Investigators conclude investigation into Teton Pass avalanche
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The following is a news release from the Teton County, Wyoming Sheriff’s Office.
TETON COUNTY, Wyoming — On Thursday Dec., 15 at 4:46 p.m., an avalanche occurred on Teton Pass at the “Twin Slides” slide path. The avalanche crossed the highway and temporarily trapped a motorist in his vehicle. The motorist was treated for minor injuries.
Teton County Sheriff’s Office Deputies and Investigators started an investigation when it was discovered that the slide may have been triggered by skiers.
The purpose of the investigation was to determine if the slide was human triggered, and if so, who triggered it. If the avalanche was human triggered, was there criminally reckless behavior involved? Would skiing on or near a known slide path, in high avalanche danger conditions, above a highway with innocent travelers, and triggering an avalanche that did endanger the public and cause injury constitute a crime?
After a thorough investigation by the Teton County Sheriff’s Office, it was determined that insufficient evidence exists to prove the cause of the avalanche. Further, we were unable to establish probable cause to prove who triggered the avalanche if indeed it was human triggered.
There will be no criminal charges filed in the case.