JACKSON, Wyo. — The winter recreation shuttle on Teton Pass, which is operated by Teton Backcountry Alliance (TBCA), saw a record number of riders this season despite the warm winter and below-average snowfall.
This winter marked the third year the shuttle ran every weekend. TBCA Chair Gary Kofinas said the shuttle typically runs from mid-December to the end of March, and he’s already planning for next year. After the shuttle’s winter season ended on March 29, Kofinas caught up with Buckrail to recount the shuttle’s success and detail the future of the program. Preliminary numbers show that the shuttle carried a total of 1,469 backcountry users as of March 20; and 101 riders utilized the service on a single powder day.
“This was a really odd year because of the weather and snow conditions,” Kofinas said. “We had more ridership than we’ve had in the past, but I think it was lower than it could have been. Because on the good powder days, it was busy.”
TBCA added Fridays to the weekend shuttle schedule for the first time this year. The van picks up at the Stilson parking lot, then makes stops at Trail Creek Road near the bottom of Old Pass Road, the Teton Pass summit and Coal Creek parking area before making the trip in reverse. Kofinas said that since the shuttle has a set schedule — stopping at Trail Creek on the hour and Coal Creek on the half hour — skiers have started to plan their backcountry tours around taking the shuttle. On some of the extremely warm days in March, the shuttle ended the day around noon, partly because ridership was low and also to discourage skiers from venturing out in dangerous avalanche conditions.
The shuttle program began as a pilot program in 2020 and has been seen as one potential solution to the congestion at the Teton Pass summit on snow days. In January 2024, the shuttle began its first season of regular weekend operation. TBCA upgraded its vehicle this season to a 2024 all-wheel drive passenger van. The organization also received a ski rack and snow tires as donations.
The Federal Highway Administration funded a study on the Teton Pass Corridor that was published in January 2024. According to the study, the high level of backcountry demand on the Pass has “raised the potential need for more active operational management of recreational access.” The study suggested that a shuttle for recreationists would have a strong level of feasibility as far as cost and benefit.
“One of the recommendations was to launch a shuttle program to reduce congestion issues, the parking lineups and the number of people that are driving up the pass, or people driving two cars up the pass,” Kofinas said. “This winter, on one big powder day, there were 13 cars waiting for parking at the top. I would suggest that maybe if we didn’t have the shuttle, there would be more.”
The shuttle is driven by a handful of people who are also TBCA ambassadors. So far, the Jackson Hole Travel and Tourism Board (JHTTB) has funded a significant portion of the program, with supplemental contributions coming from individuals, businesses and fundraisers. Kofinas recently submitted TBCA’s funding proposal for next year to JHTTB, and the funding is likely to be determined by the end of the month.
“Getting adequate funding from the JHTTB is going to be critical and help us determine what we can do next year,” Kofinas said. “I really believe that the shuttle and the ambassador program — which they both fund — that they’ve become what’s necessary. We’re not going to just do this a few years and go away, hopefully we’ll just keep doing it.”
