“No skiers or snowboarders were involved and the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol has closed the Aerial Tram, Sublette and Thunder in the interest of skier safety.” –JH Spokesman Eric Seymour
Two small inbound avalanche let loose at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on Thursday. Nobody was injured. Jackson Hole News & Guide reports the slides occurred in the Laramie Cliffs area and near the resort’s Expert Chutes. The Laramie Cliffs area is permanently closed. The Expert Chutes were open, and the slide came from the cliffs above. Both slides released naturally and were not triggered by skiers. Ski patrol shutdown the Aerial Tram, Sublette and Thunder “in the interest of skier safety.”
Avalanche forecaster Mike Rheam said snow fell fast enough to override ski patrol’s morning mitigation.
“New, avalanche danger after that mitigation work was rebuilding so fast and becoming sensitive and active that they had to close it down. New snow in extremely strong winds is causing rapid loading, and that’s true in and outside of the resort.”
Both avalanche reported at the resort were relatively small. Ski patrollers who witnessed them gave them a 1 out of 5 on both the relative-size scale and destructive-size scale. With all the fresh snow Jackson Hole ski patrol advises guests ski with a partner, make a plan, and be wary of tree wells.