Jackson Hole
From snowheads
A Truly Great Resort - but where is it and how did it start?
Jackson Hole is really the name of a valley in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is located in west-central Wyoming, and gets the name "hole" from early trappers who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend down into the valley along relatively steep slopes, giving the sensation of entering a hole. The valley is named after David (Davey) Edward Jackson, a mountain man who trapped the area for beaver in the early nineteenth century. Though used by Native Americans for hunting and ceremonial purposes, the valley was not known to harbor year-round human settlement prior to the 1870's. Descriptions of the valley and its features were recorded in the journals of John Colter, who had been a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. After returning to the Rocky Mountains, Colter entered the region in 1806 in the vicinity of Togwotee Pass and became the first white American to see the valley. His reports of the valley, the Teton Range and of the Yellowstone region to the north were viewed by people of the day with skepticism. No prizes for guessing how the name Tetons arose...
Grand Teton National Park occupies the north-western part of the valley along with the mountains for which the park is named.The average altitude of the valley is over 6,500 feet. The Town of Jackson, Wyoming, is at the southern end of the valley and has steadily enlarged over the last 20 years, and perhaps become a little bit too sophisticated. Not for nothing is this the home town of Dick Cheney, the current VP. Sandra Bullock and Harrison Ford have houses in the area. Bigger more sophisticated hotels have arrived, with interior decorators shops, but it remains a place you can stay and eat very cheaply or alternatively, very expensively. Because the town is also where thousands stay in Summer to view Yellowstone Park and scare wildlife with their unfeasably large motorhomes, winter is actually almost the off-season for the town. Arnie Wilsonwho posts on snowHeads sometimes is a notable UK devotee. Note however that it is still possible to visit Yellowstone Park in Winter, either via Snowmobile day trips or staying at accomodation in the Park itself, and many would say that Winter is the best time of year to visit to see wildlife.
The main Ski Hill is at Teton Village, a 20 minute drive from the town of Jackson, which has its own small "local" hill - (? for local people...) called Snow King, a few blocks from the Town Square. This leads to the second decision about your holiday to JH. The first is how you get there...
How to get there...
There are lots of flights in from a range of airlines these days, but you are not going to be flying direct from the uk... you will have at least one transfer. The key issue here is how much you like being delayed at Denver or O'Hare, or whether you would rather come in from an airport where they did not have to de-ice the planes before take off... Coming in from Dallas DFW is highly recommended, and the American Airlines flights from LGW and LHR do currently allow sufficient time for you to clear yourself and your baggage through Customs, Agriculture and Immigration (which can take a total of 2 hours) on the way into the US. This is done at your airport of entry into the US, and can be a bit more frenzied at O'Hare. If you are unsure if you will easily make the transfer pack your ski boots in your hand luggage. Not all luggage going via O'Hare or Denver always makes the connections, and the baggage people at JH airport are very used to handing out vouchers for one day's ski hire...
JH airport is bigger than it used to be in the turbo-prop only days, but it is still a walk-to-the-terminal operation, so wear something warm on your final leg (that sounds a bit Heather Mills-McCartney - doesn't it?). One of the best bits however is that it is only a 20 minute drive or taxi to Jackson, so really you should regard your onwards flight to JH as being a bit like a rather faster transfer bus... There are taxis and shuttle buses, and also all the usual car hire outfits. The road to Jackson, and on to Teton Village is fairly flat and snow-ploughed frequently.
Where to stay
Back to question 2. Town, Hill or somewhere between? Everyone has a different answer. There are dozens of places, from the Amanganiat the top end, out of town and on a hill facing the Tetons, down to the positively plebian. The JH website lodging section has a pretty good list of those in and around the town. In the 2006/7 season, it is perfectly easy to get a small hotel suite with beds for 4 (2 on a queen sized sofa bed) with a real fire, and "continental breakfast" for about $120 a night, in town. In terms of convenience for the town centre the Ranch Inn is hard to beat. But if you want more luxury or swimming pools etc, there are lots of options. Out at the hill used to be a poor option, but this has really changed in the last few years. However, if shopping or eating out is high on the agenda, you will be visiting town a lot, so why not stay there?
The Skiing
This map is reproduced with permission and thanks to the emarketing division of JHMR
Those of you who know the resort will see that the famous tram is no longer on the map, although it should be back in 2008. In the meantime there is a new chair up the East Ridge to allow access to the tram-oly territory
For more detailed maps see:
Rocks... but more of that later...
The Eating
There are so many eating choices. In the town they include the Cadillac Grille and the Million Dollar Cowboy bar, 2 Thai restuarants, Sushi, Chinese, a few Italian restaurants, several "fine-dining establishments, but there is a Dairy Queen, and cheap joints all over the place. Everyone should try Bubba's BBQ... need one say more. Finish anything here and get lifetime "Lardy" membership. The organic juice and telemark ski brigade have a number of vegetarian and healthy options.
Sadly Lejays 24 hour diner has gone. It used to have "The Larry Turner special" a truly great feast named after a man who died eating it...
