Wyoming Trip - Jackson Hole, Snow King, Grand Targhee

[Zermatt]

you're lucky (and so am i, i guess), that we've had very little fuss over boots. ive had 3 pairs over the past 15 years, saw a proper bootfitter for the most recent pair. never went back after my initial fitting.

so many people bemoan their boots

one friend who has been skiing for just 7 years since moving to colorado, uses 'needing to get my boots dialed in' as his excuse for being a shitty skier every time i ski with him. i couldnt wait to be rid of him last week. good to see him but fuck that skiing was torture.

in general tho, i don't want to ever need to rent boots, and if my flight is not direct, i carry them on board. havent been fucked yet in my life on a direct flight...

I didn’t know my wife moved to Colorado.

 

[kingslug]

Rental boots...never...

 

[crank]

I had to do it once, rent boots. Wasn't a bad as I thought it would be.

But I have easy to fit feet.

 

[kingslug]

Happy tootsies..happy skiing!

 

[urungus]

Suitcase with all my ski clothing arrived on 9:22 flight from Denver this morning. Rather than wait who knows how long for them to deliver it to my hotel, I went back to the airport and picked it up. All good now, here are some photos from today:

 

[urungus]

New Sun Bowl area on backside:








Only original member is guitarist Greg Ginn:

 

[jimmywilson69]

Glad it worked out! Looks like good conditions at Snow King. Still can't believe they put a gondola in there... Thoughts on the back side?

 

[kingslug]

A gondola?
Never been there....watched the snowmobile climb from town...looks steep.

 

[urungus]

Glad it worked out! Looks like good conditions at Snow King. Still can't believe they put a gondola in there... Thoughts on the back side?

I happened to catch the backside during Snow King’s “best conditions ever” (see next post) and thought it was pretty great. A giant 100 acre bowl to explore funneling down to the new chairlift with much gentler intermediate pitch than the crazy-steep top of the front side. Nice views of the Bridger Teton National Forest to the south, and some nice trees on skiers left. However I have heard that because of that southern exposure, the backside can melt off or get crusty quickly. The new backside chairlift also gives hike-free access to the East and West S Chutes (and new Yeti double black trail) on the front side for the first time. Only annoyance is that there is a saddle between the top of the new backside chairlift and gondola, requiring you to ride a short platter lift from the bottom of the saddle to get back to the summit area

By the end of this year, Snow King will have completed some transformational upgrades:
* replaced summit double with gondola, their first high speed lift
* installed new Sunnyside Chairlift, giving for the first time lift service to the back side bowl, and S Chutes on the Front side
* new button lift to get back to summit from the backside
* new Yeti double black trail on front side
* installed snowmaking water, potable water, sewer and gas lines to summit
* new lodge with bar and restaurant, ski school, ski patrol at the summit
* new observatory and planetarium at summit
* new learning area at summit with two carpets
* replaced Rafferty double with quad
* installed safety bars on Cougar triple

Also as mentioned by @kingslug Snow Kings hosts the world uphill snowmobiling championship every year:

 

[urungus]

Back from an amazing trip, continuing with the report:

For day 2 on the slopes I had planned to take the Ride GTR shuttle from Jackson to Grand Targhee but I missed the reservation cutoff. Not to worry, though, I still had one day on my Indy Pass remaining for Snow King, and the trail report promised “best conditions ever”

 

[urungus]

Photos from Day 2 at Snow King:

Rafferty lift is steps way from the Snow King Hotel:


Looking down the Moose Trail under the Rafferty lift:




Jump Run:


Top of Bear Cat at summit:


Summit panorama:


Looking down backside chairlift into the Sun Bowl:


Here is view from top of new backside chairlift. To the left is the newly accessible backside Sun Bowl. Straight ahead, the green building far away is the new summit lodge nearing completion. Halfway there, at the bottom of the saddle, the wide groomed area is the button lift back up to the summit. From the bottom of the saddle, you can avoid having to take the button lift by turning right, onto the blue Elkhorn switchback trail which takes you down the front side.


Bison trail has nice view of Jackson:

 

[urungus]

Spent the late afternoon wandering around Jackson:

Snow King looms over town:


The famous antler archways at the four corners of the town square:




Outdoor skating rink in the town square:

 

[urungus]

check out the TGR shop while there.

Thanks for the tip @eatskisleep




TGR store has a small theater in the back where you can watch their movies:

 

[urungus]

 

[urungus]

Heading over to Teton Village to spend next 4 nights near the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort:

 

[djd66]

Jackson Hole is on my bucket list,… thanks for sharing, looks awesome!

 

[4aprice]

Really nice photography. Going to try to really document my up coming trip. (my son and wife will probably be annoyed with me at some point lol)

 

[crank]

Looks like a good time!

One thing to know about Jackson, the town, is that they don't clear the sidewalks and parking lots of snow and ice. The way the law works is that if property owners do clear ice and snow then they can be held liable for slip and fall accidents. This in theory, in practice there is no real way to sue for damages...ask me how I know.

Bring, or buy at the hardware store, some Yak Tracks or microspikes. Or just be really effing careful walking around town.

 

[skiur]

Looks like a good time!

One thing to know about Jackson, the town, is that they don't clear the sidewalks and parking lots of snow and ice. The way the law works is that if property owners do clear ice and snow then they can be held liable for slip and fall accidents. This in theory, in practice there is no real way to sue for damages...ask me how I know.

Bring, or buy at the hardware store, some Yak Tracks or microspikes. Or just be really effing careful walking around town.

Huh? Even in town they get a lot of snow, if they didn't clear it then there would be multiple feet of snow and you couldn't open the door to get into the store. They certainly clear the sidewalks. Yes there could be some ice but its no difference than any other city that is cold and gets a lot of snow.

 

[AdironRider]

That is straight up not true. The Parks and Rec department clears them.

It is Wyoming, not New York, there is an expectation that you will need to be able to handle some snow and yeah, you don't get to sue someone because you can't handle it.

PS, they make all the kids walk to school if they live within 1.5 miles, doesn't matter how cold it is, and it is regularly -20. People from the East would have a field day with that one I suspect.