It’s been one hell of a storm in Jackson Hole this week. So big that the resort has had to close ‘until further notice’ due to power outage and extreme damage as announced on the Jackson Hole Facebook page today. Never fear, the resort will re-open but patience is the key for safety right now.
Due to a massive wind storm last night, a significant number of power poles along Highway 390 were blown down, causing Teton Village to lose power. This power outage is being addressed by Lower Valley Energy, but the significance of this damage will be impacting Teton Village for up to seven days. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will not be operating until further notice. JACKSON HOLE FACEBOOK PAGE
The Jackson Hole website explains in more detail (below) the impact of the storm that felled power poles, caused slides, created extreme avalanche danger and has cancelled numerous events. Hotels are asking guests to leave and arranging for relocation.
“Due to a massive wind storm last night, a significant number of power poles along Highway 390 were blown down, causing Teton Village to lose power. This power outage is being addressed by Lower Valley Energy, but the significance of this damage will be impacting Teton Village for up to seven days. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) will not be operating until further notice. All events scheduled for this week and weekend will be canceled, specifically Skijoring and Special Olympics.
Safety is the first concern for JHMR visitors and staff, and JHMR is asking for only specific operational staff come to Teton Village today and request that no unnecessary travel to Teton Village is in effect until further notice. With another weather system coming into the area tonight, there is a winter storm watch in effect for the higher elevations. Warming temperatures could result in possible flooding in the valley, making conditions challenging for many reasons. JHMR is seriously enforcing no uphill travel this week and asks everyone to stay off the mountain. JHMR will be issuing refunds for all visitors, but at this time, we do not have a location to process those refunds. Updates on operations and incident information will be updated as they come in on this page.
Teton Village Fire Department will be providing emergency services throughout this incident, and will be updating hotels and businesses as information comes in. The Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce and Jackson Hole Central Reservation will be assisting with lodging and travel options for displaced guests.”
Now is not the time to be seeking those powder turns, not only will you be likely to trigger avalanches you will be hindering the work of the teams endeavoring to get power back and the mountain safe and running again within the next week.
Now IS the time to consider those crazy powder turns that will be available once the resort does re-open. So consider visiting Jackson Hole in a week’s time when it re-opens. The local businesses will be happy for the business, they’ll lose a lot from this storm, and you’ll be happy with powder money shots.
Read more about the storm here.
