Teton Pass plow drivers and backcountry skiers maintain a delicate relationship

Plow drivers clear a 12-mile stretch on Teton Pass during storms, and the Teton Backcountry Alliance runs ambassadors and a free shuttle that carried 1,469 riders this season.

Luke Lancaster is a plow driver for the Wyoming Department of Transportation assigned to Teton Pass. He clears a 12-mile stretch each storm and can run as many as 20 laps in a day, sometimes starting before dawn. The road sits below popular backcountry ski terrain, so skiers and drivers regularly share the same corridor. The Teton Backcountry Alliance, founded in 2017 by Jay Pistono, now runs pass ambassadors and a free shuttle; Pistono died in October 2025 and Tait Bjornsen is the program director. Key facts: - Lancaster said plow trucks can weigh about 65,000 pounds when loaded and drivers sometimes must slow or lift the plow to avoid skiers or berms. - Drivers work in low visibility and difficult conditions on the steep, switchback route to the 8,432-foot summit. - The alliance fields 23 pass ambassadors, roughly half paid and half volunteer, and this season its shuttle carried 1,469 riders. - Ambassadors paint "no parking" signs, encourage beacon checks, and speak with newcomers about avalanche terrain; they assisted after a January slide that buried a car and reported everyone was fine. - WYDOT conducts avalanche mitigation on the pass; one recent mitigation produced snow walls described as over 30 feet high, and WYDOT reopened the road in about 14 hours after a large slide. Summary: The ongoing coordination between WYDOT plow crews, backcountry skiers and the Teton Backcountry Alliance helps manage parking, avalanche awareness and road access during winter storms. Ambassadors and the shuttle have reduced parking pressure and provided on-site support during incidents, and the alliance intends to continue those efforts while honoring founder Jay Pistono's legacy.