The lines at Snow King Resort began backing up early Dec. 29.

On that morning, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort shut down after ski patrollers triggered a Headwall slide that slammed into the Bridger restaurant building.

With the Mountain Resort shut down, and the backcountry too dangerous for skiers and riders, it seemed many in Jackson ventured over to Snow King to get their fix.

“We were busy,” Snow King Director of Recreation Tom Fortune said. “We got pretty hammered with just one window open selling tickets. It’s a marked difference between a normal day and a day when the backcountry or village is not open.”

The elevated avalanche danger this season has left many backcountry users scrambling to adjust their habits. Some are avoiding Teton Pass altogether. Others are just picking safer angles or skiing at lower elevations. Altogether, it’s been a tricky and cautious season for backcountry users.

Rod Newcomb, director of the American Avalanche Institute and a longtime backcountry skier, has noticed the changes in behavior on the pass.

“South of the pass, people are being more conservative this year in their route selection,” Newcomb said. “It also seems like the crowds have been thinner. I haven’t had a problem getting a parking spot on the pass.”

A major wake-up call came Jan. 2 when the sheriff’s office issued a warning to backcountry users that rescue workers might be significantly delayed or unable to respond to incidents in the mountains. Newcomb said many skiers and riders took the announcement to heart.

“What caught the attention of the backcountry skier, or recreationist, was the [announcement] by the sheriff that said you better not get hurt because we can’t come get you,” Newcomb said. “I know that got my attention.”

The backcountry areas accessed through the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort were closed by the Bridger-Teton National Forest Service in late December, but reopened Monday.

Mark Fuller, the store manager at Jack Dennis Sport Shop in Teton Village, said most backcountry enthusiasts have simply been avoiding the dangerous areas this season.

“The people I know who have lived here a long time, they’re using the backcountry less,” he said. “Everyone is being more careful, whether they’re skiing a lower angle or at lower elevation. They’re just being safer in where they ski.”

It seems that some of the traffic has moved over to Snow King. Ticket sales at Snow King are up 7 percent this year, Fortune said.

“I think it has helped us to a degree,” Fortune said. “Our daily visits and ticket sales are up over last year. We’re thrilled about that. But we were down on our past sales in December significantly. Then all the snow came, and people did come out and buy their passes.

“A lot of that is, during Christmas, the village had their issues unfortunately for them, people were able to come over here and ski during their closures. In general, the skiing has been really good here. Obviously, the backcountry is a place not to go this year.”

This year’s dangerous avalanche season is the result of an unstable layer deep in the snowpack. Early snow in October was followed by rain Nov. 13 and 29 as high as 10,000 feet. That left a weak, ice-covered base on many slopes, Newcomb said.

“That is haunting us right now,” Newcomb said.

Heavy storms during late December dumped several feet of snow on top of the already vulnerable layer. It was under those conditions that an inbounds avalanche slide at the mountian resort killed David Nodine, of Wilson.

“It’s a snowpack I haven’t seen in 45 years,” Newcomb said. “It’s just how it developed. It turned into a pretty tricky snowpack.”

Winter weather forecaster Jim Woodmencey, of mountainweather.com and Jackson Hole Radio, called the snowpack a “triple-decker sandwich.”

“It’s a tricky snowpack from a forecast standpoint,” he said. “It doesn’t seem to be playing by the rules this year.”

Many skiers have taken precautions by buying avalanche transceivers. Fuller said his store at the village cannot keep them in stock.

“We’ve had to reorder a couple times,” he said. “As soon as they come in, they go out. People balk at prices sometimes, but this year they haven’t.”

Nonetheless, most who have skied at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort this season have enjoyed some great conditions and uncrowded lifts.

“I was out this morning, and the skiing on the mountain is just fantastic right now for people who like lift-service skiing,” Fuller said Tuesday. “And there’s no one here. As a business owner, you don’t want to hear it. But as a season-pass holder, it’s just great right now.”