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Rumour has it that Jackson Hole is legendary. Everyone has hear of Jackson’s wicked snow, gnarly terrain, and miles of backcountry. And everyone knows that Jackson is home to snowboarder Travis Rice, extreme skier Eric Roner, and film company Teton Gravity Research. But did you know that on an average day at the Jackson Hole Ski Resort there are only 1,750 skiers skiing on the 2,500 acres of terrain? That means that there is 1 and ½ acres per shredder. Yeah, Jackson Hole is that good.
Jackson Hole DNA
Address: P.O. Box 290, Teton Village, WY, 80325
Location: 19 km Northwest of Jackson, WY
Phone: 1-888-deep-sno/ 1-307-733-2297
Website: jacksonhole.com
Email: info@jacksonhole.com
Base elevation: 6,311 ft
Summit elevation: 10,450
Vertical drop: 4,100 ft
Skiable terrain: 2,496 acres
Number of Trails: 116
Terrain distribution: 10% beginner, 40% intermediate, 50% advanced/expert
Longest run: 7.2 km
Annual snowfall: 459 inches
Snowmaking: 160 acres (16% of resort)
Open/Close: November 28 – mid-April, 9:00am-4:00pm daily
Number of lifts: 12; 100 person tram, 8 pack gondola, 6 quads chairlifts, 2 triple chairlifts, 1 double chairlift, and a magic carpet
Parks: 2 parks, one beginner, one expert level. One Superpipe with rope-tow
Uphill capacity: 16,733 skiers/hour
Tickets: $61 adult, $38 senior, $36 junior
Snowboarder Jason Smith knows the landing is going to be soft. Photo: Tristan Greszko/JHMR
The Snow:
Over the past ten years, Jackson Hole has an annual snowfall of 459 inches, and because the high altitude, the snow is known to be of the fluffiest kind. Jackson Hole boasts 2,500 acres of in-bound terrain spread over two mountains, but has over 3,000 acres of easily accessible backcountry, and it’s some of the best slack-country in North America. If you do venture under the ropes, don’t be stupid about it. Take a beacon, probe, shovel, and a friend, and makes sure you know and understand the current avalanche conditions.
The Valley:
Jackson Hole’s valley is surrounded on the west by the Teton Range, and the Gros Ventre Range on the east. The area is located near two major national parks: The Grand Teton, and Yellowstone. Yellowstone is the world’s first national park, created in 1872, 18 years before Wyoming became a state. The valley is home to some high peaks, some good snow, and to 46th vice-president of the United States, Dick Cheney.
The Grand-indeed Teton Range. Tristan Gresko photo.
The Environment:
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort might be the most environmentally conscious resort in North America. The resort sells green lanyards at the ticket office, so when you buy a pass, pick up one of these green key chains for 10 bucks. All the money collected from the lanyard sales is donated to American Forests, and they’ll plant $10 worth of trees with the money. The effect is local too, as most of the trees are planted in the Great Yellowstone ecosystem. By 2015, the resorts hopes to reduces its total water consumption and solid waste generation by 5%, as well as reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 10%.
The History:
In 1961, local resident Paul McCollister began purchasing land at the bottom of Rendezvous Mountain. Over the next five years, McCollister formed the Jackson Hole Ski Corporation, and made plans for the mountain to become a prime ski area. With help from his partners Alex Morley and Gordon Graham, construction of the resort began in spring 1964. By the official opening day in 1966, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort spanned Redezvous and Apres Vous Mountains, and had a fully operation tram, getting 52 people to the summit of Rendezvous in 10.5 minutes. This tram was retired in 2006, but replaced in December 2008. The new tram can carry 100 passengers 4,139 vertical feet in nine minutes flat.
The legendery tram. Photo: Tristan Gresko/JHMR.
Events:
September 19th marks the world premier of TGR’s latest film Re:Sessions. Get stoked for the winter with this film. Jackson Hole host numerous events throughout the winter, such as a Super G slalom race, Dirk’s Ditch race, and a week-long mountain fest. The 2010 dates aren’t confirmed for some of the upcoming events, but be sure to check this for all the details as they come.
Skiing with a view. Photo: Focus Productions Inc.
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