Jackson Hole Tips

Hello,

we're planning a trip to Jackson Hole, WY end of March for about
a week of boarding. I've heard a lot of praise about snow quality
and terrain over there. However, since it will be our first trip
there, there are a few things I'd like to know:

1) We'll be flying in. Which is the closest airport, and how do
we get to town/resort from there? Shuttle, bus? Or do we need
to rent a car? I'd rather skip the car rental if not absolutely
necessary to move around.

2) Any terrain recommendations? I would like to explore some trees
and steeps. Any possibilities for powder?

3) Is there any night riding? What are the regular hours the slopes
are open?

4) How is the town and night life? Restaurants? Any other things
to do except for riding?


Thanks in advance for any information.

Fly directly into Jackson; there are direct flights from O'Hare
(Chicago), or almost every major airline has a connecting flight
through Salt Lake.

Jackson is almost nothing but steeps; tree runs are too many to
describe. I think it has the best terrain in North America.

There's night riding in town @ a place called Snow King. SK was the
first ski lift & hill in Wyoming. It's a 1500 foot vertical drop, &
the top is as steep as anything you will likely want. Lots of tree
runs too. My fave is fly in to Jackson in the afternoon, warm up @
Snow King under lights, & get to the Village (Jackson Hole Mountain
Resort) for first runs. BTW; Snow King charges hourly for lift
tickets, so it's cool for after dinner.

The town is great. Yellowstone is an hour away. Stay in town if you
can; night life @ the Village is dead. Usually about 12 guys nursing
beers in the pub. Boring. Winter is NOT the peak season for Jackson;
summer is. The town is slow in winter, although there is plenty of
stuff to do & see. If you are into painting & art, the galleries are
excellent.

You don't need a car; there are shuttles from the airport into town,
and out to the mountain. You can also shuttle over to Grand Targhee on
the Idaho side. There is a ticket deal where you can ski any of the
three resorts.

The down side; the powder season is in January, not March. The snow
quality in March is very, very iffy (poor). It's the very tail end of
their season; I think they close April 3 this year. You can get it,
but it is very unlikely. Sorry to break the bad news. Jackson in
fresh is like nowhere else; it's absolutely incredible. Plan another
vacation the 2nd week of January; you're almost guaranteed to get
powder.

Plus, this season is not good; they're only up to about a 5-6 foot
base. Normally, they are up to about an 8+ foot base this time of
year. They got good dumps early in the season, then the strange
weather patterns this year have kept them out of the snow loop.
Jackson w/out powder is not necessarily a good time; the steeps can
hammer you without the cushion of powder.

Tahoe, OTOH, has too much snow; it's ridiculous how much snow they got.

Sharkie wrote:
Hello,

we're planning a trip to Jackson Hole, WY end of March for about
a week of boarding. I've heard a lot of praise about snow quality
and terrain over there. However, since it will be our first trip
there, there are a few things I'd like to know:

1) We'll be flying in. Which is the closest airport, and how do
we get to town/resort from there? Shuttle, bus? Or do we need
to rent a car? I'd rather skip the car rental if not absolutely
necessary to move around.

2) Any terrain recommendations? I would like to explore some trees
and steeps. Any possibilities for powder?

3) Is there any night riding? What are the regular hours the slopes
are open?

4) How is the town and night life? Restaurants? Any other things
to do except for riding?


Thanks in advance for any information.

On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 22:14:09 GMT, "Sharkie" allegedly
wrote:

2) Any terrain recommendations? I would like to explore some trees
and steeps. Any possibilities for powder?

Powder is always possible when it snows. But JH is popular, and can get
tracked quickly. More info on my website in the snowboard section, just
click on Jackson Hole.

- Dave.

--
The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky.
http://www.vpas.org/ - Snowboarding the worlds pow pow -
Securing your e-mail

The Snowboard FAQ lives here - http://rssFAQ.org/

Simple: View their webpage.....they got it all. Best all-around
location to start out with is TETON VILLAGE for tickets, lifts, lessons,
eqpt/repair, med services, food/drink, postcards from JH, etc.

Enjoy the plank sidewalks as you walk around their Town Square. I fell
down last year......hit a broken board and ice unfortunately.

IMPORTANT: Take camcorder, EXTRA-TAPE/ BATTERIES/CHARGER for scenery,
visit to Elk Farm, etc.
LH 1/26/05

2) Any terrain recommendations?

HOBACKS! Don't be afraid. Play in the hobacks!! Lots of fun terrain
to explore and most cliffs are clearly marked.