Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has been
rated as the third best ski resort country and who could
argue with that. Jackson Hole has 4,200 vertical drop
and that drop comes right out of the Grand Teton Mountain
Range. These spectacular mountains crown jewel the Grand
Teton Towers over the Valley and resort at a majestic
13,770 above sea level. When they say ski the big one
they mean it!
The Town Hill
Since its founding in 1939 as the first ski area in Wyoming, Snow
King has served as Jackson’s “Town Hill.” Generations
of residents have grown up learning to ski there. It’s
a real part of the community, where parents can drop off their
kids for after-school turns and adults can do some bump skiing
during their lunch hour. But it’s not just a place for
townies.
The valley is known as Jackson Hole — hole being
an old trapper's word for valley. The town itself is Jackson. Most visitors
arriving in November have come to hunt, but the fishing remains pluperfect
until the 100 backcountry lakes ice over. There are three heart-stopping
ski areas in the region, none of them for rank beginners. In fact, most
of the permanent residents report they came to Jackson for the skiing and
stayed for the lifestyle. The median age in Jackson is 31. There's no unemployment
in the area and the population of 20,000 permanent residents swells to
more than 3 million visitors per year. Most of them arrive in July or August..........................more
If you go to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, you had better plan
to be brave. Not just a little brave, but brave enough to try something
completely new, even if you
consider yourself an intermediate scaredy cat. Unless you are prepared for
adventure, there is little point coming this far across the Atlantic to Brokeback
Mountain country, where plenty of ski instructors ditch the bobble for a cowboy
hat, and the real McCoys still wear holsters in the grocery store................More
JACKSON WY-- Like helicopter skiing in Jackson Hole?
You're in luck. Bridger-Teton National Forest officials agreed to
allow
High Mountain Heli-Skiing 832 skier days per season, plus an additional
368 days "as
needed." But radical environmentalist Fred Smith, with the Jackson
Hole Conservation Alliance, said the presence of helicopters in the
pristine
area is
a "flagrant
violation" of the Wyoming Wilderness Act."
I personally believe this could affect the ability of the Palisades
to be listed as wilderness," he said, adding helicopters affect
wilderness qualities and wildlife.
New Colorado legislation protects resorts from ski-injury
lawsuits. Will the rest of the country follow?
"
If you break your neck jumping off a cliff, that’s your problem,” says
Vail-based freeskier and ski-film star Seth Morrison. “The
mountains aren’t responsible for a lack of common sense—skiers
are.” Morrison, 30, knows the meaning of “assumed risks” as
they apply to resort-skiing in the 21st century. The same has not
been true of the Colorado Skier Safety Act, which was passed in 1979,
long before terrain parks, halfpipes, fat skis, helmets, and the
phrase “huck your meat” came into vogue. But all that
is about to change. As of this season, a ski-at-your-own-risk amendment
to the CSSA will apply to every resort-skier in Colorado—whether
they’re sliding a rail, dropping a cliff, or slamming headfirst
into the bottom of a superpipe.
There can be few more spectacular settings
for a mountain resort than Wyoming's Jackson Hole, with the Teton mountains
towering above. Jackson Hole has ski runs suitable for skiers
of all abilities. Beginners and intermediates will find plenty of terrain
to suit their needs. Experts will be challenged by the 10,450-foot Rendezvous
Peak that has a myriad of terrain and snow to offer
Getting There
Jackson Hole is located in western Wyoming near the Idaho border and about
40 miles south of Yellowstone National Park. The resort is twelve miles
from the town of Jackson (the development at the base area is called Teton
Village) and 250 miles north of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Grand Targhee is located in
the Targhee National Forest at 8,000 feet in the high country of the
Tetons and it takes an
effort to get to. Famous for its elbow room and consistently superb ski
snow conditions that produces more than 500 inches of snow a year, Targhee
has two mountains to choose from.
500 inches of champagne powder a year!
Grand Targhee is your Powder Paradise,in the Heart of the Tetons! Ski
Magazine has called us, "A place that dumps!",
and in their 2002 and 2003 Reader Survey, we were ranked #2 in North America
for Snow. Skiing Magazine ranked us #2 for snow in their 25 Best Rankings for
snow. We consistently rank #1 and #2, along with Alta, UT. The 2003 Ski Magazine
Reader Survey ranked us #8 for value. Ski Magazine in their January 2003 issue
rated us the #3 Family
Getting There
Grand Targhee is located 40 miles north of Jackson, Wyoming, and 87 miles
east of Idaho Falls, Idaho. The Targhee Express provides regular bus service
between Targhee, the town of Jackson and Teton Village (home of the Jackson
Hole resort).
A
friendly alternative to glitzy Jackson Hole GRAND TARGHEE, Wyoming (AP) -- Bill Royall chose the University of Denver
so he could take the winter quarters off from school and hit the slopes.Grand
Targhee has an annual snowfall of nearly 500 inches, with up to 650 inches
in the whitest of winters.................................His powder-searching
ways continued after college, landing him in Vail for a few years before it
eventually became too crowded, too trendy. A move to Aspen ended with the same
claustrophobic result.
And so it went, Royall's quest for a quiet skiing sanctuary going on for years,
taking him to places like Steamboat Springs, Taos, Sun Valley. And it always
ended the same: moving out when the crowds moved in......................................The
nomadic journey seemed to come to an end about 20 years ago when he arrived in
Jackson, Wyoming, a place still oozing with that dusty-floor saloon charm of
the Old West.....................................But, like all the other ski
towns that had lured Royall with its charms, Jackson changed, attracting fuzzy-jacket-wearing
out-of-towners to the slopes and trendy shops with pricey paintings and sparkly
T-shirts lining the streets.
Then Royall found Grand Targhee.------------------------------ > More
Snow King Ski Area, nestled in the foothills of the Gros
Ventre Mountains and at the very edge of the town of Jackson, offers one
triple and two double chairlifts as well as a surface tow. The area is
open for day and night skiing and has an extensive snow making system covering
over 110 acres for reliable snow conditions. Founded in 1939, it was the
first ski area in Wyoming and one of the first in the United States
Getting There
Snow King ski area is located right on the edge of the town of Jackson,
which is 12 miles from the Jackson Hole resort.
Kelly Canyon offers a snowboard park that is well lit and does not
allow skiers in the area. Night skiing is allowed five nights a week.
Ski discounts to military personnel and college students.
Getting There
Kelly Canyon is located northwest of Idaho Falls, off Highway 26.
From Idaho Falls, take Hwy 26 to the Wyoming border and then head towards
Jackson Hole, WY, follow directional signs to Kelly Canyon Ski Hill.
The 1998/1999 season marked Pebble Creek Ski Area's 50th Anniversary.
Pebble Creek is a vertical playground that attracts extreme skiers/boarders,
but also offers plenty of variety for all skill levels. Located just
south of Pocatello, Pebble Creek plays host to 1,100 permitted acres,
45 runs, an abundance of annual snowfall and virtually non-existent lift
lines, which provide enough playful terrain for beginners or those demanding
an honest challenge. snowboards and Saturday night lessons.
Getting There
Pebble Creek is located 15 miles from Pocatello via I-15 south to the Inkom
exit, then 5 miles to the resort.
Sun Valley, the oldest destination
ski resort in the US, is entering its 64rd year of operation this
winter. Home of the world's
first chairlift
(and reportedly the first hot tub!), Sun Valley is truly a unique and classic
ski resort. Eighteen lifts (including seven high-speed detachable quads)
give Sun Valley a staggering uphill capacity of 28,180 people per hour,
keeping
lift lines
virtually non-existent. There are two ski mountains in Sun Valley, each
affording its own point of view. Bald Mountain can be accessed at River
Run on the south and
Warm Springs on the north.
Getting There
Sun Valley is located 160 miles west of Idaho Falls (3.75 hours), 100 miles east
of
Boise,
Idaho,
and
300
miles
north
of
Salt Lake City, Utah. Driving time from Boise is about 2 1/2 hours. Sun Valley
Village, at the base of Bald Mountain, is one mile from the town of Ketchum.
Big Sky Resort lies nestled in the heart of the Rocky
Mountains underneath majestic Lone Peak. In 1995/96, they added the Lone
Peak Tram to better
facilitate visitors for years to come. Surrounded by the Yellowstone
Ecosystem, there is nothing small about the area. The wonders of the
area are best
enjoyed from the rustic luxury the resort provides. Big Sky Resort has
some of the best snow on earth to ski on. Big Sky was rated #8 in North
America in Skiing Magazine's 2002 top spots.
Getting There
Big Sky is located in southwestern Montana, 43 miles south of Bozeman via
Highway 191 and about an hour north of Island Park Idaho Via Highway 20 then
north on
Highway
191from West Yellowstone Montana. Big Sky Resort is nearest to the Gallatin Field
Airport in Bozeman, Montana. This airport is approximately 45 miles N of Big
Sky. Should you choose to drive
to Big Sky, the resort is approximately 40 miles S of I-90. The turnoff is just
W of Bozeman, through the beautiful Gallatin Canyon. From the south, Big Sky
is 47 miles N of West Yellowstone on US Hwy 191.
A
friendly alternative to glitzy Jackson Hole
