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Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Ski maps, with their bright squiggly lines and happy piste names (Sundance, Moose Alley) always make the mountains look appealing. You look at those tempting black diamonds, so colourfully named (Dog Face, Cascade, Paint Brush) and think, hey, they don’t look so difficult. This’ll be fun.

From the base of JHMR, looking up at the steep face of Rendezvous Mountain, more knee-shaking names (Avalanche, Thunder, Surprise) spring to mind. Closer inspection of the ski map reveals only 10% beginner runs. It all seems like a really bad idea.

The base area is abuzz. Locals don helmets, excited skiers squeeze into the tram, others line up for the gondola, and still more strut around looking for their companions, walking in that special way that only ski boots can make you; like you’re severely constipated.

In the gondola, nervous words are exchanged. A couple of middle aged snowboarders are talking like stoned teens, while a telemarker quietly surveys the slopes, an anxious smile on his face. It is agreed between us that strong alcohol is beneficial on a winter’s day and, in the absence of a St. Bernard, a skier produces a hip flask. After a nip of courage the runs don’t look so steep. On exiting the gondola it is a different story. The view of the Tetons and the surrounding valley is spectacular. Given that there is no easy way down the mountain from here, the best thing to do is just sit down and enjoy the view.

But like any fear, once you get past it, you wonder what it was that made you so scared. JHMR leaves other North American resorts for dead in the overcoming of fears. The terrain is steep but so rewarding, so vastly unpopulated and un-skied, and so void of the neon jumpsuits and fur-lined boots crowd. And while the terrain is eye-popping, it’s the snow that has everybody talking; that dry, desert powder that falls in clumps and rarely turns to ice.

Rendezvous and Apres-vous mountains offer 2,500 acres of terrain accessible via gondola, tram, 6 quads, a triple and a double chair, with a maximum vertical rise of 1,261m. Especially good is the Apres-vous high-speed quad, which conquers 600m of vertical in 5 minutes and offers some of the resort’s tamer runs, which would be considered difficult anywhere else.

The Mangy Moose in Teton Village is the place to brag about your day’s exploits. There isn’t much of an aprés ski scene in the village but what there is of it can be found at the Moose. There are many fine restaurants inside the more upmarket resorts (including the only on-mountain Four Seasons in North America), but by 10pm the village is deserted as everyone sleeps early to be at full strength the following day.

Facts
Season: Early December to mid April
Annual snowfall: 1000cm
Lifts: 63 passenger tram, 8 passenger gondola, 2 high speed quads, 4 quads, 2 triples, double
Terrain: 2,500 acres, 10% beginner, 40% intermediate, 50% advanced
Elevation: Teton Village – 1,924m, Rendezvous Mountain – 3,185m
Prices (US$): adult $70, 15-21 years $56, junior/senior $35
Services: ski/snowboard rental, cross-country skiing, complimentary mountain hosts.
Location: 14 kilometres north west of Jackson. It is possible to stay in Jackson and take public transport to Teton Village. Jackson Airport is 12 kilometres north from the town with daily service to Salt Lake City, Denver, Minneapolis and Chicago.
Information and reservations: www.jacksonhole.com, www.jhsnow.com

Snow King Resort
The sky is deep blue, and it’s snowing; glittery flakes drifting down to earth like small flecks of angel dust. An eagle soars overhead as we ride the Summit Chair, a rickety old school double (there’s talk of a high-speed quad), to Panorama House. At the top, the view is breathtaking. The town of Jackson spreads out below, with large herds of elk beyond it, and the majestic peaks of the Tetons as the backdrop. Wyoming’s first ski area still has a lot to offer.

Again, the key word here is steep; the ski map is covered with black squiggles. There is no easy way down from the Summit Chair, which gains 550m of vertical in a rather long 10 minutes. Everyone is looking forward to the high-speed quad, though the resort has made no promises.

It may never come and the locals are happy with that, for Snow King, located in Jackson, is the locals’ ski hill. Folks come up in the morning for a few runs before work, or in the afternoon for those last few runs before the lifts close. Season passes are affordable and all the tourists are at JHMR, leaving vacant slopes and much untouched terrain.

Snow King’s appeal lies in its price ($35), its lack of numbers, and its proximity to Jackson. Here, you can ski the steep terrain at your leisure, always stopping to enjoy the views, and then coming out again at night for some night skiing.

Facts
Season: Late November to late March
Lifts: triple, 2 doubles
Terrain: 400 acres, 15% beginner, 25% intermediate, 60% advanced
Elevation: Jackson: 6,237 feet, Panorama House 7,808 feet
Prices (US$): adult $35, junior/senior $25
Services: ski/snowboard rental, snow tubing, back country skiing, indoor ice rink
Information and reservations: www.snowking.com


A Day off in Jackson
This cowboy town makes an excellent diversion from the slopes. If you’re in the market for a pair of boots or keen to line dance, you’ve come to the right place. The quaint wooden sidewalks clunk with the stomp of boots and a myriad of cowboy-themed shops lure you inside with western art, animal photographs and tasteful ten-gallon hats.

Winter is a great time to enjoy Jackson. The town is in a lull, recovering from a busy summer of road trippers en route to Yellowstone, while bracing for the next. It’s a peaceful time, a cowboy’s winter paradise with high snow banks, white ghosts for trees, and every bar with bat-wing doors.

A visit to the National Museum of Wildlife Art, 4km north of town, is a must. This excellent museum displays wildlife paintings, sculpture and photography, and also overlooks the National Elk Refuge, home to some 7,500 elk. There is a viewing platform with telescopes, while sleigh rides into the herd leave from the museum.

Other ways to while away time in Jackson include a visit to the Cowboy Bar, which has live music, country and western I believe, and saddles for bar stools. Don’t miss Bubba’s Family Restaurant, where a $10 plate of baby back ribs will result in gastronomical delight or a heart attack.

Sleep early for tomorrow is another big ski day.

Information and reservations: www.jackson.com

Grand Targhee Ski Resort
This awe-inspiring resort is fast becoming North America’s worst kept secret. The clouds gather around the peaks of the Tetons, dumping almost twice as much snow as at JHMR; people know that now. And the recent addition of a high speed quad to Peaked Mountain, before only accessed by cat-skiing, has opened up acres of powder skiing that was before the right of the exclusive. Word is spreading.

You know you’re in for a powder day when waiting in line for the lift, you see people carrying the widest skis produced. One man looks like he has two snowboards strapped to his feet. The powder areas are like wide open fields, not too steep, enabling you to make turns at your leisure, spraying clumps of fluffy snow in both directions. Oh yeah, even a mug from Australia can be a hero on this mountain.

The powder area running off the Blackfoot double chair is especially good. It is open and relatively un-skied for most head to the top of Fred’s Mountain or take the Sacajewa quad to Peaked. It’s possible to work Blackfoot all day if the other peaks weren’t so tempting.

Access to Targhee remains a problem. It’s a one hour drive from Jackson, which includes going over the hairy Teton Pass, closed when the weather is bad. When all is said and done, it’s easier to go to JHMR, where there’s lots of snow and the skiing’s good. But if you make the effort and get to Targhee, you won’t be disappointed.

Facts
Season: Late November to mid April
Annual Snowfall: 1300cm
Lifts: 2 high speed quads, 1 quad, 1 double
Terrain: 2000 acres, 1000 acres of cat skiing
Elevation: Base 8000ft, Fred’s Mountain 10,200ft Prices: Adult $55, junior $34, senior $35
Services: ski/snowboard rentals, cross country skiing, cat skiing ($299 including lunch and beverages).
Information: www.grandtarghee.com

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