 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking for advice please.
I want to plan a trip to the states next year for about 4 - 6 people. We want to do backcountry and intend hiring a guide for a week / 10 days to ensure that we make the most from the terrain and conditions.
I'm looking for suggesttions as to:-
Where in the states is the best place to go, to give a good variety of back country skiing. I assuming that we will have a car, so we could travel between resorts.
What time of the year is best to go, to avoid school holidays and get the best conditions.
Recommendations for guides and your experience of using them.
Any travel tips.
Any accomodation recommendations
Some in our group like an active night life, i prefer to chill and perhaps have a local bar to spend the evening in. But it is the ski-ing that is most important.
Quite happy to supply further info if it helps.
Thanks in advance
Bod.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Jackson Hole - Bob Peters is the man.
Alta.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to decide on Yurt camping with the Backcountry or merely day trips there are several Yurt options in the West and other options around Nelson BC which has the highest concentration of cat ski options, it just depends on what your group wants night life or the glow from a fireplace in a Yurt. Any Backcountry mag is full of adds, and several did articles on hitting various passes.
You can just hit Teton Pass out of Jackson Hole which gives you day trips and night life with extensive backcountry.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Check areas where resorts have open or gated access - slackcountry touring can be a viable option going not that far out of bounds. Some resorts make this a no-no but others are more reasonable.
For timing I'd have thought March is a decent bet for accrued snowpack, long days, decent prospect of good visibility plus snowfall.
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bloxy
bloxy
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I would concur with Fox.
Jackson Hole has great back country skiing accessible from boundary area gates off Rendezvous Peak which used to be accessed by the tram (Cable Car) but is serviced by a chairlift until the replacement is completed. Gives you lots of height gain before heading out. It's also a great area for steep and interesting inbounds skiing.
We did a great day with a guide on Alpine gear with some boot packing and side step traversing in to some great ares.
If you fancy doing quite a bit get the proper gear, Transceiver, shovel & probe etc. You will find they are cheaper in the States or look at https://www.telemark-pyrenees.com
Guides can cater for groups on AT gear or Alpine gear, you can book them trough the ski school office. Take a look on the Jackson Hole website.
There is also other areas such as Teton pass.
Look at Exum Guides Website for details of guiding around Jackson Hole and Utah.
Take a look on Epic Ski Forums for Bob Peters (as mentioned by Fox) post's on Jackson Hole.
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I agree with WTFH and Bloxy. JH not only has a lot of good skiing which would be considered off-piste in Europe inside the resort, but also has both lift-serviced and hikeable back-country skiing from the main hill, and a range of other Back country options away from the resort hill. There is also Cat-skiing I believe at Togwotee pass as well as at Grand Targhee about an hour away.
bloxy, have you skied teton Pass? Someone in JH last week told me there might be a shuttle bus on it soon.
pinhead, I am guessing that you know a lot more about this given your location - care to share some secrets? Wyo route 22 appears to be a bit of a cult. I suspect you are a Telemarker and made of tougher stuff than us slacker downhill/touring types. Yurts don't have room service, which rules them out for me...
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SB, Yes I have skiied Teton Pass, both sides of the road offer great hiking and there is a large variety of choices. You can ski down and hike up or ski down to the hwy and hitch for a ride it doesn't take long. I took my avalanche training on this pass as the American Avalanche Institute is based in JH. I have more special spots, and didn't usually drive to the pass to ski with the hordes. You need to be there early as the parking is limited and it fills up quickly especially on weekends.
As to JH the hill yes it is a lot of Mtn. and you can find some very extreme skiing especially when you drop from the top down through the hobacks 4000' of vert and some great steeps and on good days Pow. Before they ripped out the tram you could hit the gondola instead and cram in some skiing while everyone was busy standing in line, got in over 10,000' of foot deep pow one day before others figured that out. Mangy Moose is also a great after ski party bar lots of great music.
Couloir Mag issue XIX #1 has a destination guide for Backcountry Travel covers all huts in N. America.
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