The perfect ski holiday in Jackson Hole, America's most challenging resort
Until the mid-80s, few people had heard of the cult ski area of Jackson Hole. Tucked into the top left-hand corner of Wyoming, with a Teton mountain range backdrop, it is now one of North America's foremost resorts.
While originally famed for its tough terrain, these days Jackson Hole has plenty of facilities, lifts and terrain aimed at intermediates, families and beginners.
Stay on track with the essential facts from the resort below, and scroll down for our insider guide to a day on the pistes, expert ratings and advice. For further Jackson Hole inspiration, see our guides to the resort's best accommodation, restaurants and après ski.
In this guide:
Inside the resort
The resort's valley, named after the Virginian trapper David Edward Jackson, runs from Hoback Junction in the south to Jackson Lake and Togwotee Pass in the north. It’s remote and wild, with a rich variety of wildlife (including elk, moose, coyotes, the odd wolf and even bald eagles).
When Paul McCollister opened the ski area in 1965, he named it Jackson Hole – now Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Confusingly, there’s also a cowboy town named Jackson, 12 miles to the south-east.
The ski area’s resort, known as Teton Village, is a horseshoe-shaped community of shops, lodgings and resort admin offices planted snugly at the base of the ski area, alongside the resort’s iconic red Aerial Tram (the American name for a cable car) – where you might occasionally see a wandering moose – and the Bridger Gondola. The USA has very few cable cars, and the original tram was installed by resort founder Paul McCollister to help produce a European atmosphere.
You can get to pretty much everywhere on foot in Teton Village and there are enough restaurants to enable you to try a different one each night. The nearby town of Jackson has an authentic cowboy feel, is more lively and boasts some fine dining choices too.
On the slopes
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s ski area is made up of two mountains. Rendezvous provides most of the powderkeg runs, while Apres Vous has more accessible slopes. Altogether (but not counting the extensive backcountry) the two mountains share 2,500 acres of in-bounds terrain, with a vertical drop of 1,260m – one of the biggest in the USA.
Jackson Hole’s trail map has 133 marked runs – 50 per cent are expert, 40 per cent intermediate and 10 per cent beginner. A good rule of thumb is that skiers and snowboarders who want the most challenging runs (including the legendary Corbet’s Couloir, even to just take a look over the edge) should concentrate on the Tram to access Rendezvous mountain. New for 2024/25, the 37-year-old four-seater Sublette quad chair which starts by the south pass traverse piste on Rendezvous, will be replaced for a faster and more powerful detachable quad, reducing journey time from eight to four minutes.
Novices and intermediates are better off using the Sweetwater gondola to enjoy the exhilarating runs on Apres Vous mountain, or accessing the blue runs from the Teton and Casper chairlifts.
This doesn’t mean to say experts won’t enjoy plenty of challenging terrain on Apres Vous, or that there’s nothing on Rendezvous for confident intermediates. They may be tempted – if not by Corbet’s itself – by Jackson’s signature chutes, which are very doable in good snow conditions. The Cirque, on the shoulder between Rendezvous and Apres Vous and reached via the Tensleep Bowl, is a good place to start, with fairly steep descents like Snagtree, Downhill and Broadway. Nearby are Paint Brush, Tower Three Chute and the Expert Chutes, which will put experts to the test.
Rendezvous Mountain is also the gateway to the Hobacks, a long and extensive area devoted to ungroomed terrain. Apart from magnificent hike-to terrain at the foot of Cody Peak, outside the ski area, the Hobacks used to be the pièce de résistance – until in 1999 the resort took the impressive decision to open up vast amounts of backcountry through gated entrances spread along the resort’s boundary.
The open backcountry gate system accesses more than 3,500 acres, mainly in Bridger-Teton National Forest (accessed through Rendezvous Bowl) and also in Grand Teton National Park. Although Jackson Hole has just 13 lifts in-bounds, they serve a huge variety of terrain. The resort’s guiding service is a good option for advanced skiers and riders who wish to discover untracked slopes, secret runs, and the best snow conditions Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has to offer.
Although the resort has a reputation for challenging slopes, there are plenty of easy options too, and the resort is determined to give the slopes a more intermediate appeal. Beginner and intermediate trails make up half of the terrain, and the resort claims its non-advanced/expert terrain acreage – 1,250 acres – is larger than many ski resorts' total coverage.
The four-person Eagles Rest chairlift provides access to the dedicated area for beginners. It’s also accessible from the Solitude Station learning centre at the mid-station of the Sweetwater gondola, which houses a ski school, rental shop and restaurants.
There are four Burton Stash terrain parks for beginners through to advanced, plus two other terrain parks. These are spread across Apres Vous mountain. Other activities available around Jackson Hole Mountain Resort include snowmobiling, cross-country trails, heliskiing, tubing and dog sledding.
Who should go?
While there are options for beginners and intermediates, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort does a great job of projecting a bravado image, enhanced by pictures of daredevils jumping into the resort’s signature run, Corbet's Couloir. For the slightly less derring-do, there are also a huge amount of easier-to-access steep and challenging slopes. Those in search of a ski holiday across the pond with a real Wild West feel this is one of the best resorts, where the streets in the town of Jackson are lined with wooden sidewalks, cowboy saloons and pool halls.
Where to stay
The ski area’s resort, known as Teton Village, 12 miles from the town of Jackson, is a horseshoe-shaped community of shops, lodgings and resort admin offices planted snugly at the base of the ski area. Although quieter than Jackson, the village (which is rather dwarfed by the huge, slope-side Four Seasons’ Hotel) has several bars and restaurants and hosts concerts and après events during winter. Jackson town has more in the way of atmospheric nightlife, and some characterful hotels too, but staying here means a journey of 30 minutes by bus or rental car to the slopes.
How to get there
Among the transatlantic ski specialists offering Jackson are American Ski Classics (americanskiclassics.com), Frontier Ski (frontier-ski.co.uk) and Ski Safari (skisafari.com). More general operators including Trailfinders (trailfinders.com) and Travelbag (travelbag.com) also feature the resort. Its top-end hotels are included in the portfolio of Oxford Ski (oxfordski.com). There are no direct flights from the UK to Jackson Hole Airport. Virgin Atlantic (virginatlantic.com) offers flights via Salt Lake City while United Airlines (united.com) operates to Jackson via Denver. Hotel shuttles, taxis and taxi-pool to transfer 20 miles from the airport to resort
When to go
2024 opening date: November 29, 2024
2025 closing date: April 13, 2025
Annual events in Jackson Hole include the Winterfest from December 21 to 31 with family events, parades and fireworks. The Kings and Queens of Corbet’s took place on February 8 to 15, 2025, with dare-devil descents down one of the toughest couloirs in North America. And towards the end of the season, the Rendezvous Music Festival is a two-day event (April 4 and 5, 2025) with music in downtown Jackson and in the Mountain Resort, with free admission or the option to pay for a VIP upgrade.
Essential information
Know before you go
Important: ESTA. International travellers going to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) are now subject to enhanced security requirements. Online completion and approval of ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation), along with payment of the fee, is mandatory ahead of travel for all Visa Waiver Programme travellers. For full details, be sure to go to the official website at esta.cbp.dhs.gov
British Consulate General in San Francisco: +1 415 617 1300; 1 Sansome St Suite 850, San Francisco, CA 94104
Emergency services: dial 911
Tourist office: See jacksonhole.com, the website for the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Tourist Board, or use the JH Insider app for weather reports, lift status, webcams, traffic details and local event listings. Pick up maps, leaflets and other information from the office in the centre of Teton Village at the base station of the tram.
The basics
Currency: US dollar ($)
Telephone code: To phone the UK, dial 011 44 and then the number - but drop the '0'
Time difference: -7 hours
Local laws & etiquette
Taxis expect a 10-15 per cent tip; restaurants expect 15-20 per cent on the total before local tax (6.25 per cent). A few restaurants build in a 20 per cent gratuity; always check your bill.
