Mountain Review: Jackson Hole
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
9
Snow:
9
Resiliency:
7
Size:
8
Terrain Diversity:
10
Challenge:
7
Lifts:
7
Crowd Flow:
7
Facilities:
7
Navigation:
9
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
1-Day Ticket: $143-$229
Pass Affiliation: Ikon (excl. base pass), Mountain Collective
On-site Lodging: Yes
Aprés-ski: Extensive
Closest Cities: Jackson Hole (40 mins), Salt Lake City (5 hrs)
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Extremely demanding terrain
Snow quality
Crowd flow on non-tram lifts
Breathtaking scenery
– Cons
Limited beginner and low intermediate terrain
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 13
Trails: 133
Beginner: 10%
Intermediate: 40%
Advanced/Expert: 50%
Mountain Review
Located in the heart of the Teton mountain range, Jackson Hole offers more than 2500 acres of terrain and a massive 4139 foot vertical drop. While considerably more remote than other large ski areas in the Rockies, this resort offers easy access from the Jackson Airport and a combination of snow quality, terrain diversity, and mountain logistics that’s tough to beat. Moreover, it’s difficult to find another resort that matches the expert terrain here.
Jackson Hole is not for beginners. There are only 5 green trails on the entire mountain, and blue trails are on the more difficult side—many are ungroomed or fairly steep. Jackson Hole isn’t for those looking for a top-tier terrain park experience either. The resort offers two traditional terrain parks consisting of small-to-medium jumps, rails, and boxes, as well as four Stash areas consisting of unique natural features—nevertheless, many other resorts deliver more demanding freestyle terrain.
Those looking for a challenge, however, couldn’t have come to a better place. Trails marked as black diamonds are perilously difficult—cliffs, bumps, chutes, and steep glade runs abound. Sharp drop-offs that you’d expect to be closed anywhere else are trails here. Double blacks on the mountain are so extreme that even the most tenured skiers will want to think twice before attempting them. The resort offers plenty of lines that will take you from top to bottom on continuous black diamond terrain—you can’t really say this about any other North American resort with similar vertical.
In general, Jackson Hole’s terrain gets more difficult as you go from right to left on the map. The Apres Vous, Casper, and Bridger areas offer mostly intermediate terrain, but you can find some steep blacks and enjoyable glades. The Teton area services some really enjoyable expert glades as well.
You’ll want to hit up the areas closest to the tram for the resort’s most formidable terrain. The Thunder chair is known for extremely demanding, cliff-riddled glade trails where you can find yourself unexpectedly overlooking huge drop-offs. The Sublette chair gets you access to precipitous chutes and sweet bowls—this includes hikable access to the Headwall and Casper Bowl areas, both of which prove serious technical challenges if you drop in at the right place. The lower-elevation Hoback, Lower Sublette, and Colter areas, directly below the Sublette chair, feature some of the resort’s longest continuous expert runs. This vast swath of bowls, ridges, and gullies isn’t that great at the beginning of the season, but once there’s solid snow cover, these areas are home to some of the best powder skiing you’ll find anywhere.
The two areas only accessible by the tram are the Rendezvous Bowl and Corbet’s Couloir. The former is a massive bowl where you’ll typically find lots of powder, while the latter—a steep, narrow couloir with a massive 10-foot+ drop-in and quick required turn—is regarded by many as the most difficult in-bounds ski run in the world.
All of this remarkable terrain would not be possible without Jackson Hole’s world-class snow. Annual snowfall comes close to the best resorts in North America, and the resort sees consistent powder each season. This allows the mountain’s extreme features to accumulate enough of a snow cover for skiable conditions (although many of these areas typically don’t open up until later in the season).
Keep in mind that Jackson Hole has a massive vertical drop, so the snow conditions at higher elevations can often be quite different than those on lower runs. In addition, the snow here is typically heavier than what you’d find in, say, Utah, and very demanding on your legs.
With constant snow comes inclement weather conditions, and Jackson Hole often sees windy, snowy, poor visibility conditions. These conditions typically have an outsized effect on higher elevation terrain here. Sometimes in the bowls, you can’t even see more than a few turns in front of you. Luckily, the gondolas and tram provide welcome isolation from the elements on days like this.
Jackson Hole’s lift infrastructure is thoroughly modern, with a few exceptions. Most areas are serviced by high-speed chairlifts or gondolas. Two gondolas, the tram, and a detachable quad do a good job of shuffling skiers from the singular base area; one of these, the Sweetwater Gondola, was installed recently and has improved crowding here. The aerial tram is a defining feature of the resort, with first-class base-to-summit service over incredible ridges and valleys.
But trams have inherent logistical shortcomings. The two tram cars run on 12-minute frequencies, and lines can be a few hours long on busy days. It would be nice if Jackson Hole had better lift alternatives. You can’t reach the summit of the mountain from any other lift, and if you want to access any other tram-serviced terrain, you’ll have to take the Bridger Gondola to the fixed-grip Thunder and Sublette Quad chairs. It’s disappointing to see slow lift service holding down such a major part of the resort here, especially with the investments seen elsewhere on the mountain; however, most people will probably be okay with a few extra minutes of relief from the tiring terrain.
It’s pretty easy to navigate Jackson Hole, with very little catwalking required to get between different resort areas. Even the traverses out of low-elevation bowl and glade runs aren’t that flat, although you’ll have to ride the slow Union Pass Quad to get back to the base from the Hoback, Lower Sublette, and Colter areas. If you’re unfamiliar with the mountain, the resort offers guided tours from the base at 9:30 every morning.
Given the long vertical drop, difficult terrain, and heavy snow, it takes a while to ski to the bottom of the mountain from higher elevation areas. There are several on-mountain lodges where you can take a quick break or grab a meal without going all the way down to the base, but none of them are conveniently reachable from the high-elevation Thunder or Sublette chairs (although these two areas do provide bathroom facilities and benches).
Getting There
Most guests will fly to Jackson Hole by way of the Jackson Hole airport. The ski area is a quick 40 minute drive from the airport and approximately 25 minutes from downtown Jackson. A number of transportation services, including taxis, shuttles, and ride-sharing companies, provide service to the resort.
The resort is also within driving distance of Salt Lake City, which is approximately 5 hours from the resort with no traffic. Boise and Denver are about 6 and 8-hour drives, respectively.
Lodging
Jackson Hole offers lodging options in two main places: on-site and in the town of Jackson. Options on-site range from the budget-friendly Hostel to the ultra-luxury Caldera House bedroom suites. The town of Jackson gives you better bang for your buck and has a free shuttle bus to and from the resort, but it’s about half an hour away from the resort. If some in your party don’t ski, staying in the town may be the more appealing option thanks to a great variety of gourmet food and western culture.
Aprés-ski
Jackson Hole boasts strong aprés-ski and nightlife experiences. The base area has multiple slopeside bars with sweet happy hour selections. At night, many of these turn into bars with live music and DJs. Go into town for a selection of high-quality Western saloons and bars—the best ones to hit are the Silver Dollar and the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.
Verdict
So Jackson Hole is definitely not for beginners—and maybe even some intermediates. But for experienced skiers, it’s well worth the lift ticket price. Some resorts may be bigger, but few can match Jackson Hole’s snow quality, terrain diversity, and challenge. It’s hard to beat the overall experience—and workout—you’ll get here.
