Better late than never, right?
Skiing has always been one of my family's favorite activities. The five of us ski, well Kaylee snowboards, and most of my extended family either skis or snowboards as well. We have gone on many family trips to various ski resorts, such as the Pocono Mountains, Mount Snow and Stowe Mountain in Vermont, Vail, Colorado, and Park City, Utah (Park City, SnowBird, and Canyons). We enjoy being on the mountain together and always keep it competitive by playing "tag" on the way down. That's definitely not the safest thing, considering it involves chasing each other down the mountain and whacking someone with a pole to "tag" them "it", but we like to keep it interesting and only one time did someone get hurt, so we'll probably keep playing it until it becomes serious.
This ski trip to Jackson Hole was completely different for me. It was the first time I had gone on a ski trip without my parents, sisters, or cousins, besides day trips to the Pocono Mountains with friends. One of my college roommates, Naomi, moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming with her boyfriend, Jeff, in the fall. Another one of my roommates, Liz, and I decided to visit them for New Year's Eve and a weekend of skiing in the Rocky Mountains.
Let me start off by saying that being 10,450 ft above sea level on a clear day brings views that are nothing short of breath taking. Literally. No camera will be able to capture the immense beauty of the world, nature, creation, and opportunity of surroundings at that altitude. Un-be-lievable.
The mountain terrain is just as amazing. Double-win!
When Liz and I arrived on Thursday, December 27th, we took a shuttle to meet Naomi and Jeff at the Clock Tower in Teton Village, which is at the base of the mountain resort. The shuttle took us through Jackson and gave us our first glimpse of the small western town. We then had lunch at the famous Mangy Moose and walked around the village a bit. Naomi and Jeff live in Jackson, which is about a 25-30 minute ride from the mountain resort in Teton Village. That night we got settled and went to bed early to prepare for a fun, adventure-filled day on the greatest mountain in the United States.
We arrived in Teton Village just in time for lift opening and took the Bridger Gondola up for our first run. The visibility on this day was very low. I couldn't see the amazing mountain ranges because the "tents" were low (just a Jackson Hole way of saying it was cloudy). I couldn't even see up the mountain once I skiied down a bit, but the sun was still trying to shine through!
We skied until a little after 3 with only one 15-minute break and then headed back to a bar in town, Sidewinders, to watch Rutgers play in the Russell Brand Bowl against Virginia Tech. It was a great bar and we were able to sit on couches in front of a fireplace and watch the game! It was the perfect way to unwind and relax after the first day of skiing, even though the game was boring and the outcome was less than favorable- Rutgers lost 13-10.
Saturday (the 29th) we got up and headed to Teton Village again. Today we took the Tram up to the very top. The visibility was high and the views were remarkable, like I previously mentioned. I literally felt like I was on top of the world. The lodge at the top has the most amazing smelling waffles- we didn't have them because it was a 45 minute wait and we were anxious to ski.
All runs from the Tram are for "expert skiiers only". They are all pretty much black diamonds, or double black diamonds, and maybe one blue. Those who are not comfortable with this terrain have the option to take the Tram back down once they have soaked up the views. But the runs down are just as amazing. Rendezvous Bowl is a wide open, steep area that allows for many conquering options and also leads to various trails. I couldn't get enough.
After the ski-filled day we went to Apres Ski, which is literally just a ski town phrase for happy hour. We went to happy hour. Then went home, ate dinner and relaxed a little before going out. That night we went out with Naomi's friends from work to The Tavern. I always like experiencing new cultures/lifestyles and the lifestyle of Jackson Hole, Wyoming screams laid back. I was wearing jeans and a cute sweater, which would have been under dressed for going to most bars/clubs anywhere around here. Not in Jackson- some people still had their ski gear on or were literally wearing sweatshirts/sweatpants. Okay?! :)
Sunday was our day of rest. We slept in and went to breakfast in town, then shopped around. There are lots of cute-western stores with many choch-kas and souvenirs. We even tried on real fur in one store.
We drove through Grand Teton National Park (again amazing views), stopped at the National Elf Refuge and visited the Jackson Hole visitor center.
While driving through Grand Teton National Park we saw 2 moose in the distance. My camera did not take great pictures of them, but we saw them and I was happy! (For some reason I was on a mission to see a damn moose!)
The next day was my last ski day! We got up early to be at the lifts for opening. When we got to the top, the tents were below us and there were "sundogs". A sundog is when you can see rainbows around the sun. The pic below is not edited. The snow was literally sparkling like glitter! It was amazing.
I focused on the trails that were my favorite while also exploring some more challenging ones. I conquered Thunder and Moran Face- both black diamonds with tree trails and moguls!
Headwall had been something that was on my mind the whole trip and I had finally decided I was going to conquer it. Headwall is a trail that is in-bounds, but you have to hike to it. There are no lifts that lead you to the top. Every time I would pass the bottom I would get a little more confidence that I could do it. Finally, towards the end of the day, I decided to go for it. I headed up the Tram with my route mapped out to get to where I could hike up Headwall. I was so excited/nervous. When I got to the point of hiking, Headwall was closed. I was so disappointed that I didn't bite the bullet to try sooner. Oh well, guess I'll just have to go back! ;)
New Year's Eve was so much fun as well. We went to a club in town and rang in the new year with mediocre music, lots of booze, and good friends. It was funny being on Mountain Time because all my friends and family were calling/texting to say Happy New Year when it was only 10 o'clock!
I flew home on January 1st, but got to explore more before my flight. We shopped, had lunch, and drove further into Teton National Park, stopping at the visitor center and various look-outs along the way. The visibility was low this day, so the views were not as specacular, but they were amazing just the same.
To wrap up, cause I know this was a long one:
My favorite runs were off the lifts of Sublette and Thunder. Casper also has great runs, but they tend to be more crowded, since they are a bit less challenging, but still wonderful and worth exploring.
But my favorite run? I loved the challenge of Rendezvous Bowl and Thunder, but Tensleep was one of the first runs that I fell in love with. The view of Corbet's Couloir is amazing and the jaw dropping feeling of the fact that people actually do it gives such a rush! My favorite route was Tensleep to Pair-a-chutes.
Jackson Hole has an app that is 110% worth downloading and it's free. The app not only shows the trails, it tracks what trails you take (in pink), along with the altitude and distance that you ski. It's awesome. After a run you can go back and see exactly what you did, so you can do it again. The app had many other features like how much snow, which lifts are open, etc., but the tracking feature was my favorite!
Fun Fact: Did you know that when standing on top of The Grand Teton Mountain range you are higher than when a captain takes off the fasten seat belt sign and allows you to use your electronics. Kinda mind blowing.
It was a wonderful trip to Jackson Hole and I'm so glad I got to experience it with some of my best friends! :)
