A traveler's guide to Jackson Hole
Respect the rating on the map. Jackson Hole is famous for terrain that does not care whether you flew a long way.
Jackson Hole is the ski resort in Teton Village, Wyoming, under the Grand Teton. The aerial tram rises more than 1,200 meters, and Corbet's Couloir is the drop you look at from the top. The reputation is expert. The mountain also has groomed runs, which is how mixed groups survive a week here.
When to go
January through March. Cold is part of a January week in this valley. February and March ski the best for most people. The tram closes in wind and the mountain remains open below it. Powder days start early and the village parking tells you that before the snow report does.
On the hill
The tram is the icon and it unloads you into expert terrain, including the view of Corbet's. You do not have to ski Corbet's. You should not ski it because a friend joked about it. There are marked expert chutes and there are ordinary groomed blues lower down. Read the trail map the night before and agree, as a group, which morning is the tram morning. Side country outside the gates is avalanche terrain. A guide is the right call there.
Village and passes
Teton Village is the base, with the tram and the hotels at the lifts. The town of Jackson is about twenty minutes down the valley and has the wider restaurant list. Stay in the village if the first tram matters, or in town if the evenings do, and be honest about the drive on a snowy morning. The airport is in the valley and the approach is dramatic. Flights cancel in weather. Keep a buffer.
If you only remember this
- Look at Corbet's. Ski it only if it is honestly your run.
- The tram is optional. The lower mountain is a real ski day.
- Teton Village and the town of Jackson are a drive, not a walk.
- Wind can take the tram and leave you a good day below it.