Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
The new JHMR tram at the upper terminal
Location	Teton Village Wyoming  United States
Nearest city	Jackson 12 miles - (19 km)
Coordinates	43°35′14″N 110°49′31″W / 43.58722°N 110.82528°W / 43.58722; -110.82528 (Jackson Hole Mountain Resort)
Vertical	4139 ft - (1262 m) continuous
Top elevation	10,450 ft - (3185 m)
Base elevation	6311 ft - (1923 m)
Skiable area	2,500 acres (10 km2) inbounds 3,000 acres (12 km2) backcountry
Runs	116 10% easiest 40% more difficult 50% most difficult
Longest run	4.5 mi. - (7.2 km)
Lift system	1 tram - (100)[1] 1 gondola - (8) 9 chairlifts - 2 hi-speed quads - 4 quads - 2 triples - 2 doubles 1 magic carpet 1 rope tow (halfpipe)
Lift capacity	16,733 / hr
Terrain parks	2
Snowfall	459 in. - (1165 cm)
Snowmaking	160 acres (0.65 km2)
Night skiing	none
Web site	Jackson Hole.com

The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is a ski resort at Teton Village, Wyoming. Located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Jackson and due south of Grand Teton National Park in Teton County, it is named after the historically significant Jackson Hole valley. The region is served by the Jackson Hole Airport.

Ski area information

Jackson Hole is in the U.S. known for its relatively steep terrain and it has one of North America's highest vertical drop of 1262 meters. The size - (ski area and lift capacity) - is comparable with a small ski resort in the Alps. The ski area partially covers two mountains; known for its challenging terrain, the runs are - in local interpretation - 50% expert, 40% intermediate, and 10% beginner. The intermediate terrain is primarily on Apres Vous Mountain, while Rendezvous Mountain has Jackson Hole's more advanced terrain that includes bowls, glades, and chutes, and over 4100 vertical feet of skiing, the greatest continuous inbounds rise in the U.S. (nearby Big Sky in Montana has slightly larger total vertical, but its continuous vertical is significantly less).

Jackson Hole has become the home to many of the world's best free skiers as the terrain is considered to be some of the most challenging in North America. In addition to the skiable terrain inbounds, there is an even larger area to be explored off-piste (out of bounds). These areas are accessed through marked gates by expert skiers/boarders who are equipped with avalanche safety gear. The terrain has not only attracted the top skiers in the world but also one of the leading ski film companies, Teton Gravity Research. Jackson Hole is home to one of the most well known expert ski runs in the world, Corbet's Couloir.

Jackson Hole's original tram - which had been part of the resort since its opening in 1966 - was closed to the public in the fall of 2006. It rose the full 4139 vertical feet (1262 m) to an elevation of 10,450 feet (3185 m) and was replaced by its successor in 2008. During the two seasons without a tram, a temporary double chairlift (East Ridge) was built from the top of the Sublette quad to service the runs at the top of Rendezvous Mountain. Other lifts include an eight passenger gondola, high speed detachable and standard quad chairlifts, triple chairlifts, and a double chair. Construction began June 2007 for the new 100-passenger Doppelmayr CTEC tram which began service on December 20, 2008.^[2]

In addition to skiing, there are many other outdoor activities in both the winter and summer. Nordic skiing, dog sledding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, balloon rides, paragliding, fishing, hiking, biking, and climbing are some of the activities visitors and year round residents enjoy at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

History

The original JHMR tram
(1966-2006) in the summer.

A view looking south from the top of Rendezvous Bowl
(March 2008)

Corbet's Couloir 2010

Before 1961, the area that would become the resort was the Crystal Springs Girl Scout Ranch. Paul McCollister purchased the ranch and formed the Jackson Hole Ski Corporation in 1963 with partners Alex Morley and Gordon Graham. Construction of the ski resort began a year later and the resort officially opened in December 1966. 1964 Olympic gold medalist Josef "Pepi" Stiegler of Austria was hired that same year as ski school director. In 1992, McCollister sold his interests in the resort to John Kemmerer III.

Jackson Hole hosted World Cup ski races in 1967, 1970, and 1975.

Avalanches

Jackson Hole was the site of two in-bounds avalanches in late 2008, first on December 27 and another two days later on December 29. The first avalanche resulted in the death of skier David Nodine, one of three in-bound deaths in the American West in the 2008-09 ski season, the most since three skiers were killed at Alpine Meadows in 1982.^[3] The second avalanche occurring in the area near Headwall buried part of the Bridger Restaurant but resulted in no injuries.^[4]

A third in-bounds avalanche swept a long time member of the ski patrol, Mark Wolling (known as Big Wally), off a cliff on January 6, 2010. Rescued, he later died from his injuries.^[5]

Current Lifts

• 14 Total
  • 1 100-pax Aerial Tram
    • Rendezvous Tram (Doppelmayr CTEC/CWA, 2008)
  • 1 8-pax Detachable Gondola
    • Bridger Gondola (Poma/CWA, 1996)
  • 2 Detachable Quads
    • Apres Vous (Poma, 1999)
    • Teewinot (Poma, 1996)
  • 4 Fixed Quads
    • Moose Creek (Garaventa CTEC, 2000)
    • Sublette (Poma, 1987)
    • Thunder (Doppelmayr, 1994)
    • Union Pass (Garaventa CTEC, 2000)
  • 2 Fixed Triples
    • Casper Bowl (Heron, 1974)
    • Sweetwater (Yan, 1980, 2005 relocation)
  • 2 Fixed Doubles
    • Eagle's Rest (Murray-Latta, 1965)
    • East Ridge (Doppelmayr CTEC, 2006)
  • 1 Handle Tow
  • 1 Ski Carpet

References

1. ^ Jackson Hole.com - mountain stats - accessed 2010-03-10
2. ^ "Terminal design for new tram revealed". February 23, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20071020031321/http://www.jacksonhole.com/info/jhpressreleases/jhpressreleases.022307.release.asp. Retrieved 2007-10-22. 
3. ^ Erb, Christina (January 9, 2009). "Fatal Avalanches Rattle Ski Country in the West". New York Times (The New York Times Company). http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/sports/othersports/09avalanche.html?_r=1&fta=y&pagewanted=print. Retrieved 2009-02-05. 
4. ^ "Avalanche strikes restaurant at Wyoming's Jackson Hole ski resort". Associated Pres (San Jose Mercury News). 2008-12-29. http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11330311. Retrieved 2009-02-05. ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ "Another In Bounds Tragedy at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort". Skiing the Backcountry (Skyfire Studio). 2010-01-06. http://www.skiingthebackcountry.com/jackson_hole_ski_partoller_accident.php. Retrieved 2010-01-06. 

External links

• Jackson Hole Mountain Resort - official site
• Jackson Hole.com - resort history
• Ski Lifts.org - Jackson Hole - current and removed lifts