Loyal to the King

Snow King Resort

Skier: Shroder Baker    Photo: Wade McKoy

     Back when I was a kid our gang practically lived on Snow King, riding the rope tow until it got dark, every day after school and all day on the weekends. We got raccoon eyes tanned onto our faces from wearing goggles so much.
     That ski hill kept us out of trouble for the most part, although we managed to get pretty rowdy. We learned how to cut line by squeezing around the edges of the slat fencing used to funnel up skiers at the base of the old lift shack, and we sang at the top of our lungs to the Tyrolean yodel music playing over the loudspeakers. The lift chairs had a pole in the middle, and we made a game of switching places by climbing around the pole. With our skis on, that got pretty gnarly sometimes. We watched for the snow to get deep enough and dared each other to jump off the lift. Sometimes it got so deep we could reach down and drag our ski tips.
     In those days, the now-famous annual Ski Swap was just a bunch of families trading used stuff around. We picked up some old wooden skis, which my dad then painted to look new, and a big, puffy down jacket two sizes too big so it would last a few years. That must be what kept us warm, because we all skied in blue jeans, which usually wound up soaking us to the bones.
Our folks always knew where to find us and that we were in good hands. Neil Rafferty greeted us everyday as he watched over his funky old lift—Wyoming’s first and, for the longest time, only chair lift. Bill Briggs gave us a nod while he assembled the instructors of his Great American Ski School. The ski patrol and lift operators all knew us too, so there were plenty of caring adults around.
     I still remember my first run and being really scared when I got off the lift at the first station halfway up the mountain. To a six-year-old, that slope looked steeper than Gramp’s hay stacks down in South Park. Before long, though, I was tucking it to the bottom of the hill.
     By and by, peer pressure drove us to the top station and the summit of Snow King, where the ultimate tough run, Exhibition, lay waiting. At our age, skiing that steep elevator ride was every bit as big a deal as jumping into Corbet’s Couloir would be once we got older.

Snow King's trails adjoin the town of jackson.   Photo: Woodall

     We never tired of skiing Snow King. In fact, the more we skied it, the fonder of it we became. It was our stomping ground, and we learned every little nook and cranny while training with Fast Eddy’s Ski Team and The Little Waxers. We built tiny jumps all over the place, and had hiding places and secret tree trails, sneaky little holes in the woods where you could make a couple of turns. We stormed the old gelandé next to the cemetery, a rat pack of kids in skiing’s hot dog era displaying a multitude of helicopters and flips, showing off in front of the old Ski Shelter–the hub of our society, our hangout, our place to drink hot chocolate and watch people ski.
     It’s still that way today. A few modifications have taken place—the gelandé is now called Jump Run and a new ice rink sits where the old shelter building used to be—but Snow King is still a gathering place for families and a hangout for kids (mine). The ski team still provides structure, and new programs such as the Snowboard Team and the Next Generation Skiers expand on that learning environment. Best of all, you still have the family attitude of the lift operators and ski patrol.
     That sense of community is further enhanced by Snow King’s apparent dedication to provide skiing as often as possible. Night skiing and the 2-Hour Lift Ticket create user-friendly scenarios for lunch runs, after-work runs, warm-up and cool-down runs, and one last run before a vacationer’s flight leaves for home. Early season skiing—kicked off by international ski-team training camps held at Snow King prior to the US World Cup Opener in Park City—is made possible by the diligence and snow-making expertise of the King’s crew, a very proud team.
     Homespun events like the Town Downhill—such a strong tradition that the years are marked by its passage—and special amenities such as the tube park bolster Snow King’s reputation as the “Town Hill.”
     European ski towns must feel like this. And though I haven’t been there yet, I bet the Europeans operate at a slower pace, turn the hype down a notch, and let you feel more relaxed. Just like at Snow King.
     One day last winter, when town got an eight-inch dump, it felt like Old Home Day at the town hill. I skied with people I’ve known all my life, including some of the old gang. We were all acting like kids again, egging each other on, run after run.
     Most of us still ski quite a lot, and as adults we’ve developed an intimate knowledge of our old stomping grounds. We have all, independently, cultivated personal and subtle variations of the same old trails.
     That day we designated each run to a different leader, whom the rest of us then followed. We skied fall-line powder runs, technical lines through tight trees, some of our old secret pockets and gullies, and the chalky groomers always present in the cold temperatures of the north-facing ski area. We learned each other’s favorite lines down Grizzly, Elk, Belly Roll, Exhibition, Kelly’s Alley, and Bearcat, rediscovering old friendships along the way.
     At the end of day, with the tired satisfaction emblematic of a great ski-day, I dug through an old box in the basement and found what I was looking for: a 1950s vintage ball cap with “I’m Loyal to the King” written across the front.
     That’s how I feel. Loyal to the “King.” After that day, I believe that’s how a lot of us feel.

By Wade McKoy, written from the remarks and insight of Jackson locals Leanna Scott and Paul Huser, who grew up skiing Snow King Mountain in the 1960s.

Jackson Hole’s First Winter Promotion

The painting was produced by Jacques Parker, who served during W.W.II in the U.S. Army’s ski troops, the legendary and elite 10th Mountain Division.
     In 1947 Jacques used his painting—one of 12 such pieces that he produced in the 1940s and 50s—to design this advertisement for the Jackson Hole Winter Sports Association. Commissioned by Jackson Hole’s Betty Woolsey, who was then managing editor of Ski Illustrated, the ad ran on that magazine’s back cover and was the first winter season promotion done in Jackson Hole. The originals are available to collectors and can be seen by contacting Jacques at 212-243-6416. The events were held on Snow King Mountain, which opened in 1939 when Neil Rafferty erected the first chair lift in Wyoming.
     Jacques is currently seeking sponsorship for a poster he designed commemorating the 10th Mountain Men and their contribution to the American ski industry.

Lift Tickets
     Two hours of skiing costs $17 for adults and $12 for juniors 14 and under and for seniors over 60. A full day cost $35 for adults and $25 for juniors and seniors. Lifts run from10 a.m. to 8 p.m., (or to 4 p.m. on Sunday and Monday when night skiing is closed). Half-day begins at 1:00, and costs $23 for adults, $15 for juniors and seniors. www.snowking.com
Night Skiing
     Skiing under the lights on the Rafferty and Cougar chair lifts costs $15 for adults and $10 for juniors and seniors.
Town Downhill
     There aren’t many ski areas in the U.S. where a citizen can strap on a helmet and run a downhill course. The race, training runs, and optional downhill-training camp are held on March 12-14. Cash prizes, a party, and an auction are all part of the festivities surrounding this ski-club event. Call 733-6433.

Great American Ski School
     Offering complete ski school services for skiing, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing, and directed by Bill Briggs (the first person to ski the Grand Teton), the school bases its teaching program, called the Certainty Training Method (CTM), on the premise that “function precedes form.” Call 734-3030.
Running Gates
     For information on Master’s and the Club Series racing (each available to the public as single events) call the JH Ski Club at 733-6433.
Tube Park
     $10/hr. for adults, $7/hr. for kids, open from 4 to 8 p.m. Mon-Fri, noon to 8 p.m. Sat-Sun and holidays.
Hire a Guide
     Call the Snow King Ski School at 734-3030 for guided skiing in all backcountry areas.

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