Larimer County Search and Rescue, Inc.

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Larimer County Search and Rescue, Inc.

Larimer County Search and Rescue (LCSAR) is the Sheriff authorized SAR resource for Larimer County, Colorado. Visit us at www.larimercountysar.org.

Millions of people visit the mountains of Larimer County, Colorado each year. A few will become lost, stranded, or injured . . . some will die. Our objective is to find and rescue these lost or injured people before it is too late. Highly trained women and men respond to emergencies and disasters 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We are dedicated to saving lives and educating the public on wilderness safety. Larimer County Search and Rescue, Inc. (LCSAR) incorporated in 1979 in the State of Colorado as a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. We operate under the authority of the Larimer County Sheriff. By Colorado State statute, the County Sheriff is responsible for search and rescue (SAR). As a separate corporation, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Inc. has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Larimer County Sheriff to provide search and rescue services to the county. We will also provide SAR resources to out of county and out of state agencies when requested through the Larimer County Sheriff's Office Emergency Services Department. We do not charge the Sheriff or the subjects of SAR missions for our services. LCSAR does not receive funding from any tax base or mil levy at the Federal, State, County or City level. For funding we rely on donations from individuals, grants, foundations, businesses, corporations, and fundraising events. Our team members also pay membership dues to be a member of the team. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) supports us by providing some funding, and the use of office, training room, and vehicle and equipment storage space at the Emergency Services Center facility. Our members donate their time, money, energy, and personal equipment in order to train, search, rescue, and educate the public on outdoor safety. None of our members get paid for any of the search and rescue work that they do. We are also members of the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA), the Colorado Search and Rescue Board (CSRB), and the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR). The Mountain Rescue Association (MRA) www.mra.org is a national accrediting organization for search and rescue teams. Each team has to demonstrate their competence in all aspects of mountain search and rescue, including avalanche rescue, technical rescue, search techniques, leadership and communication skills. Larimer County Search and Rescue is a member of the Mountain Rescue Association and is part of the MRA Rocky Mountain Region www.rockymra.org

The Colorado Search and Rescue Board (CSRB) www.coloradosarboard.org is an organization composed of many rescue units of differing disciplines throughout the State of Colorado. The National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) www.nasar.org is an organization which serves as a forum within which search and rescue teams exchange ideas on a national level. Larimer County Search and Rescue is an unpaid professional search and rescue organization:
◦that does not create or enforce laws, rules or regulations
◦that does not charge for search and rescue services
◦that receives no monetary funding from the government
◦that relies solely on grants, donations and corporate support
◦whose members do not receive monetary compensation
◦whose members are not reimbursed for food, fuel or other expenses
◦whose members provide their own equipment
◦whose members teach mountain safety classes to the general public
◦whose members sacrifice their time, energy, and money to help someone who is lost, stranded, or injured

In a typical year LCSAR will touch over 4,000 people with our quick response to searches and rescues as well as our wilderness education programs. If you wish to help, come and join Larimer County Search and Rescue or make a donation to provide financial support.

02/09/2026

We were setting up a vertical training when we got the call. We were pleased to help out and thrilled with the good outcome.

From Rocky Mountain National Park:

Two Men Rescued From Summit of Longs Peak

Park rangers from Rocky Mountain National Park were contacted late Friday night, February 6, by two male climbers on Kiener’s Route in the Longs Peak area requesting assistance. The 47- and 50-year-old climbers were located at approximately 14,000 feet. They reported they were incapacitated, unable to continue their route, and had not planned to remain overnight.

Rangers maintained communication with the climbers overnight. Early Saturday morning, February 7, rangers initiated rescue operations. Two Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue teams, along with members of Larimer County Search and Rescue, began hiking toward the Longs Peak area.

Air operations were limited due to high winds. A U.S. Forest Service helicopter attempted a flight but was forced to abort due to wind conditions. A Flight For Life helicopter was also ordered but later stood down for the same reason.

Through established partnerships with Colorado Search and Rescue, additional resources were requested from the Colorado National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility at Buckley Space Force Base. A Chinook helicopter with flight crew, along with rescuers from Alpine Rescue and Rocky Mountain Rescue, landed on the summit of Longs Peak at approximately 2:15 p.m. The climbers, who had moved to the summit, were located and flown from the summit to Upper Beaver Meadows Road within Rocky Mountain National Park.

Park rangers remind visitors that winter conditions can persist in the high country even when overall snowpack is below average. Those recreating in alpine environments should plan ahead and be prepared for ice, snow, high winds, and subzero temperatures.

02/05/2026

When our drone and K9 teams conduct joint nighttime training operations, be advised we will find you.

01/26/2026

Regardless of the weather conditions, we remain committed to our training regimen. Yesterday, we successfully used our search skills to locate “deep” snow for our winter technical rescue training, where we constructed snow anchors and executed a raise and lower with the sled. Stay warm out there, and remember, it's all about the layers, folks, lots of layers!

01/20/2026

01/11/2026

Don’t be fooled by the nice weather and moderate avalanche danger. Check the forecast at https://avalanche.state.co.us and plan your trip. Stay safe!

01/02/2026

12/19/2025

We recently found some snow, yes it does exist, for our avalanche search training. We would like to extend our gratitude to everyone who donated on Colorado Gives Day, as it enables us to be better prepared when you need us most. Please check out the CAIC forecast before you head out.

https://avalanche.state.co.us

12/09/2025

Today is Colorado Gives Day. Rain or shine, day or night, we provide our services free of charge. This holiday season, please consider donating to Larimer County Search and Rescue

All of our members are unpaid professional volunteers who put in hundreds of hours per year, and we rely heavily on donations from our community for equipment and training. Be safe out there as winter is upon us ❄️

https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/LarimerCountySearchandRescue

12/06/2025

🌨️ Forecast for Sat, Dec. 6 – Dangerous Avalanche Conditions in the North 🌨️

A powerful storm is bringing heavy snow and strong winds across Colorado starting Friday night. Avalanche danger will rapidly increase, and some areas will see very dangerous conditions through Saturday.

🚨 Avalanche Warnings are in effect for the Park Range and Gore Range. This means very dangerous avalanche conditions, with large natural avalanches expected and human-triggered avalanches very likely. Avoid avalanche terrain in these areas.

🟥 Elsewhere in the Northern Mountains: HIGH danger in the alpine. Heavy snow and strong winds are rapidly loading steep slopes above treeline. Avoid avalanche terrain in these areas. Be aware of overhead avalanche risk near treeline.

🟥 🟧 Central Mountains: HIGH danger in the alpine for Ruby Range and Ragged Range. CONSIDERABLE danger near and above treeline in many other zones. New snow and wind are stacking onto weak early-season snow. Expect a noticeable jump in hazard today.

🟨 Southern Mountains: CONSIDERABLE danger in the alpine for the northwest San Juan Mountains, and MODERATE danger in other alpine locations. Most areas are getting less snow than the northern bullseyes. Wind-loaded, steep slopes can still avalanche where new snow piles up over weak layers.

🚩 Red flags today: fresh wind drifts, shooting cracks, collapsing and audible “whumpfing”, or recent avalanches. If you see any of these, you could trigger a slide. Avoid steep terrain above treeline and move to lower-angle slopes (under 30°) away from avalanche paths and runouts.

🔗 at Colorado.gov/avalanche

Address

1303 N Shields Street
Fort Collins, CO
80524

Website

http://www.larimercountysar.org/

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