WYDOT Tells of Inordinate Avalanche Cycle

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has issued a summary statement of their activities following last week’s snowstorm.  According to their statement, road crews on Teton Pass had to contend with sixteen major avalanche events and over twenty bank slides of various sizes which in some cases pushed in excess of 20 feet of snow over the highway.  One avalanche area, the Surprise Slide, had not run since 1987.  During one of the closures, the high number of avalanches on Teton Pass kept the highway closed from January 19^th until January 21^st. At the same time, WYDOT says avalanches briefly closed US 191 in Hoback Canyon.  WYDOT officials say storm totals for the five day storm amounted to four feet of new snow containing 5.4 inches of snow water equivalent.