Jackson Hole or Telluride

If you had to choose, which place would you ski and why?

thinnmann wrote:
If you had to choose, which place would you ski and why?

IF I had a choice there is no contest. JHole it is.
Since I don't really have a choice to keep costs
within bound, I go to Tahoe which really ain't
too bad, but most of the time I'm...
VtSkier

thinnmann wrote:
: If you had to choose, which place would you ski and why?

I like ski area discussions, and I'm waiting for something,
so here goes. Of course, it really depends on what you like to
ski and the snow conditions, but if you're committing in
advance, you can't really control the latter.

Telluride: * Big long bump runs (3K verts) that Jackson
can't match.
* More extensive beginner/intermediate terrain
than Jackson (Jackson tends to have "high-end"
intermediate terrain).
* Plenty of steep stuff.
* Snow stays better for longer given the higher elevation
and more north-facing aspect of the mountain.

Jackson: * More snow on average, but snow can turn to crud faster
due to more east facing aspect. I like Jackson crud
though, personally.
* Very expansive mountain. Lots of wide-open skiing and
even glade skiing. Hobacks, for example, are very nice.
Lift served out-of-bounds is incredibly extensive and
incredibly interesting and relatively easy to get to.
* More lodging options, cheaper place to stay overall.

I generally choose Jackson, because it's a great mountain. But
I had an excellent day at Telluride last year (after I had a
big cup of coffee to finally get moving ...). The Gold Peak area
was new to me and had plenty of excellent skiing, plus I saw some
killer backcountry tracks. And Telluride seems to be getting some
snow this year again, finally, after some years of thin conditions.

-Paul C.

Paul Christofanelli wrote:
thinnmann wrote:
: If you had to choose, which place would you ski and why?

I like ski area discussions, and I'm waiting for something,
so here goes. Of course, it really depends on what you like to
ski and the snow conditions, but if you're committing in
advance, you can't really control the latter.

Telluride: * Big long bump runs (3K verts) that Jackson
can't match.
* More extensive beginner/intermediate terrain
than Jackson (Jackson tends to have "high-end"
intermediate terrain).

I haven't been to Jackson, but Telluride is pretty low on intermediate
terrain. It's low on terrain in general, even with the recent
expansion. It's just not as big as many other places out West.

I would say that if you're not into bumps and steeps, then the reason to
go to Telluride would be the scenery (stunning), the town (cool), and
the restaurants (fabulous). It's also a really convenient mountain, in
terms of access to the lifts from lodging, at least where I was staying.

Dave

Dave Stallard wrote:
: I haven't been to Jackson, but Telluride is pretty low on intermediate
: terrain. It's low on terrain in general, even with the recent
: expansion. It's just not as big as many other places out West.

Have to disagree in tone, at least. It seems plenty big to me and the
1700 skiable acreage is about the same as Keystone's claimed 1861 and
bigger than Durango or Crested Butte by at least 50% - so it's certainly
in the upper tier in CO (Jackson claims 2700 skiable acres in
comparison). The whole 'back' side of the mountain is
intermediate/beginner until you get up to Gold Hill and Prospect bowl.
There's even one high speed quad that only serves up a some long,
completely low intermediate pitch slopes. Again, Jackson's intermediate
slopes cover a lot of area, but tend to be steeper in general. Check
out the trail map and see what you think... If you're not looking for
intermediate stuff or rockem-sockem steep bumps, but more of a
big-mountain experience, then Jackson is definitely more your mountain.
Not that you can't find some serious stuff in Telluride...


-Paul C.

Thanks for all your reviews and personal quips... (that's a word, i
think)

Still sounds like a toss-up for our extended family group, which
includes people literally from 7 to 60 years old. My 7 and 11 year old
kids can ski anything except powder, since we don't get it much at our
home mountain, Belleayre, NY, where we ski about 20x per season. The
two 30-something women are intermediateish (is that a word?) and will
be looking for a good instructor since they have not skied in a few
years. My 40ish wife and her 60 y.o. uncle are advanced and
experienced, but not agressive and usually opt out of challenging
terrain if an easier route is available. Two men, including me, say
bring-on everything, and my 11 y.o. son will follow us, no prob. The 6
y.o. will probably need an advanced kids ski school group.
Does that info change any of your recommendations?

thinnmann wrote:
: Thanks for all your reviews and personal quips... (that's a word, i
: think)

: Still sounds like a toss-up for our extended family group, which
: includes people literally from 7 to 60 years old. My 7 and 11 year old
: kids can ski anything except powder, since we don't get it much at our
: home mountain, Belleayre, NY, where we ski about 20x per season. The
: two 30-something women are intermediateish (is that a word?) and will
: be looking for a good instructor since they have not skied in a few
: years. My 40ish wife and her 60 y.o. uncle are advanced and
: experienced, but not agressive and usually opt out of challenging
: terrain if an easier route is available. Two men, including me, say
: bring-on everything, and my 11 y.o. son will follow us, no prob. The 6
: y.o. will probably need an advanced kids ski school group.
: Does that info change any of your recommendations?

In my view, if you want to slant it towards the advanced skiers, go to
Jackson. The tram is way cool, and an intermediate can probably work
his way down from the top by going to the far skier's right down
Rendezvous Bowl, although it's "black". If you want to slant it more
towards the intermediates, go to Telluride. Still plenty of advanced
skiing, but it's more oriented towards steep bumps. Plus there's some very
friendly intermediate terrain. I think either one would be fine given
that Telluride appears to be getting good snow now. Also, Silverton mountain
is at least in the area, and it's all steep - wait for some snow and
go midweek - I think it's still all (only) guided skiing however for
around $100/day. Also in the area, Ouray, a gorgeous town with some
nice hot springs.

-Paul C.

Paul Christofanelli wrote:
Dave Stallard wrote:
: I haven't been to Jackson, but Telluride is pretty low on intermediate
: terrain. It's low on terrain in general, even with the recent
: expansion. It's just not as big as many other places out West.

Have to disagree in tone, at least. It seems plenty big to me and the
1700 skiable acreage is about the same as Keystone's claimed 1861 and
bigger than Durango or Crested Butte by at least 50% - so it's certainly
in the upper tier in CO (Jackson claims 2700 skiable acres in
comparison).

Telluride is not in the upper tier of Colorado in terms of size - Vail,
Snowmass, Steamboat, and Breckenridge are ahead of it. Yes, it is
larger than Durango or CB, but that doesn't make it upper tier.

The whole 'back' side of the mountain is
intermediate/beginner until you get up to Gold Hill and Prospect bowl.
There's even one high speed quad that only serves up a some long,
completely low intermediate pitch slopes.

I've skiied all these places as an intermediate and Telluride is the one
where I ran out of terrain. It's just not a high-mileage ski area.
That said, it has many other advantanges that the others lack.

Dave