Beyond First Tracks
Need more from life than skiing? Try these alternatives.
Activities
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| Jackson Town Square Photo: Bob Woodall |
Paragliding—When the weather is clear and winds are light, tandem paragliding flights take off from the top of Rendezvous Mountain. The breathtaking experience requires no athletic ability, and the experienced pilots with Jackson Hole Paragliding can even help those with a fear of heights. They also offer flights from Grand Targhee and over Palisades Lake utilizing a tow-in system that allows pilots to gain altitude from a motorboat. Call 690-tram, or on-line at jhparagliding.com.
Elk Refuge—Ride a horse-drawn sleigh through thousands of elk wintering on the National Elk Refuge. Departing throughout the day from the National Museum of Wildlife Art just north of Jackson, the sleigh ride costs $15 for adults and $11 for children.
Hockey—The Jackson Hole Moose Hockey team plays full-check hockey in the Elite Senior A division of the USA Hockey Association. Teams travel from all over the country to play the Moose in their 22-home-game schedule. See the action Friday and Saturday nights at the Snow King Center. $6 for adults and $3 for children. Call 734-5300, or on-line at jacksonholemoose.com.
Ice Skating—The Teton County Parks and Recreation Department maintains three outdoor rinks open free of charge seven days a week, temperatures permitting. They are available for recreation when hockey or broomball games—and practices—aren’t scheduled. They’re lit from 6 to 10 p.m. and located at the base of Snow King Ski Area, in Wilson, and in Alta. Call 733-5056.
The indoor rink at the Snow King Center is open to the public for one-and-a-half-hour sessions that are scheduled around hockey practice and figure skating. Call 734-3000 for the daily schedule and prices.
Tubing parks—Tons of fun at Snow King, Mon.-Fri. from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., weekends from noon till 8 p.m. Adults pay $10/hr. or $14 for two hrs., kids 5 years old and up costs $7/hr. and $10 for two hrs.
At Grand Targhee the tubing begins at 5 p.m. daily. $8/hr. gets you up the hill on the Magic Carpet and down the sluice on the giant inner tube that’s provided. All riders must be four years of age or older.
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| National Elk Refuge Photo: Bob Woodall |
Snowshoeing—Grand Teton National Park offers a free ranger-led snowshoe hike at 2 p.m. every day from late December to March, weather and conditions permitting. Snowshoes are provided, and the rangers touch briefly on the lore of snowshoeing and the winter adaptation of plants and animals in the park. Groups cover the one-and-a-half miles along the river bottom in about two hours. Dress warmly, using the layer system, and wear warm footwear. For those who would prefer to wander around indoors instead of outdoors, the visitors’ center houses exhibits on the natural history of the park.
The snowshoe hikes leave from the Moose Visitors’ Center. No experience is necessary. Groups are limited to 20 adults and children over eight. Reservations are required. Call 739-3399.
Recreation Center—Located two blocks north of town square on 155 East Gill, Jackson’s rec. center has a gymnasium with a full-size basketball and volleyball court, an aquatic center, locker rooms, and a public meeting room. The aquatic center consists of an eight-lane, competitive workout pool; a therapeutic pool; a leisure-water pool; a hot tub; a water slide; a teaching pool; and sauna and steam rooms. Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m., Sunday. For daily fees, call 739-9025.
Dance Lessons—If you want to learn a little two-step or cowboy waltz, stop by the Cowboy Bar on Thursday evenings between 7:30-9 p.m. The Cowboy and the Dancers’ Workshop Country Western Dance Program sponsor free instruction to anyone showing up before the band hits the stage.
Grand Teton Music Festival—Gold Medalists from the world’s important competitions in piano, violin, and string quartet perform in these winter concerts. See pianist Stanislav Ioudenitch on January 17, violinist Barnabás Kelemen on January 30, and the Daedalus String Quartet on February 6. All concerts begin at 7:30 pm at Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village. For more information and to order concert tickets, please call the GTMF office at 733-1128, or online at www.gtmf.org
Events
Torchlight Parades
On Dec. 25 skiers at the Grand Targhee Ski Resort set the mountain aglow in a display of moving brilliance. Start time is weather dependent, usually 6:30 or 7 p.m. On Dec. 31 Snow King Ski Resort and Targhee each perform torchlight parades to celebrate the new year. A children’s torchlight parade is held at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
Moose Chase Ski-Skate
Hundreds of lycra-clad Nordic skiers race 25 kilometers from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Nordic Center to Teton Pines. Call 733-0296 to enter.
Shriners’ Cutter Races
You won’t want to miss the fun and excitement of this Western version of horse-drawn chariot racing. Teams run two abreast in a 1/4-mile sprint to the finish at the polo grounds south of Jackson. Teams are auctioned in a Calcutta wager before each heat, so high stakes and excitement mark this event.
Special Olympics
An annual event at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, these special athletes compete in both alpine and Nordic events, and all leave Teton Village feeling like winners. Come cheer for these special citizens.
Celebrity Ski Extravaganza
Jackson Hole continues its tradition of hosting this fun celebration. Connie Stevens and the staff of Jackson’s Community Entry Services Program (CES) join forces to raise money to support CES programs in Jackson and the surrounding communities.
Town Downhill
There aren’t many ski areas left where a citizen can strap on a helmet and run a downhill course. The race, training runs, and camp are held at Snow King. Cash prizes, a party, and an auction are all part of this ski club event. Call 733-6433.
Coney Classic
This 5k race on the XC center’s “dog loop” features competitors skiing or snowshoeing, towed by one-to-three dogs. An awards party follows and all proceeds go to PAWS and the Teton County Animal Shelter.
Life-Link Rondonee Rally
Modeled after the popular “Rallies” in Europe, this event requires skill and endurance, not to mention the right equipment. Using climbing skins and ski bindings that operate in both free- and fixed-heel positions, competitors repeatedly ascend and descend through a set course across Jackson Hole Resort’s legendary terrain. Call 739-2770.
Snowmobile Hillclimb
This year marks the 28th year for the World Championship Snowmobile Hillclimb held at Snow King Resort. Starting from the bottom of the resort’s steepest ski run, contestants throttle their way straight up the mountain and are judged according to how high they climb. Competitors come from all over the country to vie for “King/Queen of the Hill.” 734-9653 or www.snowdevils.org
Annual Pole Pedal Paddle
An annual rite of spring here in Jackson Hole. This four-discipline race starts at the summit of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and ends on the Snake River. Racers compete either individually or as teams in downhill and cross-country skiing, bicycling, and paddling on the 40-mile course. Call 733-6433.
International Pedigree® Stage Stop Sled Dog Race
A qualifying event for the Iditarod, the 500-mile, 8-day race through Wyoming’s backcountry attracts champion teams from France, Japan, Canada, and the U.S. The “dog-friendly” race stops in a different Wyoming community each night, allowing dogs and mushers to rest. Title sponsor Pedigree Food for Dogs posts daily race pictures, Postcards from the Trail, at pedigree.com, and donates to animal shelters for each visitor to the site during the race. For more info: go on-line to wyomingstagestop.org or e-mail wystagestop@blissnet.com.
The Jackson Hole Skier is a free visitors’ guide published annually and distributed at hundreds of locations throughout Jackson Hole, Cody, and other regional communities. To receive a copy in the mail, send $5 to Jackson Hole SKier, P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001.
Copyright 2004 by FPI (Focus Productions, Inc)., P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publishers.
Publishers: Bob Woodall & Wade McKoy, dba Focus Productions, Inc. (FPI)
Editors: Mike Calabrese, Wade McKoy, Bob Woodall
Art Direction & Ad Design: Janet Melvin
Advertising Sales:
JACKSON: Ike Faust, 307-690-5908, 307-733-6995 email: mail.focus@wyom.net
DUBOIS & PINEDALE: Janet Melvin 307-733-6995
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