Avalanche
Teton Pass, or Highway 22, is closed in both directions until further notice, after an artificially triggered avalanche in Glory Bowl buried the highway under a huge debris pile. Crews are actively working to clear the debris, but the road may not reopen until Tuesday afternoon or later, according to WYDOT.
Recent, heavy snowfall and high winds in the Tetons has rapidly raised the avalanche danger, leading to several large slides. The Jackson Hole Ski Patrol reported an avalanche that released naturally on Rendezvous Mountain with a crown thickness of four feet. Forecasters for the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center reported another avalanche on Mount Glory on December 19, with a crown close to three feet and more than 1,500 feet wide.
The Wyoming Department of Transportation operates a Gazex tube in the Glory Bowl slide path for avalanche mitigation. Gazex tubes use compressed gas to create explosions in avalanche starting zones, triggering avalanches artificially. At the time of the recent slide, the road was closed for avalanche mitigation. Estimated time of reopening is Tuesday afternoon, December 23.
Teton Pass is a key connector between Jackson Hole and communities in eastern Idaho, rising to more than 8,400 feet and cutting directly beneath several large avalanche paths. Winter storms and high winds have hammered the Tetons in recent days, creating what forecasters have called “very dangerous” avalanche conditions and prompting aggressive mitigation in many mountain corridors. Transportation officials have urged travelers to plan alternate routes, monitor WYDOT updates, and prepare for continued winter impacts across the region.
