Small Wyoming Ski Area Vandalized by Off-Road Vehicle

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 3:05 PM ET

It seems every ski season, at least one ski area falls victim to a driver who had trouble obeying parking lot signage or simply got lost.

A photo surfaces of a car (usually a rental, without proper snow tires or 4WD) parked haphazardly on a ski run with skiers around it looking confused, and a quirky comment from the resort reminding folks that parking directly on the mountain doesn't qualify as "ski in, ski out."

While these instances are typically innocent mistakes, occasionally, the odd driver will take a purposeful turn onto a ski run, which seems to be the case at a Wyoming ski area this week.

On March 9, Cokeville, Wyoming's Pine Creek Ski Resort posted photos of snow chewed up by tire tracks, saying someone had driven their utility task vehicle (UTV) onto a ski run. "We sincerely hope this act of vandalism (whether intentionally destructive or not) doesn't cause us to close early," read the post.

The caption noted that the damage caused by the UTV was not shown in the posted photos. See below.

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The ski area, which is owned by Lincoln County and has been family operated since it opened in 1952, prides itself on an experience that captures the essence of skiing, the "way skiing used to be."

The ski area has one lift, a vertical rise of 1,425 feet, and 32 runs that see 350+ inches of snow annually. Pine Creek has had a decent season despite an overall low-snow year in the west.

However, keeping groomed ski runs in good condition, even with plenty of snow, can be a task. Resurfacing a run chewed up by careless UTV tires could be detrimental to its ski surface.

"Paul puts so much love into keeping your trails skiing primo with what nature provides, it does not go unnoticed (except by this beater)," reads one comment on the ski area's post. Hopefully, this beater gets the message, and Pine Creek can finish out their season strong, without any further UTV-related damage.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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