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, friend Charlie Pirc was saved when he struck a tree, preventing him from being buried in the 2,000-foot-long avalanche but leaving him with severe injuries high on the mountainside. In this episode, Benton, Charlie, and friends Evan Flach and Seth Frey talk about why they came forward to openly discuss this harrowing incident, while Teton County Search & Rescue volunteer Dr. AJ Wheeler offers insights to how rescuers were able to bring Charlie safely out of the backcountry.


Interviews and writing by Matt Hansen. Editing and sound by Melinda Binks. Interviews were conducted in the studios of KHOL 89.1 FM.


Theme song by Anne and Pete Sibley, with additional music provided by Ben Winship.


The Fine Line is produced by Backcountry Zero and is sponsored by Roadhouse Brewing Co. and by Stio.

48. Nowhere to Hide: Avalanche on Albright Peak

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 themselves racing to save 17 people, even as the mountain remained shrouded in storm clouds. The incident turned into the largest rescue effort ever undertaken on the Grand. 

This podcast is produced by Backcountry Zero, with support from the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole. Backcountry Zero is a project of the Teton County Search and Rescue Foundation.

You can support this project and the volunteers at Teton County Search and Rescue by making an online donation today at tetoncountysar.org/donate.

If you like listening to the Fine Line, considering sharing us with a friend.  

Host: Rebecca Huntington

23. Struck by Lightning on the Grand Teton

Just seven out of 36 Teton County Search and Rescue volunteers are women, two of whom made history with a joint short haul rescue last month.

Two Women of Teton County Search and Rescue Talk Representation on the Team

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 this two-part series of The Fine Line, Anna Meteyer confronts these and other complexities from April 1, 2020, when her friend and touring partner Trace Carrillo died in an avalanche on Teton Pass, Wyo. Meanwhile, TCSAR volunteer Jennifer Sparks talks about how psychological first aid has become a priority for first responders in Teton County.

Thank you to Anna Meteyer for sharing her story, and to Trace Carrillo's family and friends for supporting backcountry safety in his name through a scholarship fund at the University of Utah.


Show Notes
Please remember: It’s okay to not be okay. And it's perfectly fine to ask for help.

To learn more about mental health support offered by Teton Interagency Peer Support group, or TIPS, go to https://www.tetontips.com/. 

If you or someone you know is suffering from stress trauma, mental illness or just needs someone to talk to, go to https://www.mentalhealthjh.com. Available to all Teton County, Wyo., residents.

For information on the Trace Carrillo scholarship fund providing Level 1 avalanche courses to students at the University of Utah, go to https://ustarter.utah.edu/o/university-of-utah-39/i/ustarter/s/trace-carrillo-dreamachieve.

Photo: Will Smith/TCSAR

36. Avalanche on Taylor Mountain, Part 2

The Fine Line podcast tells real stories of adventure, risk and rescue in the backcountry of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Fine Line is produced by Backcountry Zero, a project from the Teton County Search & Rescue Foundation that uses storytelling to elevate backcountry preparedness.

48. Nowhere to Hide: Avalanche on Albright Peak

The Fine Line

Related tracks