Avalanche — Teton & Gros Ventre Mountains, Wyoming

2025-12-20 · Teton & Gros Ventre Mountains, Wyoming

Event narrative

Excerpt from the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center Accident Report: On Saturday, December 20, 2025 at approximately 2 PM, one skier in a party of two unintentionally triggered an avalanche on a north-facing, steep, rocky, and sparsely treed chute known as The Claw approximately two miles south of the main parking lot at Teton Pass. The slope failed above the skier. The debris ran 1,000 feet (600' vertical fall) to the base of the avalanche path, carrying and critically burying the first skier among trees. The

skier was taken to the local hospital and later flown to a larger regional medical center where he died six days later of multi-systems trauma sustained in the avalanche.

Wider weather episode

Heavy mountain snow and strong winds in the latter half of December led to multiple avalanches of note in western Wyoming.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1306378. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.