In Colorado, the backcountry search and rescue (SAR) squads are among the busiest in the country. These regional lifesaving teams respond to more than 3,000 incidents a year: everything from lost hikers, to injured skiers, to dogs stuck on the side of a cliff. Most of these workers are unpaid volunteers who train for years to operate in difficult terrain, bad weather, and high-stakes uncertainty. You’d think the long hours, often in the worst conditions, would be a hard sell for would-be rescuers.