The Hobacks must be skied. "Don't nobody leave without singing the blues".They are, but you have to ski them at least once regardless.
The Hobacks must be skied. "Don't nobody leave without singing the blues".They are, but you have to ski them at least once regardless.
Thanks. I took the advice above and rethought the trip. Will be staying in Sandy and skiing Solitude, Deer Valley and 2 days at Alta. I will save JHMR for later and allow for more time. Appreciate everyone's input on this.I've driven/been a passenger on three different routes between Jackson and SLC: 1. I-80 to Evanston, WY then highway 89 2. Teton Pass/I-15 3. Via Soda Springs
My thoughts are:
1. 1. I-80 to Evanston, WY then highway 89. Only route that makes sense if going from/to Park City as I will in early March. (I plan to ski JHMR until 1 or 2, then drive 200 miles o Evanston and spend the night, then drive a little over an hour and ski Deer Valley the next day.) The time I did it, I was a passenger and was surprised at the amount of driving we did on snow covered roads. We had good visibility, but snow on road at least half of the way from Evanston to Alpine. Every though we were in a Subaru (WRX), it slowed us down and is not something I would have wanted to do in dark.
2. Teton Pass and I-15. Really gets boring on I-15 which you are on for a long time. Make the most sense if going directly to/from SLC airport and JHMR (ski area)
3. Soda Springs. Interesting route without much traffic and some long straight roads that allowed for high speeds (with radar detector). I did it in the afternoon after skiing 22K at Jackson and quitting at 130. After shuttle to free remote parking and changing, I was not on the road until after 2 and made it to downtown SLC before 6:45 so you don't necessarily have to lose a day traveling
Question for JH regulars: 3 of us (55+ yo malk es, who drink) are driving up from CO tomorrow for a couple of days at JH; staying in Spring Creek area. Restaurant recommendations?
Not looking for anything too fancy like Amagani (sp?).
Thanks.
Meet Your Maker... Laramie Bowl and Cirque on the list along with Moran woods.
Plenty of good skiing in other parts of JHMR. I was trying for the quintessential experience and the ones you need for future "Oh, you were at Jackson. Did you ski ...?" conversations.
In my experience, the Cirque is hard to get to and tends to be sun affected. Moran woods are good.
I've never skied Meet Your Maker. The day we were planning to was a powder day so we skied more-than-knee-deep untracked instead. The next day our instructor got a report that the exit from MYM had developed a big kicker so we skipped it. It is not marked and not obvious, so you may not find it on your own. (Hint - it is off the cat track that goes to the headwall hike and the Cirque.)
The woods at the back entrance to the Hobacks are very good, but again you are unlikely to find that spot on your own. Of course, the horrendous scraped off fifty feet at the main entrance is part of the Hobacks experience.
I like Beartooth off the headwall (hike to get to it). That puts you at the top of Casper Bowl. Again, not that obvious where it is.
But there is plenty of obvious good skiing, so don't make yourself crazy. More than 3 days worth. Hard to go wrong.
The restaurant at Spring Creek Ranch (The Granary) - pretty fancy, I haven't eaten there since the late '90's, European service (i.e. slow), count on 2 hours
My favorites are Bubba's in town and a little secret gem - Teton Pines Golf course. The clubhouse is open in the winter, prices aren't too bad, and the food is excellent. It's on the road to the ski area near the Aspens on the west side of the Snake River.
Other decent places I'd tout include Hayden's Post (in Snow King Resort), Thai Me Up (includes Melvin Brewing, who make an excellent double IPA called 2x4), and Snake River Brewing (very popular, almost as crowded as the Mangy Moose).
There is a dining guide & map out in virtually any store in JH. Make sure you get one.
Any thoughts on the necessity of AWD for these routes?I've driven/been a passenger on three different routes between Jackson and SLC: 1. I-80 to Evanston, WY then highway 89 2. Teton Pass/I-15 3. Via Soda Springs
My thoughts are:
1. 1. I-80 to Evanston, WY then highway 89. Only route that makes sense if going from/to Park City as I will in early March. (I plan to ski JHMR until 1 or 2, then drive 200 miles o Evanston and spend the night, then drive a little over an hour and ski Deer Valley the next day.) The time I did it, I was a passenger and was surprised at the amount of driving we did on snow covered roads. We had good visibility, but snow on road at least half of the way from Evanston to Alpine. Every though we were in a Subaru (WRX), it slowed us down and is not something I would have wanted to do in dark.
2. Teton Pass and I-15. Really gets boring on I-15 which you are on for a long time. Make the most sense if going directly to/from SLC airport and JHMR (ski area)
3. Soda Springs. Interesting route without much traffic and some long straight roads that allowed for high speeds (with radar detector). I did it in the afternoon after skiing 22K at Jackson and quitting at 130. After shuttle to free remote parking and changing, I was not on the road until after 2 and made it to downtown SLC before 6:45 so you don't necessarily have to lose a day traveling
Any thoughts on the necessity of AWD for these routes?
We'll be making the drive from the SLC airport to Jackson in late January. I've got a minivan reserved with Enterprise at a great price. I could guarantee AWD through AWDRentals.com, but it will double the price of my reservation (from $344 to $686).
Alamo allows you to reserve AWD specifically?Based on what I read here and other places I rented an AWD Sante Fe SUV from Alamo for $590, one-way from Jackson airport to Bozeman airport. Price jump was significant from a 2WD but I went for peace of mind.
Alamo allows you to reserve AWD specifically?
EDIT - Just called the SLC Alamo, and they cannot guarantee it but she did say that the "majority" of their SUVs in the location's fleet are AWD.
Sorry I missed your question as I was skiing with limited Internet. For all three routes I did between Jackson and SLC, vehicles had AWD and experienced winter drivers from CA. Teton Pass with much snow or ice on road is the only one where I think AWD would be necessary. The other routes would be easier and more comfortable with AWD, but unless you encounter more than a couple of inches of snow, you should be able to make it (with caveats following).Any thoughts on the necessity of AWD for these routes?
We'll be making the drive from the SLC airport to Jackson in late January. I've got a minivan reserved with Enterprise at a great price. I could guarantee AWD through AWDRentals.com, but it will double the price of my reservation (from $344 to $686).
Get someone to come down to Targhee!That good, huh? The unofficial guide said as much. Okay, it's on the list and hopefully I'll get good snow.
As for the Targhee question, maybe I'll ski the first 2 days at JH and see how much I get in. If I don't get my fill of JH I'll stay there for all three days. After all, this trip started as just JH and expanded to the Gathering and maybe Targhee.