The avalanche took place at a spot known as “the Claw” to locals (pictured). Photo: Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center
A 28-year-old Jackson Hole, Wyoming skier was buried in an avalanche Saturday near Wyoming’s Teton Pass. Thanks to the efforts of his ski partner and emergency crews, he was retrieved from the snow and transported to a nearby hospital.
The incident took place in an area south of Teton Pass known by locals as “the Claw.” A report from the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center categorized the slide as a “small D2 avalanche” – meaning it had enough force to injure, kill or bury a person. Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr told Jackson Hole News & Guide that the skier had been skiing with a partner at the time of the avalanche, and the partner was able to locate and dig out the man before rescuers crews arrived.
Emergency crews were called around 2:30 p.m. Teton Pass was closed while Teton County Search and Rescue retrieved the skier via helicopter. Afterwards, he was transported by ground ambulance to St. John’s Health.
The skier’s name and condition are not currently available. However, the avalanche report described his injury as “critical.”
It’s been an active week of avalanche activity on Teton Pass, especially given the heavy snow that’s fallen all across the Western United States. The Wyoming Department of Transportation was doing avalanche mitigation work on the pass when it triggered a massive slide on the famed Glory Bowl on the north side of Highway 22. The slide buried the road in over 35 feet of wet, heavy snow.
“This is the biggest slide I’ve seen come out of Glory,” said Don Lawless, an avalanche technician with WYDOT. Lawless told JH News & Guide that the slide was apparently large enough to move a 100-ton boulder from Glory Bowl down into the gully near the road. Cleanup crews were able to get the road back open.
Avalanche danger regularly threatens Highway 22 over Teton Pass.
