Trip Take: Jackson Hole
A week after the Moms Trip to Deer Valley, the dads jumped on a flight to Jackson, WY to ski Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR). JHMR has long been on my list of top ski destinations, and, with my IKON pass in hand and three willing skier friends, this was the best opportunity I’d had to make the trip.
Welcome to Jackson Hole
The four of us flew directly into Jackson on an American flight from Chicago. As many of our trip reviews have revealed, we Chicagoans are spoiled with direct flight options to many of the more remote ski destinations in the US. We were welcomed in from the tarmac in Wyoming with complimentary mimosas which set a nice tone for the trip. After picking up our 4Runner from the car rental desk, we headed down the valley to the town of Jackson, a quick 15-minute drive south.
After a late lunch at Jackson Drug and the requisite grocery and liquor store runs, we settled into our condo south of downtown Jackson near the base of Snow King Mountain. Two guys needed to rent skis, so we headed to Hoback Sports and picked up some of the nicest rental equipment that I've seen. They clearly rent equipment well suited to the terrain and conditions one can expect to encounter skiing three full days on their mountain. If heading to Jackson and needing to rent equipment, I would highly recommend stopping at Hoback Sports.
Parking Lot Pal
JMHR was a 25 minute drive from our condo. Based on solid advice from a local, we targeted an early 8:30 a.m. arrival at the Ranch Lot, where we could take advantage of free parking for vehicles with three or more passengers. (JHMR has increased the 2024 passenger requirement to four people per vehicle, so plan to fill your car to take advantage of this free perk.) Our early arrival guaranteed us a spot in the lot and put us at the base of the mountain when the lifts started spinning at 9 a.m.
On Mountain
The first morning, we were greeted with some fresh overnight snow, so the lift lines were full with everyone looking for morning freshies. We jumped in the Bridger Gondola and lapped the blues off the Casper and Teton Quad chairs. This was a nice way to ease into the trip and orient ourselves to the mountain. Generally, the skier's left side of the mountain is well serviced by several high speed quad lifts that offer mostly groomed blue and black trails along with gladed tree runs. We spent the majority of two days exploring this side of the mountain.
Dads on the Snow
The skier's right side of the mountain has a much different vibe. Mainly serviced by the 100 passenger Aerial Tram, the terrain here is much more advanced and wide open. Our group navigated down Rendezvous Bowl (black) to Rendezvous Trail (blue) to the bottom of the Sublette Quad chair and then skied Rendezvous Trail again. This was a good introduction to the terrain on this side of the mountain and helped push everyone to test their abilities on more advanced trails. If you do go to JHMR, you absolutely must take the tram to the top. The views alone are worth the cramped ride and you can always ride the tram back to the bottom if you're not comfortable skiing down.
Other skiing highlights included Cros Ventre and Sundance trails off the top of the Bridger Gondola. These top-to-bottom groomed blues were the perfect runs to end our trip. I would definitely return to JHMR to further explore the more challenging terrain off the Aerial Tram. I can picture our son H jumping down into Corbet's Couloir and I'd love to follow him!
Off Mountain
Teton Village, at the base of the mountain, offers many amenities. The Handle Bar in the Four Seasons and The Mangy Moose were the perfect spots to sample the local brews at the end of our ski days. You’ll also find plenty of shops in Teton Village to purchase your souvenir t-shirts and magnets.
The town of Jackson is awesome for post-skiing dinner, drinks, and nightlife. We ate at Roadhouse Pub & Eatery, Local Restaurant & Bar, and Bubba's Bar-B-Que. We checked out the beers at Snake River Brewing and took in the live music (and dancing) at Silver Dollar Bar. When it comes to food, you’ll find all different sorts of cuisine in all different price ranges; there’s truly something for everyone. We did make reservations for most of our dinners to ensure we had a table ready for us.
Exceptional People Watching at Silver Dollar Bar
Our direct, noontime flight home to Chicago and the short drive to the airport allowed for a leisurely check-out from the condo on Sunday morning. Unfortunately, there were no complimentary departure mimosas at the airport for us. Back to reality!
