Extreme Powder in Jackson Hole & Grand Targhee By Claire Walter
Extreme drop-in
On either side of Wyoming’s Teton Range are two of North America’s most iconic ski resorts known for steep runs, deep powder and an absence of crowds: Jackson Hole on the east and Grand Targhee on the west.
Jackson Hole was a mecca for extreme skiers before extreme skiing had a name. It boasts a 4,139-foot base-to-summit vertical and a deserved reputation for heart-stopping steeps. After a storm, locals line up as early as 7:00 a.m. for the first tram to lay tracks in Rendezvous Bowl, a montaintop cirque of uncommon width and pitch.
Corbet’s Couloir, Jackson’s legendary trophy run, is a hairy chute near the summit. Enter it, if you dare, with a freefall leap of 10 to 20 feet, depending on snow accumulation. Deep, cushiony post-storm powder increases the chances of a soft landing, but Jackson’s cadre of Corbet’s-worthy skiers and riders soon pack and scrape the snow and even build moguls, adding to beyond-double-black challenge. In any case, stick the landing, make that first
Extreme powder
turn and stay upright through the steep, narrow snow corridor flanked by rock walls. Corbet’s 500 vertical feet are thrilling to ski or ride – and even thrilling to watch. A perpetual spectator gallery collectively gasps when someone crashes and cheers a great run.
Corbet’s isn’t Jackson Hole’s steepest run. Nearby S&S Chute is. The ski patrol’s permission is needed to attempt it, but few people do. Other noteworthy upper-mountain steeps? The Alta Chutes, Tower Three Chute, Paintbrush and the Expert Chutes below Tensleep Bowl.
On a powder day, the Hobacks are the stuff of dreams. From the Rendezvous Traverse, slide through the trees to a medley of grandiose open snowfields whose 2,500-foot vertical exceeds that of many entire ski areas. Additionally, Jackson Hole recently added backcountry access gates to Cody Bowl and Rock Springs Bowl.
Across the Tetons nestles Grand Targhee, tailor-made for anyone who wants elbowroom by day but cares little for nightlife. Essentially, it is a place to ski your legs into
Knee-deep in powder
stumps, then kick back, relax and ignore the world. With 500 inches of average annual snowfall and no snowmaking, this small resort’s slogan is, “Snow from Heaven, Not from Hoses.” Feather-light powder falls often, piles up deep and lingers from storm to storm in hidden pockets all over the mountain.
Four chairlifts access two adjacent peaks. Fred’s Mountain tops out at 10,000 feet, where the trees are sparse. Actually, they aren’t widely spaced, but in mid-winter, 15- and 20-footers are buried so deeply that they look like saplings. Other than European-style pistes groomed on ridegetops and the faces of open fields, everything is left ungroomed. Three ridges and deep drainages between them offer a perfect mix of intermediate to high-expert turf on nearly 2,000 feet of continuous vertical.
Peaked Mountain’s 500 acres of lift-served terrain feature two main routes and numerous options through the trees. Targhee’s fabled snowcat operation ferries small guided groups into an additional thousand acres and runs up to 2,400 vertical feet of untracked powder higher on the mountain.
The L.A.-area family we met on our sleigh ride had just flown in for a few days of frosty fun in Jackson. They'd heard Jackson Hole offers everything from big-time skiing and snowboarding to world-class wildlife viewing, shopping and culture, and they weren't disappointed.
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