Featured Team: Yosemite Search & Rescue

Talk about a busy team! As of September 12th of this year, Yosemite Search & Rescue, or YOSAR, had responded to 215 calls, including climbing accidents, helicopter and swiftwater rescues, and numerous incidents involving lost and injured hikers, the latter accounting for roughly 60% of YOSAR's missions.

Since the team's formation in the 1960s, they've responded to about 200 calls per year, with most of those incidents taking place in the seven-month period between April and October. You can read synopses of YOSAR's missions and see some of their incredible photos here.

Comprised of Park Rangers, SAR "siters" (an elite team of high-angle rescue specialists), SAR interns and other members of the community, YOSAR doesn't limit its work to the boundaries of Yosemite National Park. The team assists in other national parks in the West, as well as surrounding counties, and many of the individual members are on state, national, and even international SAR resource lists. In addition to specialties such as big wall rescue, emergency medicine and swiftwater rescue, YOSAR has had its own canine search team, nick-named "YODOGS," since 1999.

Among the videos we've featured on SARstories.com is the following YOSAR rescue of a (drunk!) climber on El Capitan. This is the first of a two-part video. You can see the second half of the rescue here.



To learn more about Yosemite Search & Rescue, visit the website of the Friends of YOSAR. The Friends of YOSAR is a non-profit organization that supports team members with additional training funds, securing grants, and providing public outreach and education materials regarding safety in Yosemite National Park.