100% volunteer team dedicated to helping our community and visitors stay safe in the outdoors, and we are available 24/7.

As we detailed in our January 2025 newsletter, we largely rely on donations to fund our operations. If you'd like to support our mission, please visit https://routtcountysar.org.

Stay Safe, Be Prepared, and Know We're Here to Help.