With a high elevation point of nearly 10,000 feet, Wyoming’s Togwotee Pass provides backcountry skiers with amazingly diverse mountain terrain. Open glades, alpine meadows, bowls, cirques and endless couloirs define the Togwotee region. Impetuous skiers can cut turns as early as October and diehards can ski right to their cars in June. Breccia Peak, Brooks Mountain, Two Ocean Peak, Angle Mountain… these names have become legendary for skiers from both sides of Togwotee Pass.
The Continental Divide bisects Togwotee Pass and defines both a hydrologic and an administrative divide. On the Atlantic side is Shoshone National Forest with its headquarters in Cody and on the Pacific is the Bridger-Teton National Forest with its headquarters in Jackson. Due to budget restraints both Forests have stalled their forest planning processes and because over-snow vehicle loophole in the 2005 ORV Rule allows them to move forward without winter travel planning, both forests are amending their current plans without addressing winter conflicts. This leaves Togwotee Pass backcountry skiers in limbo.
Togwotee Pass was a destination for skiers long before the first snowmobiles arrived. It has been home to two rope tows and is the preferred destination for students of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Central Wyoming College (CWC) and the American Avalanche Institute (AAI). For skiers traveling from the communities of Dubois, Riverton, and Lander on the East side, Togwotee Pass is the closest and maybe only place, with reasonable access to good ski terrain. Yet, upon arrival, the skier or snowshoer is unable to escape from the aesthetic and safety concerns associated with the thousands of snowmobiles that now visit Togwotee Pass each winter.
In an effort to rectify this situation Togwotee Pass Backcountry Alliance (TPBA) has requested several areas be designated non-motorized in the winter. TPBA's current proposal includes East Angle, The Breccia/Brooks Mountain cirque, and the east side of Two Ocean Peak. Overall, these proposed areas represent a tiny area of what is available to snowmobiles. In an effort to advance this proposal, Winter Wildlands Alliance organized a Togwotee Pass Winter Stakeholders Meeting in September.
Held in Dubois, the meeting was facilitated by Wyoming State Legislator Keith Gingery. Representatives of Togwotee Pass Backcountry Alliance, Friends of Pathways, Wyoming Wilderness Association, Dubois Ski Club, Wind River Gear, and Winter Wildlands Alliance spoke on behalf of skiers and snowshoers. Likewise, representatives of the Dubois Sno-Katters, Jackson
Snow-Devils, Wyoming State Snowmobile Association, Brooks Lake Lodge, and Togwotee Mountain Lodge expressed their views for snowmobilers. Personnel from both the Bridger-Teton and Shoshone National Forests also attended the meeting. While no agreement was reached regarding designating non-motorized areas on Togwotee Pass, a dialogue between the
snowmobile and ski communities has opened up. This winter, efforts will be made to educate snowmobilers about the safety concerns skiers have. TPBA will work with local snowmobile
clubs and the Forest service to place signs notifying snowmobilers that they are not only in avalanche terrain but are sharing the area with skiers.
Another positive outcome of the Winter Stakeholders Meeting was the opportunity to establish new friends and alliances within the human-powered winter recreation community around Togwotee Pass. Winter Wildlands Alliance will continue to work closely and support the efforts of Togwotee Pass Backcountry Alliance and our other grassroots groups in the region. Establishing non-motorized areas for skiers on Togwotee Pass may be a long climb but it is a climb that WWA and TPBA are fully committed to making.
