Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Jackson Hole was rated the #1 resort in North America in 2013 in the annual Ski Magazine reader survey when we first visited.  It had only gotten better when we visited again 11 years later in 2024.  This review is based on 3 visits during mid-season good powder conditions and early season.

Stats and Rating

Real Vertical ?	4,139′, Rank: 4
Size	2,500 Acres, Rank: 34
Annual Snowfall ?	459″ claimed / 368″ actual, Rank: 21
Lift Pods ?	8, Rank: 29
Distinct Trails ?	130, Rank: 20
Review Date	March 2011, December 2013, and December 2024
Number of visits	3
Our Rating	★★★★★
Resort website	https://www.jacksonhole.com

Jackson Hole Review

Our first trip for the project was 2013 and Tahoe had very dry conditions and very little terrain open.  We decided to head northeast to where it had actually been snowing.  Jackson Hole had received about 160″ of snowfall by the time we visited during the busy Christmas week.  It was a 750 mile drive from South Lake Tahoe where we celebrated Christmas to the town of Jackson, Wyoming.  It’s a beautiful drive for the most part, and you can really make time in Nevada with an 80 MPH limit on I-80.

11 years later in 2024 we flew out from San Francisco on a super-easy direct flight that takes under 2 hours.  The Jackson airport is our favorite of all the airports we’ve flown into for the project.  Everything is easy and the bags come right out, including skis.  Rental cars are right out front.  This makes it much more accessible to us and I’m sure we will be doing this semi-regularly for the rest of our ski careers.

We learned from our mistakes in 2013 and came out the week before Christmas instead of the super busy Christmas holiday.  We never encountered a line other than the grand opening of the new Sublette chair, and in fact we hardly ever even shared a chair or gondola cabin with anyone else.  Perfect.

Our lodging

In 2013 we arrived at night and woke up to a spectacular view of Grand Teton from our lodging at Spring Creek Ranch, which is up on a hill above the town.  The restaurant there wins the prize of having the best view of any place we have ever eaten, and the food was great too.

In 2024 we stayed at a really great Air BnB in Driggs.  We have a history with Driggs, having owned property there a few years ago.  Plans to build a house there never materialized, but we still love the Teton Valley and proximity to Grand Targhee.  The drive over to Jackson Hole is considerable though, and getting over Teton Pass in bad weather is an adventure so if your intention is to primarily ski Jackson Hole it’s best to stay on the East side of Teton Pass.

First impression

Jackson Hole is a few miles away from the town. And as you get closer, you start to realize that you are in for a challenging day.  The over 4,000 feet of vertical is completely visible from the base area and seems imposing.  The steeper stuff is on the left under the tram, and the mellower terrain is on the right on Apre Vous.

Time well spent

In 2013 we only had one day to ski so we did as much of the mountain as possible.  I (Ron) spent a couple of days skiing at Jackson in March 2011 which was a great year for snow.  That previous experience allowed us to hit some of the highlights, and give AiRung at least an idea of what the place is about. Granted, it would take many days to find the really sweet spots because there are a ton of trails heading off into the trees to unknown treasures, or possibly terrors if you take the wrong one.  Caution is necessary here so you don’t get cliffed-out.

In 2024 we spent 2 days and covered a lot more ground, but snow conditions weren’t quite as good so most of that was on the ample groomers and on the mellower off-piste terrain on the top half of the mountain where the snow was good and there were fewer rocks.

The Mountain

In 2013 we started on the right at Apre Vous and had some great long groomer runs.  This was paradise for us compared to what we had been skiing in Tahoe recently.  Soft, natural snow and no rocks.  Awesome.

Working our way to the left side of the mountain in 2013, the new Casper high-speed quad just before the gondola served another pod of mostly intermediate terrain groomed to perfection.  This new lift is a huge improvement over the old fixed-grip triple that used to be there.  The long runs from the top of the gondola all the way to the bottom are great fun and are what we did just before lunch.

In 2024 we took a lot of runs on the newer Teton lift which didn’t even exist on the previous trip.  This serves some of our favorite steep groomers like Kemmerer and Wide Open.  We also spent a lot of time on the Sublette and Thunder chairs.  Both of those were also new high-speed lifts replacing old fixed-grip chairs.  The 2nd day of our trip was the grand opening of Sublette.  Locals were super excited with the upgrade which is an incredibly fast and smooth ride up some of the resort’s steepest terrain.  We enjoyed the groomed Amphitheater and Laramie bowls.  Laramie is seriously steep for a groomer.  The Rendezvous trail defines the western edge of the resort and is the only easy way down from that side of Sublette.  It’s a great run but gets a lot of traffic.

Our Project Run on both trips

We like to have a “project” run each ski day that is more ambitious and takes longer.  Skiing the 4,139 feet top to bottom was that day’s project in 2013.  It was a long wait in line, but it was worth it. Getting off the tram at the top of Jackson Hole for the first time is something most people remember as being a bit scary and definitely exhilarating.  Off the top to skier’s right Rendezvous bowl is the usual route down.  Corbett’s is the other way down, but that is not really on the menu for us at our level.

In 2024, we skied the Tram and Rendezvous bowl about 2 hours after it opened for the season.  Conditions were atrocious survival skiing.  A combination of well-above freezing temps (at 10,000 foot elevation!) and wind-pack turned the snow into mank.  Not to mention the rocks.  Our main objective was the sightseeing and top-to-bottom run so that was fine and mission accomplished!  For the first time there was no line for the Tram at least.

Also mention

The Hoback’s and Alta Chutes are 2 memorable runs when I skied JH in 2011. It had snowed 17″ overnight.  The Hoback’s is a popular destination on powder days because it is a huge apron of about 2,500′ vertical that takes a while to get tracked out.  Alta Chutes is another one of those memorable very steep chutes that JH is famous for, but there is no mandatory air like there is at Corbett’s.

The Food

In 2013 Christmas week, finding a spot for lunch was difficult.  Seems like many of the places take reservations, and we didn’t have any.  We did eventually find a place over by the tram, which was where we headed after lunch.  Unfortunately the Christmas week crowds were in-force and the line wrapped all the way around the building to where we were having lunch.

In 2024 the complete lack of crowds meant there was no problem finding a great spot for lunch.  The first day we ate at probably the best ski lunch restaurant we’ve ever been to:  The Westbank Grill.  The second day we also splurged and ate at the Piste Mountain Bistro which again provided some really fine food.  If you are prepared to spend some money, there is no lack of great eats at JH.  If it’s busy just make sure to make a reservation!

The good

• Jackson Hole embodies the core values of North American skiing with deep snow, steep terrain, and locals that use every last bit of it.
• The lift network has been vastly improved in the past 15 years and even though it was Christmas week in 2013, the only lines we experienced were at the Tram.  In 2024 it was so uncrowded that we never had to stand in line and almost never even had to share a chair or gondola.  The one remaining fixed-grip chair on the upper mountain “Marmot” isn’t even really necessary any more so it’s a complete express package of lifts now.
• The enthusiasm and culture of skiing there is second to none and just watching people really taking skiing to the ultimate level is great fun.
• The scenery is fantastic and the town of Jackson is fairly authentic with a great variety of lodging, restaurants, and shopping.
• Fantastic steep grooming.  Every lift has at least couple of groomers to choose from.

The bad

• JH is actually a fairly small mountain with only 2,500 acres, which is comparable to one of our home resorts Kirkwood.
• There is almost no beginner terrain and not that much intermediate.  Many of the “runs” are actually roads snaking down the mountain avoiding steeper drops.  This all sounds pretty bad, but in reality the place skis bigger than it is and it’s not as limiting as the stats and map indicate.
• The lift ticket price also deserves special mention as it was the most we have ever paid at the time.  With the mandatory $5 charge for the plastic card, and with Holiday pricing, get your credit card warmed up.  Ouch!  We could not find any discount deals anywhere so just had to pay up at the window.

Don’t Miss

Take a ride up the tram to the top and make a single run all the way to the bottom if you have upper-intermediate or greater abilities.  There aren’t many places with that much contiguous vertical drop in one run, and the views at the top are not to be missed.

Our best experience

For me, it is skiing Alta and Tower 3 chutes in 2011.  They are smooth and very steep and really give you a feeling of accomplishment.  For AiRung the groomers off the Apres Vous lift first thing in the morning were fantastic, as well as the steep groomers on the Teton lift.  Also memorable was the breakfast at Spring Creek Ranch with that spectacular view.

Would we go back?

Definitely.  An easy direct flight from San Francisco means we will be returning regularly.  Skiing at JH is an experience that left us feeling completely satisfied.  It’s one of the few resorts that we rate as a solid “5”.