Photos courtesy of Tetonat.com and others.

...I know the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t like it when I post TCSAR related photographs, but I felt the need to get these images out so strong, I couldn’t NOT post them…even risking my membership to the TCSAR organization in the process.  Skier’s, both backcountry and resort, HAVE to see the power of avalanches and the resulting devastation…especially when it is currently under our feet when we go into the mountains. - Steve Romeo, TetonAT.com

When an avalanche struck Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's Bridger Restaurant, December 29th, the resulting pictures resembled more of a plot from a cheeseball eigthies ski movie than real life. The restaurant was slammed by more than ten feet of snow; windows and doors were smashed and snow spilled generously into the interior. The affected area of the mountain had been closed off from the public that morning, hence the only indication that anything was amiss was a web camera positioned on the terrance of the Bridger Restaurant. Within an hour, that camera was shut off... unfortunately for JHMR, the damage was done. By 10AM, I heard from a co-worker that a slide had hit the restaurant. By 10:02AM I was watching the damage on the web cam. By 10:30AM the web cam had been shut off. By 11:00AM, a local website, Tetonat.com, had posted photos of the scene, which served to remind our community of the sobering power of avalanche. (Later that afternoon, the website was forced to remove the photos, which I have re-posted above.)

Almost seven hours after the world watched the avalanche slam into the restaurant via webcam, the Resort posted the below release. The response was a calculated statement to the ski community, obviously mindful that just three days prior a local skier had been crushed under eight feet of snow while skiing in bounds. Within minutes of the slide, the Jackson Hole blogging community had patched together their own versions of the event... the rumor mill had begun, fueled by fear of the recent in bounds avy death and the scarcity of information surrounding either event.

The question is not whether the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had covered its ass or if the patrollers had done their due dilligence: it was whether the Jackson Hole ski community felt safe. A comment on Tetonat.com's blog post summed it up nicely:

Steve: thanks for the forum that does help keep us safer.
Returning to the snow pack: have we learned what we need to yet?
For most of us, it will be if we can dial it back far enough, long enough?
For JHMR, it will relate to PR. How do you empower your patrol despite an uneducated, impatient client? Can you demonstrate the amazing talent you have on staff that is protecting us with such heart pounding work?
For snow scientists, I can only guess it will relate to how creep is affected by bombing and how this affects timing in stabilizing a slope.

From reading the public's intense an immediate response as posted and discussed on local blogs such as the jhunderground, thesnaz and JHnews the desire to understand the circumstances of the slide were less than satisfied. From a PR perspective, I can't validate the Resort's reponse. The resort had not been negligent by any means; the ski patrol by all accounts had done an exceptional and very skilled job at making the resort a safe and skiable mountain. Natural conditions had surrmounted over several weeks to create an extremely unstable snow pack, which in turn, all skiers in Jackson and the surrounding backcountry have a legitimate stake in the ensuing information. When such serious slides take place, JHMR must realize that either they will have to provide sufficient information to the public or the public will create it themselves.

[official press release by JHMR]
(Jackson Hole, Wyoming, December 29, 2008 4:00pm MST) At approximately 9:26 am this morning routine avalanche hazard reduction work by Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) Ski Patrol triggered an avalanche of significant size down the southeast aspect of an area at JHMR referred to as the Headwall.  The Headwall which had not been open to the public this season to date and was not expected to open in the near future, consists of steep, expert terrain.

The slide descended from the top of the Headwall, and a second slide was triggered, which continued down to the base of the run reaching the west and south sides of the building that houses three resort restaurants, causing considerable non-structural damage to the building.

This incident took place prior to the Bridger Gondola being open to the public, but a number of JHMR operational employees were in the vicinity.  A search for potential victims was conducted and by 10:06am, all JHMR employees were accounted for.

Following the incident a decision was made to close the resort temporarily while further avalanche hazard reduction work took place. Lower mountain lifts were quickly re-opened. At this time the upper mountain remains closed while Ski Patrol continues its avalanche hazard reduction routines in an attempt to get the resort re-opened as quickly and safely as possible. 

Due to the significant snowfall received in the Teton region (62 inches in past seven days), we have received a request from our partners at Bridger Teton National Forest to close the OB gates into the surrounding backcountry.  JHMR will honor this request and close all our gates into the backcountry until further notice.

"Our patrollers have done a phenomenal job showing the utmost professionalism and teamwork.  I am extremely proud of their efforts and appreciate the risks they take on a daily basis.  I also want to acknowledge our entire staff under these challenging circumstances” stated Jerry Blann, President, JHMR.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has established standards and protocols for minimizing the risk of avalanche that are based on the current weather and snowpack conditions. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort receives over 400 inches of snow annually and is dedicated to making the skiing and riding as safe as possible for our guests. Avalanche conditions change hour-by-hour and day-by-day. JHMR Ski Patrol continuously monitors elements of the weather and snowpack conditions 24 hours a day throughout the winter and uses this information to continually assess potential hazards.

We acknowledge and are grateful for the quick response of the community including the Teton County Sheriff's Department, Teton County Search and Rescue and USFS.