The man on the ski lift with me had the weathered face of a local who had worked many of his years outdoors. Together, we looked out on the plain between the magnificent Wyoming mountain ranges known as Jackson Hole.
This 1,200-square-mile basin includes Grand Teton National Park, the National Elk Refuge and Bridger-Teton National Forest, and during the winter becomes home to some of the finest skiing anywhere.
”Sure, there is plenty of intermediate skiing here,” my chairlift partner allowed. ”But don`t tell everybody. It`ll get crowded.”
I made no promises.
Jackson Hole Ski Resort offers more than 3,000 acres of skiing, from double black diamond mogul runs to gentle novice slopes, and attracts visitors from around the world.
Our ski group of nine ranged from a novice with mainly Midwest experience to several who have skied the most challenging areas.
In the past we had skied a dozen places: Michigan, Colorado and Utah as well as Klosters and Verbier in Switzerland.
After a week at Jackson Hole we agreed that it was the best all-around ski area we had visited.
Jackson Hole is on two mountains about 12 miles from town and just above Teton Village. The summit of the larger Rendezvous Mountain, at 10,450 feet, is serviced by an aerial tram. The vertical rise of 4,139 feet takes 12 minutes, traveling across 2 1/2 miles of spectacular scenery. Once at the top, if you are not a very good skier, you would be wise to heed the tram operator`s offer to take you back down.
For a strong intermediate, as I am, fond of long, wide runs, my first stop was not the tram.
Cold start, hot chocolate
My daily routine included a 10-minute walk rather than a shuttle bus ride from the condominium area, then a quick stop at the base of the lifts for a cup of hot chocolate (free).
It was cold in Wyoming in January; most mornings were below zero at 9 a.m. when the lifts opened; but the humidity was low, so it was not the bone chilling, painful cold found on Wacker Drive in Chicago. Besides, simply by traveling up the lift, we found that temperatures increased 20 degrees in as many minutes. Because of thermal inversions the mountain top was in the 20s while it was zero at the base.
Hats were a must, and longjohns were the underwear du jour.
A 7-minute ride on Teewinot lifts took me up 425 feet over the gentlest of beginner`s slopes. Then I changed to the Apres Vous chairlift to ascend 1,745 more feet during a mile-long ride to the top of Apres Vous mountain.
After arriving I warmed up on Werner or Teewinot, wide, groomed runs, which go back to the upper lift. After a few runs I headed for St. Johns, a double blue; it was steep but groomed.
By now I had forgotten how cold it was at the base, and it was time to try something else-a quick traverse to the Casper lift, which took me to the top of a huge sun-drenched bowl.
It was a great spot for intermediates or beginners. Sleeping Indian and Wide Open were reached from the Casper lift, too. The mogul field looked tame from the lift, but once in the center of these double blue runs I thought they should have been rated black.
The only restaurant on the mountain was at the base of the Casper bowl. There was a snack bar at the very top of the tram and a restaurant at the base.
The mountainside cafeteria was pleasant and welcomed brown baggers before 11:30 a.m. and after 1:30 p.m.
Then came Thunder
After lunch in the sun at the midmountain restaurant, I headed to Thunder, a double chair on Rendezvous mountain, where in an adventurous moment I made my way through a series of lifts to the very top, which reinforced my preference to ski the blue runs on Rendezvous.
At the top of several of the lifts, ski hosts were posted near the large trail maps. The fresh-faced, friendly young people suggested areas to explore that were consistent with skiers` skill level. I was impressed by the friendliness of all the staff; the folks who helped you on the lift asked
”How are you?” like they really meant it.
Consider how large the ski area is: The longest run is 4 1/2 miles; the vertical drop, 4,200 feet. By comparison, the popular Wilmot Mountain north of Chicago is a half-mile run, with a vertical drop of 230 feet.
At day`s end I picked up a long gentle trail, Way Home. It let me ski right to the condo area.
Our group booked a condo through Teton Village Property Management
(800-443-6840).
The staff members were friendly and helpful. They suggested that we might not need to rent cars as there was a free shuttle in the village and a public bus that would take us to Jackson for $2 each way. The bus ran on a schedule, and more important, like a Swiss railroad, it ran on time. The local West Side market delivered, or would pick us up and return us at no charge until 9 p.m. for shopping.
We had reserved a four-bedroom, four-bath condo at $350 a night. It was beautiful, more like a visit to a friend`s home than a rental: It came with books, music, spices in the kitchen and a big balcony with a gas-fired grill. Time for a change
Then it started. ”Drip, drip, drip.” There was a roof leak. It got larger, and it was right in the middle of the dining room.
First aid did not work, so the management folks moved us to a five-bedroom house down the street. It, too, was lovely, a spectacular 10-year-old trilevel home with a huge fireplace and a small sauna.
There are several restaurants in Teton Village. We liked the Mangy Moose best. It featured prime rib from $13.95 and nightly specials such as mahi-mahi, offering a large portion grilled with pineapple ($8.95). Dinners included a generous salad and bread bar ($5 alone).
We dined at Anthony`s in Jackson one evening, a very good Italian restaurant with excellent pasta. Vista Grande, a Tex-Mex restaurant a 10-minute bus ride from the village, also was a good choice. But our favorite was the Mangy Moose, as evidenced by our three evenings dining there.
For those who don`t get enough skiing in the daytime, the Snow King area in Jackson has night skiing. It is a smaller area (400 acres) in town; lift tickets are $25.
At Jackson Hole a daily pass is $38; a four-day, $140, and five-day, $165. Multi-day tickets have to be used within six days. Each trip in the tram costs $2 more.
We took a day to visit Grand Targhee. It is 20 miles as the crow flies from Jackson Hole but 46 miles by road, which takes you over a mountain pass and through part of Idaho.
Grand Targhee, just that
As we didn`t have a car, we took the Targhee Express. The large, comfortable bus left at 8 a.m. for the 90-minute drive. The fare was $10, round trip, and the lift ticket was $27 more. Watching the road with its steep turns and switchbacks convinced this flatlander that it was absolutely the best time to leave the driving to someone else.
Grand Targhee was worth the trip.
Because it is on the west side of the Teton Mountain range, it gets more snow than Jackson-498 inches last season, the most in the United States.
Thirteen inches of powder had fallen the night before. Targhee, comprising 1,500 acres, is smaller than Jackson Hole, but lines at the lifts were short to none. The arrangement of the runs is efficient; most are wide open and 70 percent rated intermediate. Also, skiers get a spectacular view of the back side of the Tetons.
