TR first time to Jackson Hole, January 2014

[snoWYmonkey]

Fun to read about the adventures and see your photos all under one "roof"!

I look forward to your return when we have more soft snow.

The one hour tram line is usually first thing on a powder day. When we have many powder days in a row there are almost no lines in weekdays. Many tram riders head staright for the OB runs so all the other lifts can lead yo untracked for a lonf time...like today!

 

[Libby]

Now there are 12 cities with direct non-stop flights to JH, it's so much more accessible. https://www.jacksonhole.com/by-air.html

Non-stop from JFK! I'm definitely planning a ski trip there! We were there last summer and had an absolute blast, except for the long layover in Chicago. My kids have been begging to go back in the winter.

 

[marzNC]

Non-stop from JFK! I'm definitely planning a ski trip there! We were there last summer and had an absolute blast, except for the long layover in Chicago. My kids have been begging to go back in the winter.

Well worth it! How old are your kids?

 

[Libby]

Well worth it! How old are your kids?

One is 12 and the other is turning 15 in 2 weeks. They took one look at Corbet's Couloir from the tram this summer and said "we are so doing that when we come back!" No way am I letting them on that!

 

[marzNC]

One is 12 and the other is turning 15 in 2 weeks. They took one look at Corbet's Couloir from the tram this summer and said "we are so doing that when we come back!" No way am I letting them on that!

LOL. Corbet's was closed when we were there. So we didn't even to take a peek.

What my 13yo daughter would've wanted to do is the paragliding. We watched a brother and sister take off for separate tandem glides. The boy was probably no more than 10.

 

[Ski Chik]

I have been to JH twice... '10 and '12. Our first trip was not that great because of weather. They had not had a good snow season and when we got there in March it was in the 50's. We ended up not even skiing the resort at all and took the shuttle to Grand Targhee everyday. Our second trip was much better because snowed 2 feet the day before we got there and then it was nothing but blue sky and powder for the next several days!

One thing about going there is that we did not have to rent a car. We stayed in Jackson and walked everywhere and the shuttles were extremely convenient to get us back and forth to the mountain!

 

[marzNC]

Although this is a JH thread, I wanted to make a note about the GT snowcat here for future reference.

Since the 2015 EpicSki Gathering will be at JH, there is a good discussion thread over there. A long time local provided the following info about the GT snowcat operation. Someone brought up the idea of a group arrangement to ride the cat during the Gathering day at GT.

I've been lucky to have met HB in person. He is an expert skier who knows the place very, very well. Very nice guy.

*** by HarkinBanks, 5/13/14

1. You can only ski/rider as fast as the slowest skier/rider in your group. One slow skier/rider slows the entire day. The guides do a great job of trying to accommodate weak skiers/riders, but hey, guests are paying $350 a pop, so they try to keep them out there.

2. Typically, you'll get 8-11 runs on the cat (12,000'), whereas on a typical lift served day at GTR, I can get 18 runs (36,000'). My biggest day on the cat - 14 runs (~17,000', with 10 PSIA Level III Instructors from Snowbird). My biggest Pow day lift served - 26 runs (52,000', with a group of friends, stopping at 3:30 pm for beers).

3. Bring at least a 110mm waisted ski. If you don't have one, rent one.

4. Bring a backpack with extra goggles, layers, gloves, etc.

5. Listen to the Guides. You don't listen, you get sent back. And tip them at least $20 per rider/skier.

6. Not all days will be 12" new of 7% snow with Bluebird skies. GTR gets a lot of snow, and snow comes from clouds. Be prepared to ski in "Grand Foggy" conditions. You ski what is there.

7. It is nice to be out on the cat. You get catered to, have a mountain to yourself (along with 23 other guests), and are the envy (somewhat) of the lift serviced skiers when you come back into the resort at 4:15 pm.

8. Be in shape to ski and don't overestimate your skiing/riding ability when making your reservation. You should be an upper intermediate, lower advanced, OFF TRAIL skier/rider, able to ski OFF TRAIL conditions all day. Did I mention that you should be able to ski/ride OFF TRAIL all day?
***

 

[marzNC]

One reason it's possible to get so much vertical at GT even on a powder day is that relatively few people are there . . . on 2500 acres, of which only 500 are ever groomed. Only three lifts, plus a beginner area and the snowcat terrain.

For a little more about GT, click here for my first look in 2013.

 

[marzNC]

One of the sources of info that was helpful when I was trying to decide about lodging for JH was a Diva thread from 2012 about Jackson (the town) versus Teton Village (base of lifts). Turns out that either one works fine without a car because there are public buses, as well as shuttles from some of the town hotels. In my case, we were driving from SLC so were going to have a car.

After researching the options in Teton Village, I decided the extra money was not really worth it. We didn't have a mixed ability group where someone might want to go in early or start late. Even with the MCP discount, the prices for true ski in/out were pretty high. There are quite a few condo options in the Village but they are walk in/out or you can wait for the shuttle bus. There is a hostel for those who have tighter budgets but my ski buddies and I are willing to pay more to be comfortable in a condo with a private kitchen and washer/dryer when staying about a week.

I found a diagram of Teton Village that was very helpful for locating the various condo buildings. The condos were clearly built at different times. We drove around the area one afternoon to get a sense of the distances involved. Pretty much confirmed that staying elsewhere was the correct choice for this trip.

The Aspens is a neighborhood that is about a 5-10 min drive from Teton Village, heading towards Jackson. Some of the units are managed by JH Resorts. Others are privatedly owned and listed on VRBO. I found a small 2BR/2BA with a couple sofa beds on VRBO for $150/night (plus tax, cleaning) that worked out well for the three of us. Owned by a nice woman who is an experienced landlord. She uses the unit in the off season since she isn't a skier. When I checked with JH Resorts about a comparable unit in Aspens with the MCP 25% discount (before Dec. 1), then price would've been somewhat higher. Since often VRBO units are set up nicer than a resort unit, I had no reason to use JH Resorts. If we had all needed lift tickets, that might have changed the decision.

Being able to park for free at the Ranch lot because we had 3 people was a bonus. Cost there is $5 otherwise. We definitely enjoyed leaving our skis at the Bridger Center locker room overnight. Since the locker was big enough for all 3 pairs, it was $5/each split three ways. So we had a place to leave stuff during the day as well. The "boot dryer wall" was pretty handy too.

We drove into Jackson for dinner a few times. Had a good dinner at a micro-brewery pretty close to the Aspens. The day we skied at GT, we had dinner at Nora's Fish Creek Inn. It's right on the Jackson side of Rt 22, which goes over Targhee Pass. Nora's was recommended by the local we met up with at GT. It was very good!

Jackson is a true town. Lots of options for eating out and shopping. The downtown area is perhaps 10 x 10 blocks.

 

[marzNC]

Decided to look at the JH Hostel rates. The rates at the Hostel are $79-109 plus tax for a King room or quad (two bunk beds). So about $40/night/person if three people shared a quad room. If someone is traveling alone, can reserve a bed in a shared bunk room for $34-36 but means sharing with whoever else books for the same nights. Even if in a private room, have heard that it can be on the noisy side unless on the top floor (no elevator).

The 2BR/2BA condo came out $65/person/night divided by three. No one was sharing a room since one of the sofa beds was used.

 

[marzNC]

Was reminded by another thread about the places we ate that were worth remembering.

* Nora's Fish Creek Inn, Wilson, on SR22 on the way to Grand Targhee
* Roadhouse Restaurant and Brewery, on SR390 near Aspens condo complex
* Rendezvous Bistro, Jackson

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Nora's is super fun for local breakfast scene. I love the Bistro, Roadhouse is good too. Same owners.

 

[marzNC]

Reading another Diva's first impressions of JH reminded me of my TR. She also had a semi-private lesson with snoWYmonkey together with someone who had no experience having lessons as an adult. Worked out very well.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/road-trip.18369/page-8#post-293447

A couple other recent JH trip reports:

Feb 2015 - first time
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/jackson-hole-feb-6-12.19318/

March 2015 - pics
https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?threads/jackson-hole-march-21-24-trip-report.19393/

 

[marzNC]

Looked up this thread when I was thinking about the lesson with Bill and Jason. Haven't been too many other trip reports for JH, so thought it might be worth bumping since JH is still on the MCP and also can get some days using an Ikon pass.

 

[marzNC]

Decided to look at the JH Hostel rates. The rates at the Hostel are $79-109 plus tax for a King room or quad (two bunk beds). So about $40/night/person if three people shared a quad room. If someone is traveling alone, can reserve a bed in a shared bunk room for $34-36 but means sharing with whoever else books for the same nights. Even if in a private room, have heard that it can be on the noisy side unless on the top floor (no elevator).

The 2BR/2BA condo came out $65/person/night divided by three. No one was sharing a room since one of the sofa beds was used.

Got curious since Diva West will be at JH in Jan 2020. Looks like the JH Hostel rates have gone up since 2014 but are still reasonable for ski in/out lodging in Teton Village. The JH Hostel is right next to Hotel Tierra and is completely non-smoking. There have been on-going updates in the last five years.

When I put in for 3 nights in late January, midweek, what came up was: $149 private K w/ shower, $149 private quad w/ shower, $50 for 2T+bunk shared room (M, F, co-ed). The Hostel is pet-friendly in private rooms for a $10 pet fee.