Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole Ski Resort Guide

United States

Located next to the Grand Teton National Park and just over an hour from Yellowstone, Jackson Hole enjoys a stunning natural location. Consisting of two mountains, Apres Vous and Rendezvous, expect to some of the steepest slopes in the US, all backed by majestic scenery.

With a huge vertical and plenty of snow, there’s extreme terrain but plenty for the beginners and intermediates to enjoy too.

Good for

apres
beginner
intermediate
advanced
families
Non Skiers

The Resort

If you fancy a day away from the slopes, then the Grand Teton National Park is right next door to the resort. And travelling a little further afield, the legendary Yellowstone is about an hour away. In fact, there are plenty of day trips on offer to see Old Faithful erupt, including some on snowmobile.

There are also lots of good eating options, ranging from the organic and healthy end of the spectrum to calorific sweet treats. Corbet’s Cabin is a renowned stopping off point, with fresh waffles and a huge array of toppings. If you’re really hungry, the Rocky Mountain Oyster café serves big beef burgers starting at less than $5.

In the evening, for a taste of something different head over to Teton Thai, just off the town square. It’s a little pricey but well worth it for authentic Thai cuisine. And if you don’t want to drive you can catch the resort buses to and from the square. If dining at altitude appeals, then Couloir is located at the top of the gondola with a fixed price menu serving up some of the best dishes in town.

For nightlife, head to the Mangy Moose, the liveliest of all the après spots. It’s more or less an institution and the place to be seen. For something a little more upmarket, try the Four Seasons Lounge with its sushi menu. Or catch some live music at the Million Dollar Cowboy saloon.

On the slopes

The beginner area at Jackson Hole is near the Eagle’s Rest and Teewinot lift. It’s a nice and relaxed place to learn and build confidence, but once you’ve got the basics down there is not much else on offer here. So you’ll need to head over to Apres Vous mountain. It’s the smaller of the resort’s two mountains but there is a high-speed lift to the top. From here, you can enjoy well maintained intermediate runs all the way down to the bottom.

There is also some top intermediate skiing off the Casper Bowl Triple Chair, with a choice of Easy Does It, Lift Line and Camp Ground. Another top improver run is the traverse from Horn’s Hole to Amphitheater. Take the thunder chair lift to the top to cruise your way back down the well-groomed piste.

Of course, Jackson Hole is known for its steep slopes, with plenty of chutes, moguls, trees and more making it a great place for advanced skiers and snowboarders to push themselves. Around half of the slopes here are black or double black, with Rendezvous Bowl, Alta Chutes and Sublette Quad being just a few of the toughest runs to tackle.

Off Piste

Jackson Hole was one of the first US resorts to open up lift accessed off-piste and one of the few to allow out of bounds skiing. If you’re in the mood for a hike, take the Bridger Gondola to the top then walk for 20 minutes to Headwall and Casper Bowl for some increible freeride terrain.

If a hike is too much trouble, then the Saratoga Bowl and Moran Woods offer some good fresh tracks after snow. Also, the trees either side of the Sublette Quad tend to offer good powder for longer periods.

And of course you just have to check out one of skiing’s most famous off-piste routes – Corbet’s Couloir – even if you don’t take it on yourself. With around a three to six meter drop in from a cornice it’s a daunting start, but once through the chute there is plenty of powder.

There is also proper backcountry skiing available if you’re fully equipped. And by that we mean shovel, probe, transceiver – the works. Head south out of the resort and you’ll find Rock Springs and Cody Bowl which are both are well marked.

To the north in the Grand Teton National Park you can head to the top of the Apres Vous lift for some fresh tracks. But taking a guide is recommended as it’s easy to get lost here and can be very difficult to get back out of Granite Canyon.

With more than 2,500 acres of backcountry terrain, if you’re going off-piste be careful, as even experienced skiers can get into trouble at Jackson Hole.

Published: July 18, 2018 Modified: July 24, 2019

The location

Booking.com
Snow Report
Stats
Green Runs
2%
Blue Runs
38%
Single Diamond
42%
Double Diamond
16%
LIFTS 12
VERTICAL 2000
PISTES 139m