A Season Preview from Jackson Hole

By Chris Hansen, 11-16-07

It was a pretty good blow-through the other night. My oldest daughter was very excited to wake up to snow on the ground. While it’s been clear the past couple of days, it’s also been cold, and the forecast calls for snow showers through the weekend. I don’t want to jinx it, but I think we can say winter is on the way, at least in the high country.

And I know people are ready. They were skiing Teton Pass in the 18 inches we got about a month ago (I, however, prefer to not take the chance of ending my season before it officially begins), and a co-worker told me earlier this week that she and a whole bunch of others were hiking and skiing Targhee last weekend. The ski swaps have happened and those who didn’t get deals there are angling for Internet savings and bro-deals where ever they can. (I’ll be working the angles myself soon, but these days I’m looking for the best deals on skis under 100 cm and pink bibs with bunnies on them.)

I for one am looking forward to a great season. Maybe it’s early season hyperbole or renewed hope after a lackluster season last year, but between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration prediction of a La Nina and the Farmer’s Almanac saying the West is in for a wet winter, I’m feeling optimistic about what the coming season has to offer.

In the spirit of a fresh, new winter season in the Hole, I offer up a roundup of early season news.

From what I see during my travels around the valley, Snow King and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (aka The Village, Jackson Hole, The Big One, etc.) have been making snow for most of the past two to three weeks. Though it may have been a zero sum game for many of the clearer, warmer days we’ve had recently.

Snow King is currently scheduled to open Thanksgiving Day, but ski area manager Jim Sullivan says that’s doubtful at this point. Judging by what I see from my office window, while there’s a dusting on the upper half of the mountain, I think he’s probably right. But the mid-level haze from snowmaking (known locally as “El Manuel”) persists through the morning hours, and the steep, north aspect looks like it’s holding (man-made) snow well all the way down to the bottom. Asked if they had any early-season training by national ski teams slated for this year, Sullivan informed me that the King hasn’t seen any visiting teams since Park City stopped hosting the World Cup US opener. (That’ll be in Beaver Creek Nov. 27 - Dec. 2).

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort continues work on the new Jackson Hole Aerial Tram. They’ve been working on this thing for over a year now and according to Communications Manager Lisa Watson, they’re on target to deliver the first skiers to the top of Rendezvous Mountian on opening day 2008. While I hate to be pessimistic, “We’ll see,” is all I have to say for now. (The Bridger Restaurant, scheduled to open in December ‘06, didn’t host its first diners until June ‘07.) While the East Ridge Chair and the added capacity of the Bridger Gondola seemed to handle skier traffic fairly well last season, we’ll all be very ready for the tram to be back in action after another season without it. In the mean time, you can track the progress at www.thetramisback.com.

And over at Grand Targhee they’ve been busy cutting some new trails on Peaked Mountain. According to local news reports last week, Targhee is improving terrain off the newly accessed peak; some for skier access from the Sacajawea chair and some for increased snowcat-accessed terrain, and all for better offerings once they finally put a chair to the top of Peaked. But they’ve got bigger fish to fry over there at Targhee, what with their major redevelopment plans, and my guess is that their full focus isn’t on the skiing. That may change after a fresh storm this weekend. They were scheduled to open November 16, but the needed snow didn’t materialize. According to their spokesperson, Susie Barnett Bushong, they had about 20” on the ground Thursday afternoon and need a couple more feet to make it real.

That’s about it for your early season round-up. You can expect updates on all of the above and any issues in between as I cover Jackson Hole over the course of the winter. In the mean time, between whatever Targhee manages to scrape together and opening day at the Village, I’ll be pokin’ around the Pass to see where the goods are and the people aren’t.