 Poster: A snowHead
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Many thanks to those who gave me invaluable advice before the trip... It was BRILLIANT! So I thought I'd write a review as there doesn't seem to be much on here that is up to date.
The party consisted of me, my boyfriend and his two boys (14 and 9). The boys had 3 weeks experience prior to this trip and we're getting into more challenging back country stuff. We went for just under 2 weeks - 12 nights, 11 days, of which 10 days were skiing.
We flew BA via Dallas to Jackson Hole, which is long, but a pretty straightforward flight - about 16h in total. We hired a car, as we had decided to stay in Jackson town itself (about 25 mins from the airport and 15-20 mins drive from the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort at Teton Village) so as to have more dining options / things to do in the evening. This was a good call. The bus was handy as a back-up when we split up for the day a couple of times, but takes quite a long time and costs $3 a day each way. There is a very clear timetable though, so if you did want to rely on the bus, it's very efficient, but I'd definitely recommend a car unless you're planning to stay in Teton Village. Jackson is a real American town, so a car is essential! Best to get a 4x4 - we really appreciated the extra control on the snow.
We stayed in The Alpine House http://alpinehouse.com/ which I can HIGHLY recommend to anyone. They do amazing breakfasts, the staff are really friendly and lovely, there are a couple of cosy nooks and crannies to sit in, e.g. the sofas by the honesty bar, and there's a little sitting room/library with a fire. They leave you freshly made cookies every afternoon and there is tea and coffee available at all times. The walls are covered by inspirational pix of the exploits of the owner (a Winter Olympian biathlete who is also one of N America's best climbers according to our guide. His wife is an Olympian too). We stayed in the kitchenette room which has a massive and v comfy double bed, with ensuite bathroom and a living room with a large sofa bed (which the kids slept on), as well as a little kitchen. We cooked a few times which made a nice change from restaurants. It was just about the right size for us - you might struggle in that room with 2 couples though. There is also a sauna and you could book massages though we didn't get round to that.
The hotel is located about 2 blocks from the main town square, where the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar with its saddle bar stools is located. That was actually a bit of a disappointment - they are pretty sniffy about kids in there. They allow them, but not on the saddles, and it's all done very reluctantly. The Wort Hotel has an amazing restaurant (we had Xmas dinner there), and everywhere else we ate was also genuinely good. Bubba's does great ribs/burgers etc, at a v reasonable price, and the White Buffalo hotel restaurant was delicious. Shogun Sushi too. There is a comprehensive dining guide that is widely available that tells you all about all the options for eating out, which is very useful. It's not cheap though in Jackson. Even the supermarkets were pretty pricy. And everywhere closes incredibly early - which is fine when you're jetlagged at the beginning of the trip, but a bit of a pain later on for those who prefer later 'European' hours.
We bought ski passes online for about half price before the trip. If you're going for any length of time, this is definitely worth doing. We bought ours from 'American Ski Classics'. JH have quite a cool system where you buy the number of days that you want to ski and it gives you them over a longer period. E.g. we bought 10 days out of 14, so we skied 10 of our 11 days, but could have stayed longer and done other things on the other days. Just a bit of added flexibility. The downside of the ski passes is that they are based on a bar code, so you have to wear them on your jacket to get beeped each time you get on a lift, which is more of a pain than the smartcard system that most European resorts seem to have now.
If you're staying in Jackson and driving to the Village, you can park next to the lift for $15 a day, or free in The Ranch Lot which is a bit further away. There's a really cool and very efficient red bus system that takes you to the bottom of the lift. So use this unless you're running late e.g. for ski school - it's really easy.
It had dumped just before we got there, but, like any famous 'gnarly' resort, any untracked powder disappeared almost immediately. But there was loads of soft stuff to play around with for several days before the inbounds part of the mountain started to turn into defined moguls where it hadn't been pisted. The best bit of the whole mountain is the Rendezvous Bowl, which is just at the top of the Tram cable car - a massive, open bowl with incredible views and beautiful snow. The announcement on the Tram states each time it's for 'experts only' - but it's not really that hard. If you can manage a bit of uneven snow / moguls / tracked powder (depending on the conditions) you'll be fine. It's not that steep, and it's very open. The kids did it for the first time about half way through the holiday. There are also some really easily accessible couloirs (marked as black runs on the piste map!) and easy hiking up the 'Headwall' that's within the resort boundary so has been blasted. I did that and got fresh tracks on Christmas day which was brilliant.
Compared with European resorts, it's quite small. There are only 12 lifts - a cable car, a gondola, and the rest are chairs with one or two rope tows for the little ones / total beginners. The vertical drop, although it's the largest in the US, is only about 1000m. However, we were more than catered for by the variety during our stay, and didn't get bored at all. The stories I've read about it being bad for intermediates are no longer true. They've put in a couple of new lifts and bought some new piste bashers, so there are more than enough decent blues and reds (called double blues here) to keep you happy. There are 4 'stash parks' made of natural features which the kids loved, and at least 2 terrain parks (one operational and the other being built while we were there) and later in the season there will be a half pipe. Like most N American resorts there aren't really any pisted blacks - they just leave those alone and they turn into moguls. But for some reason they seem to be a lot more fun than European moguls... As a confirmed mogul-hater, I was really enjoying the challenge by the end of the trip. Perhaps it's because they're not at all icy?
It didn't dump for the rest of our trip, but it did just snow lightly most days which really helped with the snow quality. The locals were complaining about the lack of snow on the lower slopes... By European standards they didn't know how lucky they were, but it's really needed actually because there were lots of 'twigs' poking out of the snow (tops of bushes / small trees) which are actually the most annoying thing ever to ski over. For that reason, all the lower slope black diamonds were too un-fun to ski even though they were open, which was a shame. But it'll be fine later in the season.
My bf and I did a day of guiding, which I'd really recommend even though it was eyewateringly expensive (c. $650). The guides don't actually take you that far afield as they only have permits for the next valley or two along (which you access from the Tram), but even after about a week of no significant new snow we still scored some fresh tracks that we didn't have to walk too far to get. If there had been more snow we would have probably ventured out of bounds by ourselves on another day (which is allowed at your own risk) as it's pretty easy to navigate, but it didn't.
The kids went to ski school - which is BRILLIANT. They take them all day and give them lunch (you can do half a day, but it's only 2h and nearly the same price so not worth it). You don't have to book in advance - you can book them in that morning, or the night before (better - fewer queues). There is total flexibility unlike the rigid European systems. You get 10% off after the first day, even if you don't go every day. They get assigned to classes, but these change daily, and the kids progressed like wildfire. They started the trip just about able to ski parallel with a fair bit of stem-christie-ing, and finished happily charging down steep moguls, jumping off jumps and drop-offs, skiing backwards, almost keeping up with us skiing at full pelt down steep pisted double blues... Unbelievable progression. If anyone is worried that their child isn't progressing fast enough, just take them to JH. And you get 'report cards' for each child every day so you know what to remind them of if you ski with them the next day. Ok, it's pretty expensive, $150 a day each, not including tip, but really really excellent value for the money you pay. They loved it. They did 6 days out of the 10, and skied with us the other days.
Mountain restaurant wise, there's a really good selection of places, on the mountain and at the base. Everything from fine dining to burgers, slices of pizza and bowls of chilli, or asian soups / pho, to baked potatoes and a salad bar. Not cheap, but not ridiculous either.
Weather wise it was definitely cold, but not crazily so. The first couple of days were totally fine, same as the Alps. Then it got colder (down to about -10-15C quite regularly), but with modern ski kit this is fine. To give you an idea, I wore merino leggings under un-insulated trousers, 2 layers of merino thermal top, a thick fleece (200) and a shell. My bf wore the same on the bottom, a base layer, thin fleece and thinly insulated jacket. The kids wore base layer leggings under insulated trousers, base layer tops (2 on cold days), a thin fleece for the little one, and padded jackets. We all had buffs (v useful!) and the kids also had balaclavas for cold / windy days. We all had glove liners, but the warmer gloves didn't need them except on freezing days. None of us is a particularly 'cold' person though.
On our non-skiing day we went snow-mobiling in Yellowstone and went to see Old Faithful. This is really good fun, and makes a nice change. Apparently all the companies are pretty much the same as each other, with similar prices, so it's just a case of availability. They provide suits, boots and helmets, but make sure you dress warmly underneath (I'd recommend full ski kit!). We didn't make it to Grand Targhee unfortunately. I thought I'd read somewhere that your JH ski pass allows you a free day there, but if that was once true it no longer is.
There is a daily newspaper, and a local ski magazine (JH Skier) which are both really useful for info - wish I'd read them before the flight home. Actually we were too knackered from skiing and jet lag to do much except eat and read in the evenings, but there are loads of options if you want them. E.g. the Jackson 'town hill' (Snow King) has night skiing and tubing, and there is an ice rink, and a cinema - though this was closed after Xmas because it was the 'off season' (Xmas and NY week the off season???!!!).
Actually on that note, although you'd expect it to be really busy, it really wasn't at all. Almost no queuing except for the Tram, and even then it wasn't that bad. Everyone was saying how busy it was, but again, nothing compared with Europe in the same week.
So, in summary, we had an awesome time. It was pretty expensive, but really worth the money, and probably not much more than Europe in the same expensive fortnight. I'd totally go back, if only to ski Corbett's Couloir which was closed while we were there as it wasn't full enough yet (the drop in looked like about 10m!). It's a refreshing change from Europe, and the negatives that I read about before going really seem to not be as bad as people make out. I'll be back...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Nice trip report, sounds like you had a ball. Have you seen the footage on Youtube of Corbets? The only way to enter is with a back flip 
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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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I have to say I went Jackson Hole whilst doing a ranch holiday and Yellowstone in the summer. Went up the gondolla and as you clearly state there are only 12 lifts, which suprised me. Great to hear you had the Yellowstone expereince. But I would warn folk who are travelling all that way to ski that for anyone with a more than a few weeks experience I think you may find it disappointing for variety. It reminded me of am upmarket Arinsal in Andora of 1984!! Jackson Town I loved I must add.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Good report. I finally skied JH for the first time last New Year and found it very good, not a piste cruising resort though and the local hiuge ski bum population ensures fresh tracks are hard to score.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thank You, a year later and you answered most if not all my questions. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Nice TR. I stayed at the Snow King hotel many years ago which is ideal for the local hill and the only other thing I'd recommend is a day at Grand Targhee
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