Teton Pass, Wilson, WY

Teton Pass, Wilson, WY (Feb. 4, 2016)

     So, Teton Pass is probably in my top 5 favorite places to go skiing. Growing up, my brothers, my dad, and I would ski Teton Pass 10-15 times a season. Wikipedia gives the following description of Teton Pass: Teton Pass is a high mountain pass in the western United States, located at the southern end of the Teton Range of western Wyoming, between the towns of Wilson, Wyoming and Victor, Idaho. The pass provides access from the Jackson Hole valley to the Teton Valley of eastern Idaho, which includes the access route to Grand Targhee Resort through Driggs, Idaho. To the south of the pass, lies the Snake River Range.

Looking back up the hill at the pass.

     Wyoming Highway 22 crosses the pass and becomes Idaho State Highway 33 at the Idaho border, which continues northwest to Victor, then north to Driggs. The pinnacle of the pass is 8,431 feet (2,570 m) above sea level and is approximately 11 miles (18 km) west of Jackson. The maximum grade on the road is 10% and several avalanche slide paths traverse the road along its length, including Glory Bowl slide area. During the winter months, the road is often closed in the early mornings for avalanche control by the Wyoming Department of Transportation. The area is popular for backcountry skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking.

Cutting through the pines.

     The pass is a few miles south of Grand Teton National Park. Parts of the route to the pass are located in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Wilson, a small town, sits at the base of the east side of the pass. Teton Village and the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski area are northeast of the pass.

Awesome powder!

     So, as Wikipedia says Teton Pass is popular with backcountry skiers. This is why, its free, you can drive all the way up to 8,431 feet (so that mean less booting up the hill), and you have access to some of the best powder in the country. We use to park at the top of the pass and either pick a route down the hill right from the parking lot or boot up different parts of the surrounding mountains to get to more remote slopes.

Selfie while gliding down the old pass road.

     On this particular trip my dad and I got dropped off at the top by Erin, my wife, and we decided to just take a quick route down the hill right from the parking lot. Neither of us are expert downhill or telemark skiers so we aren't going down any double black diamond Warren Miller type routes! Imagine a intermediate slope at a ski resort covered in 4 feet of awesome powder, then double the length of a typical ski hill and thats about what we did at the pass. After you finish the main part of the run you meet the old Teton Pass road and get about a two mile long bunny hill style slope that winds its way through a pine and aspen tree forest to a trail head and parking lot at the bottom of the hill. Its a fun way to kill 1 1/2 to 3 hours.

All problems can be fixed with duck tape!

     I've kind of been out of the skiing game for a few years and haven't had a chance to practice cutting tele turns so I was pretty pleased to slice a handful of nice turns out of the hill without face planting! Unfortunately, about 3/4 of the way down the hill my old rusted cable binding snapped, resulting in an impressive face plant, and I was stuck with one ski that I couldn't attach to my boot. I tried to duck tape my boot onto the broken binding and while it was not awesome it was just enough to get me down to the parking lot!

     Even with a broken binding I still had a great time. This is a beautiful place to go be outside and I have a lot of great memories skiing here. I would totally recommend this area to anyone who wants to cut a few turns and enjoy the wilderness. And after your done your only a few miles away from Jackson Hole and and a delicious lunch at Merry Piglets!

-Adventure on!