Mountain Review: Snow King
MOUNTAIN SCORE
CATEGORY BREAKDOWN
See our criteria
7
Snow:
6
Resiliency:
3
Size:
4
Terrain Diversity:
6
Challenge:
5
Lifts:
9
Crowd Flow:
6
Facilities:
7
Navigation:
7
Mountain Aesthetic:
GOOD TO KNOW
On-site Lodging: Yes
Apres-ski: Extensive
Pass Affiliation: Indy Pass
Recommended Ability Level:
+ Pros
Formidable tree and mogul terrain
Local feel
Spectacular town views
Low lift ticket prices
– Cons
Small footprint
Lackluster beginner and intermediate terrain
Inconsistent snow conditions on back side
MOUNTAIN STATS
Lifts: 4
Trails: 34
Beginner: 18%
Intermediate: 38%
Advanced/Expert: 44%
Mountain Review
Founded in 1936, Snow King is the oldest ski resort in the Jackson, Wyoming area. Many people don’t even know it exists—the mountain has been overshadowed by its much bigger neighbor, Jackson Hole, for decades—but this relatively small resort delivers significant challenge for its size. However, a number of shortcomings degrade the experience and make the mountain undesirable for less advanced skiers and snowboarders.
Like other Teton resorts, Snow King often sees powder during the season. But the resort receives fewer than 200 inches of snow in an average year and tops out at just 7,800 feet, leading to more variable conditions than you might expect. Trails may lack cover and can become crusty following a few days with no snow. The resort ultimately stays resilient, however, thanks to early-season snowmaking operations that lay down a reliable base.
Snow King is quite a steep mountain and offers very demanding terrain. Runs off the Summit Double are precipitously pitched and ungroomed. The severe gradient continues for the majority of the resort’s vertical drop, making these runs surprisingly long and trying. While unmarked by the resort, woods alongside these trails make for fantastic expert glade runs. The resort is entirely below treeline, but the summit offers easy access to some backcountry bowl terrain.
Despite its local feel, Snow King doesn’t offer much in the way of beginner terrain. Only four green trails exist outside of a small magic carpet area, and none of them lead back to the summit chair base, making the lower section of Rafferty the only lappable area for beginners. Intermediate skiers may find a bit more to like, although none of the resort’s blue trails are particularly long.
Snow King boasts three terrain park areas. Two of them offer a decent variety of small to large rails and jumps, but the third is nothing more than a series of banked runs. The resort features a few log-based jumps around various trails.
Snow King employs some of the worst signage we’ve seen anywhere, making a mountain you’d expect to be easy to navigate actually relatively confusing. Trail markers are difficult to spot and look like they haven’t been replaced in decades. To make matters worse, there aren’t any signs with information about how to reach specific lifts or base areas. Be sure to grab a trail map if you’re concerned about getting around—there aren’t any posted around the mountain.
Snow King doesn’t have many mid-mountain facilities, but that’s par for the course for a resort of this magnitude. Both base areas offer sizable lodges with reasonably priced food options. A summit hut with a bar exists, but it’s not always open.
Few mountains with similarly small footprints can match Snow King’s resort feel. The mountain sits right at the base of the town of Jackson, offering stunning views of the streets below. The surrounding Teton mountain ranges don’t look too bad, either.
Snow King is a small, local mountain, and as such lacks a modern lift setup. All lifts are slow, although the relatively new Rafferty Quad recently replaced an old double chair. The S-Chutes at the top of Snow King are some of the only tree-cut ski trails in the country that require hiking to reach, albeit they consequently tend to hold powder longer than other areas of the resort.
It’s worth noting that Snow King offers night skiing until 6:30pm six days a week (the resort closes at 4pm on Sundays). However, night skiing operations don’t include the Summit Double, which services most of the resort’s truly demanding terrain. Snow King also offers an afternoon pass good from 1pm to close, which gets you a few hours of access to the full resort. In addition, Snow King sells very cheap uphill travel access passes, making the resort a great practicing ground for those looking to build backcountry hiking proficiency.
Lodging
Plenty of lodging options exist around Snow King, including the fairly fancy yet reasonably priced slopeside Snow King Resort Hotel. Off-site, the town of Jackson boasts many hotel and inn options and provides free shuttle buses to and from the resort. If some in your party don’t ski, staying directly in the town may be the more appealing option thanks to a great variety of gourmet food and western culture.
Apres-ski
Apres-ski on-site at Snow King is weak, but the town of Jackson boasts strong nightlife experiences. High-quality Western saloons and bars such as the Silver Dollar and the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar feature animated happy hours and live music.
Verdict
Ultimately, Snow King offers a very specific subset of terrain that will only appeal to a certain demographic of skiers and snowboarders. With 1-day adult lift ticket prices of just $60 for a full day—and less for half-day and night tickets—the resort is a steal for those who enjoy long, trying tree and mogul runs or want convenient access to the charming town of Jackson. However, if you’re already paying to fly to Jackson from out of town, you’ll probably be okay with dropping the extra money to go to Jackson Hole, which offers much more terrain and a significantly better overall experience.
NOTE: Mountain Score criteria for this resort were adjusted on May 15, 2022, October 12, 2021 and April 11, 2021.
Historical Snow King mountain reviews:
