Jackson Hole

A valley named by trappers

Jackson Hole is a valley before it is a ski resort. It lies between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in Wyoming, near the Idaho border, in Teton County, and it took its name from the mountain men and trappers who called any large mountain valley a hole; this one was Jackson’s Hole. The valley is 89 km long and 10 to 21 km wide, a graben with an average elevation of 2,100 m, and its lowest point, at 1,940 m, sits near the southern boundary of Grand Teton National Park. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, the ski area, rises from this valley floor.

Half the mountain is expert

The terrain figures set Jackson Hole apart. Of 133 km of pistes, 67 km is graded expert, 53 km intermediate and just 13 km easy. That is half the mountain rated for advanced skiers, an extraordinary proportion, and the reason the resort carries an off-piste rating as one of its three defining features. The 13 km of easy terrain is enough for a beginner to get started, but nobody should choose Jackson Hole for a first ski holiday; this is a mountain for skiers who want to be tested, and intermediates will find the 53 km of red terrain a stepping stone rather than a destination.

The vertical matches the ambition. Lifts run from 1,924 m at the base to 3,185 m at the top, a rise of 1,261 m served by only 13 lifts, which means individual lifts cover a great deal of ground and descents are long. A top station above 3,000 m places the upper mountain firmly in the altitude band where snow reliability is strong, and the resort’s snow-sure rating reflects that. Two terrain parks cater for freestylers, and the season runs from December to April.

The setting

Scenic views are the third defining feature, and in a valley framed by the Tetons on one side and the Gros Ventre range on the other, that hardly needs explaining. The valley’s rivers and streams made it prime habitat for beavers and other fur-bearing animals, which is what drew the trappers here in the first place, and the valley’s lowest point lies near the southern boundary of Grand Teton National Park, so the park is never far away. The base itself sits at 1,924 m, close to the valley’s average elevation, so even the car park is high.

Getting there

Jackson Hole has its own airport, roughly 13 km from the resort as the crow flies, an unusually short transfer for a major mountain. The season runs from December to April. No official resort website is recorded in our data, so check lift openings and passes directly with the resort.