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The Teton Backcountry Alliance has delayed the start to its free Teton Pass Shuttle by a week.
Other than a few storms, the start to winter in Jackson Hole has been unseasonably warm without a lot of snowfall down in the valley.
TBA Director Gary Kofinas said he didn’t expect enough riders to brave the mix of slush and dirt, leading him to push the opening date to Friday, Dec. 19.
“The snow conditions in the lower elevations are really grim,” Kofinas said. “The idea of skiing from the top of the pass or [Mt.] Glory, all the way down to the trail, would be at best, challenging.”
Skiers in low snow conditions on Dec. 12 on Teton Pass. (Jenna McMurtry / KHOL)
OpenSnow forecaster Alan Smith said only a few years in the last 50 stack up with a similarly slow start to winter.
“The rain got up to about 8,500 feet at least [on Wednesday],” Smith told KHOL. “I don’t recall ever seeing rain fall that high up in the Tetons during the core winter months between December and February.”
The pass isn’t the only skier playground that dealt with a delay. Grand Targhee, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Snow King Mountain all opened at least a week behind schedule.
