TETON VILLAGE, Wyo. — Skiers and snowboarders can make their last seasonal turns at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) this Sunday, April 14.
The snow totals at the resort to date are 446 inches at the summit and 318 inches mid-mountain. Although this winter’s slow start wasn’t able to reach the 2022/2023 end of season record of 595 inches of snow in Rendezvous Bowl, the March 1 to 2 snow storm set a 24-hour snow record at the resort.
The early March storm produced 30 inches of snow in 24 hours, and shut down JHMR for the day. The massive snow-producing storm joins the likes of the February 2017 power outage storm and the December 2008 Christmas storm in the resort’s recent history..
The 2023/2024 season also produced an extremely dangerous snow pack.
The Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center (BTAC) observed many triggered avalanches in the Tetons due to the late, heavy snowfall, which created a weak lower layer.
Historically, the top three years for snowfall between October 1 and April 9 in Rendezvous Bowl were last year’s snowy winter, 2016/20717 with 590 inches and 1996/1997 with 585 inches, according to the Jackson Hole Avalanche Lab and the Bridger-Teton National Forest Avalanche Center.
For those recreating in the backcountry this spring, BTAC reminds riders that avalanche conditions still exist, and springtime temperature fluctuations can cause snowpack instability. BTAC will end its daily five scale forecasts on April 21, and begin General Snow and Avalanche Information Bulletins that will run through May.
