December 2006 - Posts

• Ski Recommendation

  Here is a question asked earlier by a JH Blog reader: "What ski would you recommend to a first time visitor to Jackson Hole. I have two pairs, 2006 Rossi Z9 and 2005 Rossi Bandit B3. I was thinking the B3 only because it's a fatter ski and can float powder better. Any Thoughts? Thanks" I'd go with the fatter ski. Both are kind of wide right? The feeling of having a fat ski in powder will far outweigh in awesomeness any lack of performance you have on groomers. I ski on fat skis year round, and don't have a problem. Posted Dec 28 2006, 10:24 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Great Cat Skiing Package at Grand Targhee

  We were able to package a free cat skiing trip at Grand Targhee...check out this amazing deal: From $375/person*, you can experience: -4 nights lodging in the newly renovated Teewinot Lodge -2 days lift tickets at Grand Targhee -1 day Cat Skiing at Grand Targhee (based on availability) You can view the package details at our winter specials page. Posted Dec 28 2006, 10:23 AM by jhcr with no comments

• New Year's Festivities in Jackson Hole

  Since I've been here, it seems that people who pack in early on New Year's Eve are usually rewarded with awesome ski conditions the next day...but for those who want to celebrate (and maybe ski the next day), there are plenty of options. Wherever you are staying, a must-do in Jackson Hole on New Year's Eve is the Torchlight parade. There will be one at Grand Targhee, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Snow King Resort. This spectacle is created by skiers with torches/flares/glow sticks, skiing down the mountain. Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort both offer parades you can participate in, with Jackson Hole offering a children's parade at 5:00 and an adult parade at 5:30. Grand Targhee offers a parade for children at 4:15 and for adults at 4:45. The Snow King parade is at 6:15, and is skied by experienced skiers. Planet Jackson Hole reports that this year, the parade might be from the summit to the base. All of these parades will be followed by a fireworks display. Many restaurants are offering special New Year's menus. The rundown of special events in bars is this: Mangy Moose is hosting Aphrodesia at 9:30 PM through the New Year. This band offers "Afrobeat, dub fun and East African trance music". Tickets are $25. The Snake River Brewing company is again opening the doors of their "Club Pub", where tables are replaced by a dance floor. Vert-One will be spinning from 9 pm-1 am. Tickets are $20 and will sell out. 307-739-2337 Snow King Resort will have a hotel wide party-being. $30/person includes admission to the Grand Ballroom and the Shady Lady Saloon. This can be packaged with their New Year's Eve Gourmet Buffet for $95 or with their bistro buffet for $50. 307-734-3236 At 43 North, Dark Cheddar will be performing from 10 pm. Admission will be $10. 307-734-0043. The Wort Hotel will be offering live music all night, with no cover charge. Whatever you do for New Years, we wish you the best. Posted Dec 27 2006, 10:23 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Powder and Skiing the New Jackson Hole

  Greetings Skiers and Riders: I hope you had a great Christmas holiday. Santa was very good to us as we enjoyed 8"-10'' of very light new Powder on Sunday Morning. Ski Patrol got the mountain open right at 9 am and we enjoyed fresh tracks all morning. Where it was smooth underneath, it was very good and where there were some bumps, you had to be careful, as the snow density was so light that you were sinking right through to the bottom. Overall it was an excellent morning at Jackson Hole and sooooo fun to be skiing some Powder again. In today's, Blog, I thought I would mention how the closing of the tram has affected the way we ski the mountain. In the past, we would go up the tram, ski Rendezvous Bowl and then head over to Sublette until that got crowded. On Sunday we were in the Gondola by 9:05 am and enjoyed a great opening run down the Gros Ventre run with a bee line over to the Thunder chair. Up Thunder we scouted lines and determined Laramie Bowl would be a good first choice as most of those ahead of us headed down Grand. Laramie did not disappoint and we had untracked from top to bottom. Up Sublette and over to the new East Ridge double chair. 5 minutes up the chair and we were back skiing untracked in our beloved Rendezvous Bowl. Being that the first run in the bowl was sooooo good and given the fact that there was no line for the East Ridge Chair, we did it again.. Himm, I thought, this is actually pretty good. Yo-yoing Rendezvous Bowl may not be such a bad deal. Just to mix things up a little we skied past the minimal line in East Ridge and decided to try Bivouac. UNTRACKED all the way down. This is very unusual I said to myself as in years past, Bivouac was usually the first to get skied out (locals know that fresh snow tends to get blown in to Bivouac after a storm) and the goods usually go quickly. So, we make our way down to the Sublette chair and at the top, we once again ski by the East Ridge chair. Minuim line, so we all agree, let's ski the bowl again.And once again, untracked most of the way down. It suddenly dawns on us that we have skied 3 untracked Rendezvous Bowl runs before 10 am. This is very unusual, as when we had the tram, you NEVER got 3 untracked runs down the bowl before 10am (accessing the goods from the new "Top O the World" East Ridge Chair) So, All morning we cycled back and forth between the Sublette chair and the East Ridge chair and the Boyz all agreed that this was a most excellent morning of skiing in Jackson Hole. While we miss our Big Red Box, we must give credit to the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for installing the temporary East Ridge chair and granting us access to some of the greatest in bounds skiing in the world. Memo to JHMR managment: From some satisfied locals, THANK YOU. At the end of the morning session, we had to throw in a Cirque off of the Sublette chair just for good measure and lo and behold more untracked and the Thunder chair was not overwhelmed as we (the locals) thought it would be.So, we had time for just one more.We all enjoyed another excellent run down Gannet before we had to call it quits and head on out for Christmas Eve festivities. While the Tram is temporarily closed until December 2008 and then brand new Tram will whisk us to the top or our playground, Jackson Hole remains one of the best ski resorts in the world and great fun is still to be had. For all you Jackson Hole fans, come on out, the water is great. Happy Holidays Posted Dec 26 2006, 10:22 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Snow falling, more on the way-Happy Holidays!

  Snow fell overnight and should continue today and then on Sunday and Monday. Posted Dec 22 2006, 10:22 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Christmas in Jackson Hole 2006

  Traditions in Jackson Hole for Christmas Day vary greatly. Every year I seem to do something different-I've worked Christmas Day, I've gone to parties, I've skied and one lucky year, I was able to visit my family. But there is always something to do...here are some highlights of things to do for visitors to Jackson Hole: Santa on the Square: December 15-December 24. Santa is on Town Square from 5:00-7:00 PM to get last minute requests from local and visiting children. Teton Village events: December 23. Teton Village Christmas Tree Lighting at 2:00pm at the Crystal Springs Pond. There will be free cookies and hot chocolate and a very special visit from Santa! Ice skating on the pond will be free, and don’t forget to bring your sled to test out the brand new sledding hill next to the Crystal Springs Pond! Holiday Gallery Stroll: December 21. A gallery walk from 6:00-8:00 PM on Town Square, with galleries offering snacks and beverages. Snow King Buffet: Annual Christmas Buffet-December 25th. Snow King is always a very popular place for Christmas Dinner. The extensive buffet runs from 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM in the Atrium restaurant. Locals' favorites include a very impressive crab and shrimp station and the dessert tables...which feature something for anyone. The price is $41/adults, $36/seniors and $19/children (12 and under). The Wort Hotel: Annual Christmas Buffet. The Wort Hotel has a very nice layout as well, and also has a breakfast bar station all day, for those who are more interested in brunch then dinner. This runs from 11 AM to 4 PM and is $32.95/adult and $16.95/child under 12. Teton Mountain Lodge is also offering a buffet, but I couldn't find any details on it...I will do some research and update this post if I can find more info. Jackson Hole Playhouse: A Blazing Saddle Rock Christmas-December 14-31. This well known Jackson establishment is offering a Christmas musical. 6 PM-Roasted Chestnuts and Cider, 6:30-Dinner and Show. 307-733-6994 Let me know if you have any specific questions about stuff to do over the holidays! Posted Dec 20 2006, 10:21 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Lovely Sleigh Ride Dinner at Mill Iron Ranch

  Last night we had a our Jackson Hole Central Reservations Christmas party at Mill Iron Ranch. Located about 12 miles south of Town, this sleigh ride dinner is unique in that if you do not see wildlife, you aren't looking! The sleigh ride takes you adjacent to a state run elk feeding ground, where we saw one HUGE bull elk, lots of young bucks, does and some yearling. Dinner followed in Mill Iron Ranch's Lodge style dining room. Impressive Taxidermy decorates the walls, but the highlight is dinner. Chancy is the owner of the Mill Iron Ranch, and grills up the best T-bone I've ever had. His wife Kim, was a wonderful hostess and served a nice salad, baked potato, warm dinner roll and corn on the cob. For dessert we had a homemade carrot cake. It was a nice party. Some of us took advantage of the full bar to bring a hot chocolate laced with peppermint schnapps to keep warm. (I just had a hot chocolate, and it worked fine). Here are some pictures of us enjoying the evening...give us a call to book this trip or if you have any questions about it! Chancy grilling up our delicious T-Bones (chicken, salmon and vegetarian options are available): Tracy and Rob quenching their thirst: Warming up after the sleigh ride: Zak and Marge in front of a very impressive mountain lion: Posted Dec 18 2006, 10:21 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Happy Friday - More Snow on the Way

  I'm looking forward to skiing tomorrow. My two favorite runs are off of Sublette chairlift, which will open tomorrow. On Sunday, the new East Ridge Chairlift will open, allowing access to Rendezvous Bowl. Corbet's Coulair will probably not be open, but you can still usually peer off the edge of it. I'll be sure to give you the ski report on Monday! Here is a press release I got from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort today: POWDER CONDITIONS ABOUND AT THE BIG ONE: ALL MAJOR LIFTS and 4,139 VERTICAL OPENING (Teton Village, Wyo., December 15, 2006) With 30 inches of snow recorded so far this week, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) will open the remaining upper mountain lifts this weekend. Sublette Chair will open Saturday, the new East Ridge Chair on Sunday, opening Rendezvous Bowl and the entire 4,139 vertical of JHMR. While in the midst of a huge storm, Rendezvous Mountain is offering incredible early season powder conditions that have surprised many. At all elevations the mountain is being hit hard with snow. Groomed runs have soft, carvable covering and in the trees it can be thigh deep. The combination of powder, uncrowded slopes and early season fitness is resulting in some very happy, tired skiers. Due to heavy snowfall at upper elevations, snow control may delay the opening of upper mountain lifts, but all efforts are being made to open them as early and safely as possible. For live temps, lift status, wind and snow reports, live web cams and special events log onto www.jacksonhole.com or call the snow phone at 733 2291. Posted Dec 15 2006, 10:20 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Snow Dump Update

  We have a lot of terms for a big snowfall in Jackson Hole. This would meet the definition of any of these. I will post pictures tomorrow morning of today's epic day. 12" at Jackson Hole and 13" at Grand Targhee. Still snowing right now, with more in the forecast through the weekend. Ahhhh...winter in Jackson Hole. Posted Dec 14 2006, 10:20 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Snow Falling Hard in Jackson Hole

  Reports from Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole are both good. Snow has been falling all day, and will continue through the night and into tomorrow. I am hoping to report in feet tomorrow, not inches. A winter storm advisory is in effect until 2 AM Thursday morning. Rumors are that Thunder Quad will open tomorrow if the snow persists. Here's a friend of mine doing some reconnaissance today at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. It is a tough job, but somebody has to do it. :) Posted Dec 13 2006, 10:20 AM by jhcr with no comments

• December Snow

  3" fell on both Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Grand Targhee last night. Snow is expected through the end of the week and into next week...exciting news for Jackson Hole residents and visitors. I'll keep you posted as the snow falls! Posted Dec 12 2006, 10:19 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Special Air-Inclusive...Chicago to Jackson Hole from $559/Person

  And here is a press release I put out today! You can see this and other specials here. AMERICAN AIRLINES SPECIAL CHICAGO FARE TO JACKSON HOLE (Jackson Hole, Wyo., December 8, 2006) Jackson Hole Central Reservations is pleased to offer the lowest priced package of the season with direct flights from Chicago on American Airlines. Paired with specially discounted nightly rates offered by Snow King Resort, a 4 night lodging/3 day lift ticket package to Jackson Hole can be as low as $559/person. This includes round-trip airport transfers and complimentary skier’s shuttle. Snow King Resort offers a newly renovated lobby with a large wood burning fireplace and leather furniture. Other amenities include an outdoor heated pool area with hot tubs, and rooms with complimentary Wi-Fi, down comforters and lodge pole furnishings. This package can be customized, so while it is ideal for a long weekend, additional discounted nights of lodging and days of skiing or riding can be added to the special fare for an extended ski vacation to Jackson Hole. For reservations, call 866-749-4071, or visit Jackson Hole Central Reservations online at www.jacksonholewy.com. This special airfare must be booked by January 6, 2007 and is valid December 14, 2006 through April 8, 2007. Availability is limited and restrictions apply. Price is starting from and based on double occupancy. All taxes and fees are included. Posted Dec 08 2006, 10:19 AM by jhcr with no comments

• News from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

  I just got this press release from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort...our packaged lift tickets are EXTREMELY discounted through December 22, so give us a call to price out our very affordable early season ski packages. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort To Open Bridger Gondola: 2800 vertical (Teton Village, WY., December 8, 2006) Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) will open the Bridger Gondola, Casper Triple Chair and Casper Restaurant tomorrow, in addition to Teewinot and Apres Vous lifts. Off the Gondola, JHMR will open main runs including Amphitheatre, the entire Gros Ventre and Upper Sundance. Casper will open up intermediate terrain including Lift Line, Easy Does It and Sleeping Indian. Croaky Point will also be open. A combination of natural and man-made snow will make for some first-rate, long cruising runs. “Opening week has seen a steady flow of skiers and snowboarders cruising on Apres Vous. We are expecting pleasant temperatures this weekend so we anticipate a fun, social scene in Teton Village. Chan Man will be playing on the Gondola Dock and the grill will be open at Casper!” commented Anna Olson, Communications Director, JHMR. Take advantage of Early Season Ticket Prices through December 22, 2006. $51 for adults $42 for young adults $26 for jnr/snr For live temps, wind and snow reports, live web cams and special events log onto www.jacksonhole.com or call the snow phone at 307 733 2291. Posted Dec 08 2006, 10:18 AM by jhcr with no comments

• A wonderful dinner at the Solitude Cabin

  Greetings Skiers, Riders and potential visitors to Jackson Hole: Last night the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort invited some of the Jackson Hole Central Reservations staff to a night of Research & Development at the Solitude cabin located 1/4 of the way up the ski area. We were met at the base of the ski area by 3 sleighs and a team of 6 horses. What a novel way to climb the mountain under a waning full moon and the stars peeking out from a partly cloudy sky. Here are sales agents Catherine and Toni just prior to our departure: The ride up takes about 20-25 minutes and affords a unique view of the surrounding forest and mountains and we watched snow cats groom the upper mountain. Upon arrival at he Solitude Cabin, guests are shown to their pre-assigned tables. If you are a group of 6, you will have a table for 6 and if you are a table of 2, you will have a private table for 2. Our feast began with a bowl of Onion soup that quickly warmed us and was quite delicious. Between courses, we were serenaded by one of the valleys top local musician, Judd Grossman, who provided a nice background to our conversation with our dining partners. Our next course was a nice Caesar salad with shaved Parmesan, followed by our pre determined choice of Salmon or Prime Rib and followed by desert.The food was plentiful and very tasty. Our wait staff were very attentive and always checking to make sure we had everything we needed. A full bar is available for all guests dining at the Solitude Cabin. Here are Catherine, Toni and Bryan from Central Reservations and Heather from The Rusty Parrot Lodge hard at work doing research for you, our valued guests, Yes, I know it is a tough job, but sacrifices have to be made. After dinner, we loaded up the sleighs and enjoyed a wonderful ride back down the mountain with our appetites satisfied, and I believe everyone enjoyed a unique and fun dining adventure. The Solitude Sleigh ride dinner is perfect for families with children or, couples seeking a romantic night out will enjoy the ambiance of the Solitude Cabin and the Sleigh ride as well. Reservations are necessary and your sales agent at Central Reservations or the Concierge at your hotel will be happy to assist. We hope you have the opportunity to enjoy this unique and fun filled evening in Jackson Hole. Posted Dec 07 2006, 10:18 AM by jhcr with no comments

• Skiing at Grand Targhee December 2006

  I was very nervous about my return to skis after a year and a half off (I broke my leg, ankle and foot in December of 2005). I chose to ski at Grand Targhee for my 2006/2007 season inaugural day. I was definitely expecting a certain amount of pain, especially on my ankle, and I was not disappointed. However, the ski conditions were fantastic, with coverage on the groomed runs as good and better then what I have experienced in previous years. It was sunny outside, but the cooler weather kept the snow from getting slushy then refreezing, so from my first run to my last, the snow held up amazingly. At the end of the day, I was reminded of the true hospitality you experience at Grand Targhee. After discovering I had locked my keys in my car, I went to Phat Fred's (a snowboard shop at the base of Grand Targee) to try to find a wire hanger...although they didn't have any in the store, the friendly employee who was helping me left her post and looked for one elsewhere, finally finding one in the employee locker room. All in all, it was a great day (I did get in my car in just under 2 minutes). I am looking forward to Saturday, to continue my efforts of becoming a better and more pain free skier. Here's a picture taken at Grand Targhee this weekend, although I stayed on the groomers, I did notice pockets of untouched snow still available for the taking. Posted Dec 04 2006, 10:17 AM by jhcr with no comments