Northern Rockies/Alberta Jackson Hole trip - best time to go typically

[KingGrump]

How much is the steep & deep camp?

 

[TheArchitect]

I'll see if I can find where I saw the pricing but I believe it was around $1,200 and i don't know if that included lift tickets

Edit: From Beartown's report

https://www.pugski.com/threads/jh-steep-and-deep-camp-jan-2018.8096/

$1,250 and $1,650 with lift tickets

 

[mdf]

I did the comparison awhile ago and don't remember the exact numbers, but the price is similar to the same number of days of all-day group lessons. But in addition to that you get early-ups (wait at the top for the mountain to open in the morning), lunch, and après-ski. It is neither a rip-off nor a screaming good deal.

 

[TheArchitect]

I did the comparison awhile ago and don't remember the exact numbers, but the price is similar to the same number of days of all-day group lessons. But in addition to that you get early-ups (wait at the top for the mountain to open in the morning), lunch, and après-ski. It is neither a rip-off nor a screaming good deal.

Believe me, I'm not making a decision based on the price of S+D. I think for what you get it's reasonable. I was just saying that if I skipped S+D this year I could get a private lesson and it happened to be saving me money.

 

[mdf]

Yeah, just a general observation on pricing.

 

[Crank]

I looked at JH S&D and thought it was too pricey. Just sayin.

 

[BC.]

Bumping an old thread so I don’t have to start a new thread.

-Any local Pugs know if Teton Valley Cabins (on the way up to Targhee) are under new ownership or anything strange going on?

Have stayed there before to ski at GT....and was fine for just sleeping.

My buddy just called for a couple of cabins for our trip in February...and he said he talked with someone who barely spoke any English...and he said it was an odd “booking” so to speak.

Just wondering if anyone had any info....thx

 

[KingGrump]

$1,250 and $1,650 with lift tickets

Holy Mega-Billion jackpot winner, Batman.

Come to Taos, we can abuse you for a lot less.

 

[RJS]

Good morning!

I am considering a trip to Jackson/Targhee just before Christmas. I have a question for those in-the-know about Jackson: how likely is it that the tram will be open before Christmas? I don't need the really steep and scary stuff to be open while I'm there, I know that stuff needs a lot of snow to have proper coverage, but I would love to get the chance to ridge the tram up, even just once .

 

[wyowindrunner]

Sublette and the tram open Saturday

 

[RJS]

Sublette and the tram open Saturday

Thank you. I realize now that I should have just Googled this because the resort has a blog post about it: https://www.jacksonhole.com/blog/saturday-we-fly/. Sorry! I hope conditions keep up for the next couple of weeks . On one hand I would be a bit disappointed if there wasn't any new snow, but on the other hand I would love to visit Targhee on a bluebird day.

 

[ella_g]

@BC. we stopped by Teton Valley cabins twice and no one was there so not looking good ... you can book online though so maybe we stopped by at the wrong time? Weird. Will look again today ...

@RJS the mountain's skiing pretty well right now but there's not supposed to be more snow til next week. In case u were thinking about this wknd there were big lines this sat when the gondi opened (so will def be tram lines), but then the mountain was literally empty (with new snow) on Sunday ... Lodging is cheap right now, hostel $32 ... and theres great deals at restaurants in town .... Targhee skiing great too, so Id say you should go for it

 

[BC.]

@BC. we stopped by Teton Valley cabins twice and no one was there so not looking good ... you can book online though so maybe we stopped by at the wrong time? Weird. Will look again today

Thanks for the heads up......totally weird nobody was around...my buddy said "weird" as well when he called.....they took his reservation, so as of now we are still staying there. I'll have to ask him if they charged his card yet? Thanks for the investigative work.....

 

[ella_g]

@BC. signs of life! They’re open for business ... owner Karolina is super nice her direct number is 2083548153.

 

[BC.]

@BC. signs of life! They’re open for business ... owner Karolina is super nice her direct number is 2083548153.

Thank you so much for checking. Much appreciated.....have a great winter. We’ll be out Super Bowl weekend.

 

[RJS]

I posted earlier about trying to get out to Jackson before Christmas. That isn't happening, but I am looking into a trip to Jackson in January . Prices for flights are reasonable, so I will probably do something like fly in on a Tuesday or Friday night, and fly back on a Sunday or Wednesday afternoon with the goal of taking three vacation days for 4 days of skiing, plus maybe an abbreviated morning of skiing the day I leave.

I have some questions for folks who have spent time living or vacationing to Jackson:

• Does the bus from the town of Jackson to Teton Village ever get so crowded that you have to wait for the next bus? I only ask because I know that in Salt Lake on busy, weekend powder days, you might not be able to get onto the UTA ski bus on later stops due to crowding
• How early do you generally need to get into the tram line in order to make the first tram? How about powder days vs. non-powder days?
• Also, is it true that people leave their skis in the tram line early in the morning or the night before to save their spot in line?
• If I get lucky enough to have a powder day and am more concerned with getting multiple untracked runs in decent pitched terrain than skiing the gnarliest terrain out there, what would your recommendations be for lifts/trails to take? I've been reading a bunch of guides to the mountain, and it sounds like the classic advice is to get first tram, and then do something like Rendezvous Bowl to the Hobacks all the way down, but I'm wondering if there's as much competition on powder days for Saratoga Bowl or Moran Face?

I appreciate the help!

 

[raisingarizona]

You can’t leave your gear unoccupied in the maze on a powder day. Back in the day locals would toss your gear over the railing for that move. If you know everyone there you could probably leave for a couple minutes to go pee or whatever. Last I heard people start lining up around 6 if it’s a big powder day but I wouldn’t really know. It might make sense for you to go with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. I think they get to cut the line but again, I’m not sure. They will take you to fresh tracks though, that is for sure.

The bowl to the Hobacks is the classic first tram powder run, no doubt but another option after being on the first box is to ski the bowl down to Sublette and stay high for the morning alternating laps on the quads. I think the most classic blue bird pow day tour is the Cody Peak to No Name to 4 Pines. 4 Pines being one of the best pow runs in the lower 48 imho.

 

[ella_g]

@RJS the bus can fill up but they run frequently so I wouldn't worry too much. Especially if you're really early. The tram line starts around 6, the irony being that on big snow days there can be delayed openings and then you can be standing there forever. People pay (a lot!) for private lessons to cut the line & get early tram. Ive never heard of people leaving their stuff in the tram line night before ... but I could be wrong ... if that was really a thing it would be mayhem though. People will definitely watch your stuff though if you want to go get food or whatever. In terms of where to ski if you do get an early tram, I generally ski w my kids and they have very specific ideas about where they want to go, they pour over the lift map & hash out their plan the night before. They really like the Hobacks. In terms of what to do after that first run, we lap sublette a lot, but if it's crowded there is never a line a marmot. It's slow but gets the job done. Another alternative if you're open to that kind of thing is just head to the Pass as long as you've heard the avy report. The mountain can get a little crazy on big powder days and it's never that crazy off the pass .... we will even pick you up hitchhiking if we see you

 

[SpikeDog]

I posted earlier about trying to get out to Jackson before Christmas. That isn't happening, but I am looking into a trip to Jackson in January

• Also, is it true that people leave their skis in the tram line early in the morning or the night before to save their spot in line?

I appreciate the help!

Come on, you're trolling on this little artifact.

Powder day - skip the tram and get to Sublette via the Bridger gondie / Thunder. You'll get a fresh run in over to Thunder and get to the Hobacks just as fast as the tram line. And if you're really serious, take a lesson and get on the tram an hour early (plug for@tetonpwderjunkie).

 

[RJS]

Thanks everyone for the help. @SpikeDog apologies if that bit came off as trolling, I had heard an old story about people leaving their skis in the tram line as space savers and was a bit horrified and unsure if it was really the protocol or not, which is why I posted in here. For the record, I'm very happy that you can't just leave your skis in the maze early to save your spot . Leaving for a minute to use the restroom is one thing, saving your spot for an extended period of time is something else.

In terms of terrain, it sounds like Sublette is a great lift to lap. @SpikeDog thanks for the suggestion about taking the Bridger gondola instead of the tram. It sounds like first tram is itself an experience, but not necessarily the best place to be in terms of maximizing time spent skiing down the mountain. I do not have backcountry experience, so anything out-of-bounds is off the table.

@raisingarizona, @ella_g, @SpikeDog I looked into private lessons and the Steep & Deep camp, and they both sound like awesome options that let you get an early tram before everyone else in addition to excellent instruction. For better or worse, I'm working with a budget this year for skiing-related travel (I live in Boston), and any sort of private lesson is going to cut pretty far into that budget. I even got a rewards credit card in the spring to earn points on to help me pay for flights and lodging. Hopefully in the near future though !