Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Resorts I Love: Jackson Hole

I'm going to be perfectly frank with you: before going to Jackson Hole I kind of thought it was all hype. I mean, I knew about the great terrain they showed in films and the tons of world-class athletes that choose to call it home, but from visiting it a couple of summers ago I just wasn't impressed. I've never been so happy to be proven wrong in my life. First of all. the mountain is HUGE, it's just hard to get a grasp of it from looking up, but the insanely long tram ride to the top lets you get an idea of how large it really is. Turn the other way and you're in for a treat on a bluebird day; the views go on forever and are literally jaw-dropping. I couldn't stop raving about the grandeur of the place, except for when I started screaming down the slopes.


We didn't hit it on or even close to a powder day, but the snow was delectable: perfect carver snow. There are plenty of mid-mountain lifts which means you can spend more time lapping and less time riding a lift which is ideal, especially for a weekend warrior out for a ski trip like myself. I got a glimpse of Corbet's Couloir and some of the other extreme terrain that I had thought was almost entirely side or back-country. There's so much extreme terrain in-bounds that it's no wonder so many great athletes were spawned or have since moved there.

The people there are great too. Once my knees could no longer take it I waited at the base for my buddies and had a great conversation with a family of locals. I even got to recommend my Alma Mater (Montana State University-Bozeman) to their son. The apres scene is pretty delightful too, with lots of good beer, fun outdoor music, and the world-famous Mangy Moose all in the base area. Since the town of Jackson isn't far away it's a nice place to stay and save a few bucks compared to the resort itself and has a really fun nightlife.

I've also got to thrown in my love for the Jackson Hole employees. they're good at organizing crazy lift lines and they truly seem to have their guests' best interests at heart. Earlier in the day we were riding up one of the higher mountain lifts and saw a cell phone marooned on a cliff. We laughed every time we saw it because it was unreachable without belay. Ironically, when we got to the Antler Inn in Jackson I realized my phone may have met a similar fate because it was gone. Well, I thought, there's $600 I need to spend to replace it. Next morning though there was a missed call on my friend's phone from my number. A Jackson Hole liftie had found my phone, turned it in, and a customer service person had tracked my down by using my facebook, texts, and previous calls. I was only without my phone for 4.5 days and still can't believe (a) how lucky I am and (b) how much effort they went through to get it back to me.

For that and for an awesome day of skiing Jackson Hole will always have a special place in my heart. Now to just make it back on a powder day and someday brave Corbet's. . .

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