Mary Brosnan
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We’re staying at Bucks during the Christmas week! Have never been but your post is getting me very excited Praying for snow!
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Wyoming & Montana 2019-20: Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, Big Sky, Red Lodge, etc.
- Thread starter mountainwest
- Start date
marzNC
Angel Diva
As of Thanksgiving, JH, GT, and Big Sky are open.
GT isn't running Dreamcatcher yet so lift tickets are only $10. At least it's snowing today. Also saw that GT has an app. What could make more of a difference on powder days is that season passholders can now ride the Teton Valley bus for free. It runs about once an hour and goes all the way to Victor. It's $2 one-way.
"Grand Targhee Resort passholders may now ride the local shuttle for free by presenting their 2019/20 pass to the driver. Shuttle service has been expanded to Victor with stops at Teton Valley Resort, W. Dogwood Street, and the Victor Depot. Details and shuttle schedule can be found at GrandTarghee.com."
GT isn't running Dreamcatcher yet so lift tickets are only $10. At least it's snowing today. Also saw that GT has an app. What could make more of a difference on powder days is that season passholders can now ride the Teton Valley bus for free. It runs about once an hour and goes all the way to Victor. It's $2 one-way.
"Grand Targhee Resort passholders may now ride the local shuttle for free by presenting their 2019/20 pass to the driver. Shuttle service has been expanded to Victor with stops at Teton Valley Resort, W. Dogwood Street, and the Victor Depot. Details and shuttle schedule can be found at GrandTarghee.com."
marzNC
Angel Diva
Big Sky is upping their game when it comes to grooming. Have not only added low-energy snowcats, even have a new groomed blue for access to Shedhorn. I guess because Shedhorn is more popular now that it's a quad instead of the old slow double before last season. The black groomers that led to the base of Shedhorn could get pretty slick in the afternoons.
Nov 2019, Big Sky website update
BIG SKY RESORT TO DEBUT FOUR NEW SNOWCATS, INCREASED GROOMING, AND NEW TRAIL IN SHEDHORN AREA
" . . .
The increase in nightly grooming will also add a new trail to the list: Lupine, a new groomed, blue-rated trail on the South Face. The new trail starts midway down Shedhorn Lift Line and connects back to Cow Flats, bringing skiers back to the bottom of the new high-speed Shedhorn 4 lift. The trail traverses through existing open terrain to create another intermediate access trail to Shedhorn 4.
"Lupine is a smooth and flowing blue trail with several distinct headwalls and a variety of pitches and corners. It is a true top-to-bottom groomed run to add to the Shedhorn area skiing complex," added West.
The new snowcats will allow Big Sky's grooming team to increase nightly groomed acreage by approximately 16 percent, including regularly groomed runs, and adding a few new trails to nightly grooming operations."
Nov 2019, Big Sky website update
BIG SKY RESORT TO DEBUT FOUR NEW SNOWCATS, INCREASED GROOMING, AND NEW TRAIL IN SHEDHORN AREA
" . . .
The increase in nightly grooming will also add a new trail to the list: Lupine, a new groomed, blue-rated trail on the South Face. The new trail starts midway down Shedhorn Lift Line and connects back to Cow Flats, bringing skiers back to the bottom of the new high-speed Shedhorn 4 lift. The trail traverses through existing open terrain to create another intermediate access trail to Shedhorn 4.
"Lupine is a smooth and flowing blue trail with several distinct headwalls and a variety of pitches and corners. It is a true top-to-bottom groomed run to add to the Shedhorn area skiing complex," added West.
The new snowcats will allow Big Sky's grooming team to increase nightly groomed acreage by approximately 16 percent, including regularly groomed runs, and adding a few new trails to nightly grooming operations."
snoWYmonkey
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@marzNC
I did try the new Jackson Hole app. So far I like it for trails/lifts but much prefer the old one for weather and ease of finding information.
Ranch parking lot may have gone up to $15 ir more in hokidays and weekends, unless you have 3 or more in car, should still be free. On holidays and powder days the lots can fill up fast and bus may be the only option. Sime parking lots are quite a bit more than the ranch lot.
The mountain did open with very limited trail options as November was warm and dry for first 3 weeks. We did get 29 inches up high which will help once the upper miuntain opens. Looking forward to more snow!
The new base tent is cute, but will not be big enough for people to hang out in unless it is a quiet day at a quiet time. It is nice to finally have place to start gear for free. Though gear will be unattended.
I did try the new Jackson Hole app. So far I like it for trails/lifts but much prefer the old one for weather and ease of finding information.
Ranch parking lot may have gone up to $15 ir more in hokidays and weekends, unless you have 3 or more in car, should still be free. On holidays and powder days the lots can fill up fast and bus may be the only option. Sime parking lots are quite a bit more than the ranch lot.
The mountain did open with very limited trail options as November was warm and dry for first 3 weeks. We did get 29 inches up high which will help once the upper miuntain opens. Looking forward to more snow!
The new base tent is cute, but will not be big enough for people to hang out in unless it is a quiet day at a quiet time. It is nice to finally have place to start gear for free. Though gear will be unattended.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Where is the Base Tent in relation to the Tram or the Bridger Center?
I've been leaving my boot bag unattended in a quite a few ski resorts in the last decade. Shared an overnight locker in Bridger with Bill and Jason mainly because there was literally no place that parking a boot bag was an option. Not many good spots at Alta or Snowbird either, but they do exist.
Only place Bill and I were told it wasn't a good idea to leave a boot bag for a few hours was Mammoth. Since it was late season, quite warm, and we parked in the little parking lot near a lift, we just booted up at the car.
snoWYmonkey
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The new tent is literally 20 feet from Bridger Center, at base of the building, halfway between gondola and tram.
marzNC
Angel Diva
@mountainwest : did you ski GT this weekend? At least there was some new snow. Looks like a lot of terrain is open via Dreamcatcher. But the snowpack is way below average.
mountainwest
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Not over the weekend, but I did ski there today because there is finally enough snow. Blackfoot also opened today. The morning was really good powder skiing - less tracks on the mountain than I expected. In the afternoon I switched to my new Nordica Santa Ana 88 skis, which I love. They really ripped on the few runs that were groomed and also did great in deeply tracked powder. It was a gorgeous day up there today.
(I was also in new ski boots today, loved them as well!)
contesstant
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yahoo! I am so jealous. I saw that Blackfoot opened and might have wept a little (ok, not really
)I am so happy that you love your SA 88s. I have been skiing them all over the mountain here, as well as in the 20+ inches at Targhee, and they just KILL it in everything I can throw at them. I'm dabbling in moguls by choice, which is kind of a big deal! Anyway, back to Targhee--we'll be up in early January, or MAYBE Diva west except I have my daughter that weekend and honestly would rather be solo for that. We'll see. (Tickled you like the 88s--I think you'll find yourself skiing them a lot up there!)
mountainwest
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Nice! I started doing the same last season on my Coalition Snow SOS skis. I haven’t gotten to try the Santa Ana’s on moguls yet but am curious how they will do.Yahoo! I am so jealous. I saw that Blackfoot opened and might have wept a little (ok, not really
I am so happy that you love your SA 88s. I have been skiing them all over the mountain here, as well as in the 20+ inches at Targhee, and they just KILL it in everything I can throw at them. I'm dabbling in moguls by choice, which is kind of a big deal!
See you in January for sure! The snow should be great by then.
mountainwest
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Definitely. I love them both. I went with the 88s because I already have a pair of skis that are 101 underfoot and picked the ski that was a little more groomer specific. My husband has the Enforcer 93s and loves them on everything.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Looks like GT is back to normal as a great place for early season skiing, meaning in Dec before the holiday period. The snow totals from the last week made a big difference. It's great having so much terrain that can be accessed by just a few lifts.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Boyne Resorts just opened the replacement for the Mountain Mall, called Vista Hall. But the big news this week was the announcement of the replacement for Swift Current. It will be a 6-pack heated bubble lift with a 7-min ride from the main base. Should be installed for the 2020-21 season. The current quad is going to be re-used by Boyne at a different resort after being refurbished. Upgrading Swift Current was always part of the 2025 plan, but is going to happen sooner rather than later.
Dec 2019, Liftblog
Big Sky to Build North America’s Fastest Six Seat Chairlift
Dec 2019, Liftblog
Big Sky to Build North America’s Fastest Six Seat Chairlift
MissySki
Angel Diva
I was just reading that the refurbished lift could be replacing the white cap lift at Sunday River, but wasn’t sure if this was fact or rumor at this point.
marzNC
Angel Diva
A blogger based in Australia has a couple of articles about Jackson Hole that may be useful for folks heading there for the first time for Diva West. The town of Jackson is definitely one of the best ski towns in my experience. Really enjoyed the National Museum of Wildlife Art one afternoon on a day when snow conditions weren't that great and one ski buddy needed to spend a couple hours getting work done on his relatively new ski boots. They just completed a major renovation of the museum and re-opened on Dec. 1, 2019.
Feb 2019, SnowsBest
Why Jackson Hole is in every skier and snowboarder’s destiny
Dec 2019, SnowsBest
10 of the coolest things to do in downtown Jackson Hole
Feb 2019, SnowsBest
Why Jackson Hole is in every skier and snowboarder’s destiny
Dec 2019, SnowsBest
10 of the coolest things to do in downtown Jackson Hole
marzNC
Angel Diva
Big Sky revamped their 2025 Plan website . . . again. Now there is a timeline with past milestones as well as comments about future plans.
https://bigsky2025.com/timeline
I didn't realize that before the Lone Peak Tram was installed in 1995, Big Sky was known as a mountain for beginners and intermediates. One reason might have been because Boyne Resorts put in snowmaking on key trails in the 1980s, which was relatively early for a western resort. They used their experience with snowmaking going back to their roots in Michigan in the 1950s. By the time I went for the first time in 2012, the online buzz made it seem like a destination resort for advanced/experts more than intermediates. I quickly learned that Andesite Mountain, Moonlight, and the blues that lead to the main base are great terrain for intermediates who enjoy long, empty trails.
https://bigsky2025.com/timeline
I didn't realize that before the Lone Peak Tram was installed in 1995, Big Sky was known as a mountain for beginners and intermediates. One reason might have been because Boyne Resorts put in snowmaking on key trails in the 1980s, which was relatively early for a western resort. They used their experience with snowmaking going back to their roots in Michigan in the 1950s. By the time I went for the first time in 2012, the online buzz made it seem like a destination resort for advanced/experts more than intermediates. I quickly learned that Andesite Mountain, Moonlight, and the blues that lead to the main base are great terrain for intermediates who enjoy long, empty trails.
marzNC
Angel Diva
The Jackson Hole tram has a new haul line. It was the first time for this tram, which was built in 2008. This article includes comments from the now 91 year old Sam Sherrard who helped build the first JH tram in the 1960s. He went to JH to watch the process of replacing the haul line.
Jan 2020, JH News and Guide
New haul line is just one piece of Aerial Tram's story
Jan 2020, JH News and Guide
New haul line is just one piece of Aerial Tram's story
marzNC
Angel Diva
Jackson Hole, Grand Targhee, and Big Sky are back to 100% of normal snowpack for mid-January. Actually slightly over. JH and GT are 100% open. Big Sky is close at 98% according to OpenSnow. Bet there are plenty of happy travelers this week who planned trips based on MLK Day. Always impossible to predict when making advanced travel plans how deep the snowpack will be before early Feb.
Light snow predicted for next week. JH/GT should be really fun for Diva West in late Jan.
Light snow predicted for next week. JH/GT should be really fun for Diva West in late Jan.
MissySki
Angel Diva
I’m so excited they got so much snow recently, and hope for more!! I’m heading to Bridger Bowl/Big Sky this coming Thursday for a few days before heading to diva West at Jackson Hole and Targhee. Very pleased that I should be able to add 3 new mountains to my list as I’ve only been to Big Sky so far out of the grouping.
