Northern Rockies/Alberta Jackson Hole - When to go?

[DrGT]

I am planing a (first) trip to Jackson Hole this coming winter.
I was wondering: When is the best time of winter to go there?
I can't go on the first week of March due to family reasons. I've heard that the President day weekend is quite busy (and $$$).
But how about end of January / beginning of Febuary? Will there be enough snow?
What's the best time for predicted snowfalls?

 

[Tony]

I had excellent conditions in early Feb 2014 even though snowpack was marginal at the beginning of the my stay and it got warmer than usual and windy towards the end. I also some very good snow in early March during the 2015 Gathering where conditions were improved by some new snow, some of the mountain can have Spring conditions after mid-Feb due to a lot of East and some South exposures combined with low elevation. On Tony Crocker's web site, he has a 15+ year-old guide to JHMR that says "...Jackson gets lots of snow, so the chances for its legendary powder are excellent during the midwinter period of late December to mid-February." Also note that predicting snowfall more than a week out is not really possible.

 

[TonyC]

But how about end of January / beginning of February? Will there be enough snow?

That is the sweet spot for maximizing the combination of decent coverage and pleasant snow surfaces at Jackson. Powder, as Tony states above, is not predictable more than a week in advance. For what it's worth January has the highest average snowfall (12% over December, 22% over February) but that doesn't mean much when the standard deviation of monthly snowfall is 46% of the average. Thus one's advance planning should be based more upon what to expect in the ~70% of weeks where you do not see a lot of fresh snow.

President's Week is a rough demarcation line. The week itself by reputation tends to be busy and Jackson's lift system though improving does not handle big crowds as well as many places.

Each week you go past President's Week increases the odds of difficult surfaces due to the predominant SE exposure. This is particularly true for the amazing terrain of the Lower Faces. Midwinter the snow is often well preserved top to bottom by chronic temperature inversions. The inversions are rare after mid-February as the stronger sun breaks them up. You might want to read that March 2015 report and comments in more detail. I was not there but I got several off-line e-mails noting that the variable conditions were quite challenging for skiers below Tony's expert skill level. Liz and I were at Jackson January 22-25 of that same season with excellent conditions.

 

[graham418]

Go anytime. It will be fantastic. And then when you go back, you'll have a baseline to compare it with .

 

[TonyC]

I strive for a high baseline. And so should anyone planning their first trip to a resort.

 

[Crank]

I would not go in March. Late January - early February is usually a good time. It can get scratchy up there later in the season.

I have some die hard powder skiing friends who go every year. They wait for storms. FLights and lodging are not so hard, getting off work with short notice can be depending on what you do and who you work for. Drove me crazy trying to meet up with them last January and cost me a few bucks to change my flights, but it was worth it!

 

[fatbob]

The Hobacks can gey kinda funky in March certainly.

 

[DrGT]

I would not go in March. Late January - early February is usually a good time. It can get scratchy up there later in the season.

I have some die hard powder skiing friends who go every year. They wait for storms. FLights and lodging are not so hard, getting off work with short notice can be depending on what you do and who you work for. Drove me crazy trying to meet up with them last January and cost me a few bucks to change my flights, but it was worth it!

Unfortunately, I have to choose my dates for my winter trip by the end of November and can't change when the schedule is done at work. I can take many weeks off every year, but have to plan them ahead...

 

[Crank]

Unfortunately, I have to choose my dates for my winter trip by the end of November and can't change when the schedule is done at work. I can take many weeks off every year, but have to plan them ahead...

Then definitely go in the later January-early February time slot. At Jackson, as others have said, the south facing slopes melt a bit and then freeze up. Then later in the afternoon stuff down lower, like the aforementioned Hobacks, can get kind of heavy. Went with our ski club late Feb. into March season before last and even though we had about 6-10" of fresh snow it was pretty much dust on crust and most of the mountain was pretty hard and icy. The stuff up high off the Thunder chair was by far the best skiing.

 

[TonyC]

The reason I harp on the seasonal issue is Jackson is precisely because the Hobacks and other Lower Faces terrain is so magnificent. You're missing a lot of what makes Jackson skiing special if you're confined to the upper half of the vertical to have decent snow surfaces. Look at a trail map and see how it fans out from the top of Rendezvous Peak to vast breadth at lower elevation. There is probably 3x the ski acreage on the lower half of vertical as the upper half. And après Vous faces due south.