SKI: Jackson Hole

Thrilled to finally be sharing our experience at Jackson Hole. It’s been a bucket list destination of mine for quite some time, the gateway to Yellowstone’s South entrance is in the wintertime a playground for all cold weather sports. Earlier this year we took off on our annual ski road trip to some of America’s most famous ski destinations. Jackson Hole is only a ~12 hour drive from Calgary, and in the unpredictable US Rockies winter storm season that’s not too bad. For the most part our journey was adventure free until we got to the pass right before Jackson where we were driving in complete fog. The drive that followed our visit proved to be even harder than the first leg but that’s a story for another time.

Jackson, the town and Jackson Hole, the ski resort (that is in Teton Village might I add), really need to figure out their branding a little bit better, we found it to be a little bit confusing as to which is which and even heard a couple of groups of tourists who had booked hotels in the wrong places, as the ski resort is actually about a 30 min drive out of town. So if you are planning your visit be warned. Having said that it’s also not a big deal at all, 30 min drive is really not that huge of an issue for us, and the town itself is so beautiful and full of things to do, great places to eat and shop that it’s actually our preferable way to do Jackson Hole. We stayed at Anvil Hotel which we booked last minute with Hotel Tonight. It had free parking, easy access and, even though small rooms, there was separate storage for ski gear which proved to be very handy.

We lucked out big time with our day on the slopes, despite a questionable forecast we had perfect spring ski conditions. Toward the end of the day I was even skiing with my jacket off! The one thing to remember is that I am not an expert skier, I definitely have a long way to go before I am confidently zooming down the hill. I have in my time skiing levelled up to an easy black run or two, but it still takes me a minute to build up confidence to go fast, safety first, always. At the beginning of the season I’m always more cautious and the more days in a row I get to ski the faster I go. It is, however easier with every season to pick up where I left off, thankfully!

Now, Jackson Hole is actually known to be quite a difficult hill but from the research I did they have over time adjusted some of their runs to accommodate the intermediate skier like me (Thank You!) so if you are worried (like I was initially) that there won’t be anywhere for you to practice your skills fear not, there are at least a handful of runs you can tackle no problem. Our area of choice for the day was around the Casper chair but we also ended up along the Bridger Gondola for a few runs as well. Because we were also taking photos our overall time on the hill was cut shorter than average so I would definitely love to come back and build courage to hit some of the harder, steeper runs along the other side of the mountain. The one thing that never disappoints at American resorts are the facilities, the lodges and retail spots you can hit while here are stocked full of everything you may ever need. The price however, really does leave a mark on your bank account, WOW, up to $200 USD per person per day at some of these spots is sure to be memorable. Jackson Hole falls in the average price of $170/ticket which is still incredibly expensive, especially when paying in Canadian dollars, and especially in comparison with the resorts back at home, but at the same time there is nothing you can do about it so you just have to factor it into the price of your trip. That’s a fancy steak dinner or an active day outdoors, taking in fresh air and enjoying some of the most beautiful views in the world, not a hard choice for me. xoxo

wearing: Bogner helmet, goggles, jacket, under layer & onesie, all via Sporting Life