The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) closed WYO 22 Teton Pass at 12:30 p.m. today due to an avalanche at the Glory Bowl slide path.  The cause of the avalanche is currently under investigation.

The snow slide was roughly 150 feet wide and 2-3 feet high as it came across the road.  Local resident Riley Doyle and his delivery box truck were caught in the slide.

“It was white-out conditions and someone had just passed me, so I assumed the road was somewhat clear ahead.  But then, my truck just started to come to a gradual stop and then wouldn’t move.  I looked out and I was surrounded by snow,” Doyle said.

Doyle then got out of his truck and walked out of the slide area, where other vehicles had begun to stop and assess the slide.

Doyle is unharmed and believes his truck may also not have sustained any damage, he said.

WYDOT crews responded immediately with the closure and began clearing the area of recreationalists so avalanche mitigation could take place safely.  As crews were working, a second, much larger, avalanche near milepost 11 at Twin Slide came down onto the road.

“At first, it looked to be about 400 feet wide, but after looking at it, it’s probably a couple hundred feet wide and roughly 10 feet tall,” WYDOT Maintenance Foreman Bruce Daigle said.

Daigle said the closure will remain in place until crews can clear the mountain and perform extensive avalanche mitigation.

“This closure will probably last the rest of today and into the night,” Daigle said.

WYDOT would like to remind drivers to slow down in adverse weather conditions, be alert and cautious of roadside workers and obey all road closures.  For more information, please visit http://www.wyoroad.info