A Skier’s Dream
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
by Shelley Simonton
photos by Wade McKoy
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| A local posse of snowboarders rides first tracks on Four Pines in the resort backcountry of Jackson hole. |
The alarm pulled its daily, 6:30 a.m. prank, jolting me out of perfectly good sleep. Work is not one of my top-ten reasons to get out of bed, but I’m addicted to the paycheck and health insurance. On this particular morning I half-noticed the solid white ground cover outside our front window. After chugging a cup of coffee, it hit me that I’d have to shovel the driveway, adding precious time to my already tight morning routine. Even so, I procrastinated by watching the local weather with my fiancé Matt, mugs in hands, sleepies in our eyes.
“Quite a storm we got last night,” the over-exuberant weather guy started, as usual. “The Village is reporting more than eighteen inches.”
Had I just been shot? I couldn’t breathe. The husband-to-be didn’t speak either, but I know I heard him say, “I’ll go if you’ll go.”
Matt and I have an all-American life—regular jobs, two cars, a house, two dogs, gear, and life insurance—with a Jackson Hole twist: our struggles lie with those random, during-the-work-week, only-a-few-times-in-a-lifetime powder days. On those days, driving to work instead of driving to Teton Village hurts as bad as impaling yourself on an elk antler.
We had lots of those mornings last winter, and though we sometimes wound up with stomach aches (see previous sentence), the frequent snows seemed like an old friend come back to visit. Prolonged, dark-clouded storm cycles with thousands of miles of wind, the likes of which we haven’t seen for a few years. Once those storms arrived, they got stuck on the Tetons and gave our five-year drought some competition. The upper mountain benefited most, with regular daily reports of more than five inches, occasionally a foot, and one 18-incher that had Matt and me scrambling to get off work (thus avoiding antler impalement).
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Rick Armstrong remembers that storm cycle, too. Rick and I share a funny story or two, but that’s where our sharing ends. When it comes to skiing, “Sick Rick” is legendary, while I’m more pedestrian. He’s been in countless ski movies, featured in the pages of every skiing magazine, and—along with several other Jackson ski gurus—is one of the reasons extreme skiing has become as well known as “Rossignol.”
“We were trying to shoot [a ski movie] and didn’t see the sun for three weeks,” he said. “Fine. Better anyway. There was an outrageous good local vibe to it, with some depressing moments in the middle,” Armstrong continued, referring to the tragic death of local ski-icon and friend Steve Haas. “But those times only made the locals come together. Brought the vibe down to the real deal.”
Rusty Scotti, a season-pass holder since 1978, keeps a journal of temperatures, snow conditions, runs, and other noteworthy information. “The Village had their busiest day ever on Saturday, February 9,” said Rusty. “The Friday before was a blizzard, and the tram blew down (closed due to high winds) at 1 p.m. We skied all day, mainly lower faces off Thunder. A bunch of us met at the Hobacks at 4 p.m. and they were still untracked.
“Occasionally we’d go out of bounds, but for me, when they opened the gates it just meant it was quieter in-bounds. I’m more into vertical,” Rusty continued. “Corbet’s opened on the first of February. Everybody always talks about that.”
No doubt, last winter was a season of “whooppeesss!!” I remember coming over the top of Grand, heading down Tram Line well ahead of my adrenaline, and out of the deepest recesses of my stomach came a holler from a person I’d never met. On the lifts, I watched young and old guys and gals soar off of rocky buttresses and snow-laden cliffs, arms in the air, smiles under goggles. One fogged-in day going up Sublette chair, a couple of us saw someone’s dad come down Alta Zero, disappear completely into a white pile at the bottom, and ski out. I wish I had known where he was staying—his family would have enjoyed our eyewitness account.
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| Joel Tate makes his mark on the signature TGR line over The Cave. |
One stormy Saturday, Sublette blew down and my girlfriends and I spent the afternoon doing laps on the “C Pass Traverse.” Every time we dropped into Bird-in-the-Hand, everything became silent and motionless. That side of the mountain protects itself from northern winds and fills in like sand dunes in a big storm.
Yo-yoing the Bridger Gondola is always an excellent choice for powder and a warm rest. The gondola gets used mainly as transport to the upper mountain, and the people actually skiing it usually head for the groomers. We’d point it directly under the Gondola, and down Ranger for a nearly private run. The warm ride up allowed us barely enough time to rejuvenate the burning lungs and thighs, but at least we weren’t one of the cold souls hunkered into their neck gaiters on a chair lift.
People skiing Aprés Vous got plenty of good runs last year, and I’m sure they don’t want anyone to know. We took the high traverse towards Casper, and dropped in on the lower Moran Faces, and were thrilled at how much still sat vulnerable. Secret Slope and even just under the lift offered excellent steep, consistent terrain. Aprés Vous Mountain alone is bigger and more challenging than many entire ski areas. The lines moved fast and the lifties were great.
“All in all it was a good year,” ski patroller and former TGR skier Kevin Brazell said. “I had a great late-afternoon run into horseshoe couloir. I remember too when [Rendezvous] Bowl opened—it was two-and-a-half to three feet of new, really dry snow, on a firm base. Over your head.”
To get to Rendezvous Bowl, though, you’ve got to ride the tram. It’s no secret that standing in the tram line on a powder day, unless you’ve been there since the graveyard shift, can be futile. Testosterone and anxiety always electrically charge the deck, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the best snow on the mountain. The top can be wind-scoured, completely fogged in, dangerously cold, and so windy you get pushed backwards. That’s part of the fantastic mystique and surge of confidence you get from skiing Jackson. You just don’t know, and only you can decide the risk of standing in the maze. But if you take the chance and hit Rendezvous Bowl on a big snow day, if it’s you who curls the first turns up there, if you come ripping over the crest before bottom is visible, if you feel the mass of snow against your hips or higher, then you’ll probably start looking here for a place to live.
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| Jamie Sundberg carves creamed corn on the Crags. |
AJ Cargill, one of Jackson’s best-known female free-skiers, said that Central Chute [on Cody Peak] was skiing really well for a long time. “I skied out of bounds more than normal because after the [unstable] cycles the base was stable,” said AJ. “I got really familiar with Casper Bowl, Shot 12.”
She reminded me how last season ended—how it ends most years. “Conditions were so good past closing. It’s a great heartbreak to not ride the lift anymore. Closing day we skied powder!”
But all things good must end, only to begin again—like my (hopefully lucky) thirteenth season skiing the Big One. Having now read this story, you should be primed to take on Jackson Hole, regardless of the conditions. Hopefully, we’ll be blessed with another drought-buster, endless storm cycle, or at least some good snow of any sort. Because when it comes down to where the edges meet the ice, skiing any day, any conditions, is always better than doing pretty much anything else.
Shelley Simonton grew up in Cody, Wyoming, skiing Jackson Hole on vacations and Sleeping Giant and Red Lodge on the weekends. One night a week you can find her skinning up Snow King after work with her girlfriends. And even at age 35, she still dreams of taking a year off HERE to ski every day, every condition.
JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN RESORT ACTIVITIES & PROGRAMS
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| Skier: AJ Cargill |
Mountain Hosts
Jackson Hole Mountain Hosts lead complimentary orientation tours for intermediate-level skiers. The tours depart the Mountain Hosts meeting place daily at 9:30 a.m. Additional tours for advance/expert clientele leave the top of Rendezvous Bowl on the hour, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Alpine Guides
Experience the European-style, off-piste access to world-class, out-of-bounds terrain by hiring an alpine guide. Learn to use an avalanche transceiver and how to safely travel in a group. Consider attending one of the Backcountry Camps if you wish to learn more. Want to get completely away from the resort? Try a guided trip to Teton Pass.
Snowshoe Tours
Follow the Saddlehorn Snowshoe Trail through the woods beneath Granite Ridge, guided by a naturalist who can help you understand winter ecology, animal tracks, and signs and natural history of the area. Great for the whole family.
Winter Naturalist Program
For those with a track pass, this free snowshoe tour leaves the Nordic Center at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday (snowshoe rental available). For those with a lift ticket, alpine tours leave the top of Apres Vous at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday. Topics include winter ecology and adaptations, human and natural history, public and private land use, and avalanche awareness.
Mountain Sports School
Snowboarders, Nordic skiers, and alpine skiers of all ages and ability levels can benefit from hiring a professional instructor or an alpine guide. Services include private and class lessons, children's programs, and the popular Learn to Turn, Turn it Up, and Mountain Masters programs. Take advantage of the backcountry & alpine guides, Wild West Adrenaline Camps and race clinics, or the Team Extreme program for ages 12 through 17. Learn about special classes such as Adaptive Skiing. For information or reservations call 1-800-450-0477, 739-2663, or e-mail the Mountain Sports School at mountainsports@jacksonhole.com. Check it out in detail online at www.jacksonhole.com.
Saddlehorn Activity Center & Jackson Hole Nordic Center
Ski the widest skate lanes in the valley. 22 km are groomed daily with a Bear Track LMC. Ski rentals and professional instruction are available for cross-country, skate, and Telemark skiing. Special programs include Nordic Ski Fitness sessions, snowmobile tours to Yellowstone, and overnight guided tours to the Rock Springs Yurt. Your downhill ski-pass can be exchanged for a Nordic trail-pass. Call 739-2629 or email nordic@jacksonhole.com.
Nature Ski Tours in Grand Teton National Park
Cross-country ski with a naturalist/guide beneath the majesty of the Teton Range. The user-friendly flats to Jenny Lake or the hills around Bradley and Taggart Lakes offer something for everyone. Tour includes lunch (full day), transportation, XC-ski instruction, and natural history interpretation.
Groups
Schedule complimentary hospitality parties for groups of 25 or more. Arrange for reasonably priced Bar-B-Q picnics at the Casper Restaurant picnic area (not accessible to beginner skiers/ snowboarders). Call 739-2732 for reservations.
Guest Services
In the Clock Tower Building next to the ticket windows, ask the friendly staff for daily snow conditions, grooming reports, weather information, and lost-and-found. For assistance with activities on and off the mountain, from snowmobiling to dinner reservations, stop by from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or call 739-2753.
Vertical Foot Club
Pick up a "Ski The Big One" scorecard at the Guest Service Center or any ticket window and keep track of the vertical feet you ski. Become a lifetime member of the Jackson Hole Vertical Foot Club by skiing 100,000 feet in a week. Prizes and certificates for 300,000, 500,000, and 1,000,000 feet are also awarded in this program conceived by Harry Baxter in the 1970s.
Dogsled Trips
Experience the thrill of cruising behind a team of dogs. Huskies and malamutes whisk you through open meadows with spectacular mountain views. Bred as sled dogs, their chief desire in life is to pull.
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
CODY: Guy & Barb Hull 307-527-7808