JacksonHole skier 2009 WINTER VISITOR’S GUIDE FREE . Inviting you to our 35th Anniversary Shearling Sale 20 W. Broadway Downtown Jackson Across from the Wort Hotel Est. 1973 www.jollyjumbuckleathers.com 307.733.6562 Experience the Old West in a New Way. Mesquite grilled Steaks, Game, and other New West selections, all served in our authentic lodge. Enjoy our extensive collection of scotch, bourbon and draft beer & extensive wine selection. 862 W. BROADWAY • 733-3287 STEAK & GAME HOUSE 2 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 2009 CUSTOM JEWELRY BY JETER CASE In the log cabin next to Teton Theatre just off the town square 132 N. Cache Jackson Hole, Wyoming 307-733-5933 www.jcjewelers.com 800-358-5715 www. focusproductions. com 2009 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 3 H SKI • BIKE • BOARD • HIKE “The Locals’ Shop” SKIS, BOOTS, 520 W. BROADWAY & BINDINGS: OPEN DAILY Volkl • Rossignol 733-5335 r e • g Dalbello Tecnica e L On Broadway f f e J • • : Marker Salomon Full Tilt across from r e i k Bubba’s S s n o i SNOWBOARDS: t c u d o r Burton • Arbor • Prior P s u c o F Nitro • Salomon• Vans / y o K c M e CLOTHING: d a W : o • • t Obermeyer Orage Bonfire o h P Sherpa • Burton • Oakley www.hobacksports.com DEMOS A RENTALS RENTALSA REPAIR A SKIS A SNOWBOARDSA OUTWEAR 4 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 2009 32 years of inspiration at 6,000 feet Jewelry Originals Downtown Jackson 125 N.Cache, Gaslight Alley 307.733.2259 www.DanShelley.com [email protected] ALL DESIGNS COPYRIGHTED jackson hole skier 2008/2009 the resorts 24 Jackson Hole 34 The Tram Builders 38 Vertical-Foot Ski Records 40 Open-Boundary Protocol 41 Terrain Park & Superpipe 42 Snow King 46 Grand Targhee 52 White Pine the backcountry 12 Teton Skiing 54 Mountain Guides 64 Teton Pass Ambassador 66 Avalanche Education 68 Helicopter & Snowcat Skiing Skiers: Cover—Jason Tattersall Contents—Lynsey Dyer staff other stuff Publishers: Bob Woodall and Wade McKoy 8 Wildlife and National Parks d.b.a. Focus Productions, Inc.(FPI) Editors: Wade McKoy, Bob Woodall, Mike Calabrese 17 Activities Beyond the Slopes Copy Editor: Mike Calabrese Photo Editors: Eric Rohr, Wade McKoy, Bob Woodall 18 XC Ski Centers Art Director: Janet Melvin 20 Made in Jackson Hole Advertising Sales: Kyli Fox, FPI y o Distribution Manager: Jeff Leger 72 Snowmobiling K c Editorial Assistant: Eric Rohr M e 76 Mushers & Sled Dogs d a contributing photographers W : 79 Business Directory s o t Wade McKoy, Bob Woodall, Henry H. Holdsworth, Jimmy Chin, o h Jonathan Selkowitz, Tristan Grezsko, Reed Finlay, Matt Haines 82 Lodging Directory p s t n The JACKSON HOLE SKIER annual winter visitor’s guide is free when picked up at e t 84 Resort Maps n one of 160 distribution points throughout Jackson Hole. Receive one in the mail by o c sending $5 to Focus Productions Inc, P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001. d 86 Town of Jackson Map n a Copyright—2008/2009 by Focus Productions, Inc. (FPI). All rights r e v reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form See JH SKIER online @ focusproductions.com o C without written permission from the publisher. and jhskier.net Watching Winter Story by Ben Kinkade o other region in the country can touch the breadth of natural Nwonders, wildlife, and scenery embraced by the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). The GYE, 18 million acres of the largest intact temperate-zone ecosystems on earth, comprises the National Elk Refuge, Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, and six national forests. The GYE is home to a breathtaking diversity of flora and fauna, includ - ing the country’s largest free-roaming herds of bison and elk, and a recovering population of large predators, including grizzly bear, gray wolves, and mountain lions. With so much to see, where does one start? A good place is near the picturesque mountain town of Jack - son, Wyoming. The town lies on the south end of Jackson Hole, a 50-mile-long valley dividing Grand Teton National Park, and is bor - dered by the National Elk Refuge, the Caribou-Targhee and Bridger- Teton national forests. The jump-off spot for wildlife viewing is the National Elk Refuge. The nearly 25,000-acre refuge was established in 1912 to set aside shrinking critical winter habitat for elk and other species. Rocky Mountain elk make their way to the refuge starting in Octo - ber and will often stay until early April. During the most severe months, refuge personnel, working from horse-drawn sleighs, pro - vide feed for an average of 7,500 wintering elk. Visitors can see the process up close and personal by hopping on one of the sleighs, which leave several times daily across from the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Alternatively, drive or travel with an area guide service onto the east side of the refuge to view red fox, golden eagles, bighorn sheep and, possibly, gray wolves or a mountain lion. The refuge is also winter home to an impressive herd of bison, and its buttes keep deer within easy range of predators all winter long. More adventurous winter enthusiasts might consider guided dog sled runs or snowmobile trips. Outfitters depart from Jackson or Teton Village and journey onto area national forests, where boun - tiful pristine wilderness vistas await. Next stop north, Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). Created Bison crossing the steaming landscape of Roaring Mountain, Yellowstone National Park. Below: Pelican, beaver, owl. 8 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 2009 Photos by Henry H. Holdsworth, Wild by Nature Gallery In Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks From top: Elk herd on the National Elk Refuge; bison herd on the run in Yellowstone National Park; sleepy coyote in Grand Teton; travertine terraces and dead lodgepole pine trees, Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone; black fox, magpies, and moose in Wilson. in 1950, it has been voted the best park in our country for wildlife viewing and tabbed the "Alps of North America." One could easily spend an entire vacation here. Even in winter countless opportunities and destinations attract all types and levels of skiers, climbers, hikers, and snowshoers. See a park ranger at the stunning new Moose Visitor Center for more details and to schedule an informative, ranger-led snowshoe hike in the park. Winter is the best time to see moose in and around Grand Teton Teton National Park. Because of the cold temperatures and extensive mountain snow cover, these ungainly but appealing ungulates move to the sagebrush flats to feed on bitterbrush and rabbit brush. Red fox, long-tailed weasels (ermines), the occasional bison, and coyote can also be seen here. Scan high perches for rough-legged hawks and eagles. If your time in the southern GYE hasn't knocked your (two lay - ers) of socks off, you're in for a treat should you decide to journey north to the world's first national park, Yellowstone. Every inch of Yellowstone's more than two million acres is phe - nomenal. And though it's one of the coldest spots in the Lower 48, Yellowstone truly blossoms in winter. Board a snow coach or snowmobile at Flagg Ranch (north of GTNP), the only way in from the south. Travelers can also enter through West Yellowstone and Mammoth, Montana, however. Driv - ers and guides provide a thorough overview along the trip. The main destination for many visitors, regardless of the sea - son, is Old Faithful, in the Upper Geyser Basin. Yellowstone boasts approximately half of the world's hydrothermal features and these warm areas are the destination for many wintering bison, elk, and moose. The heated thermal springs keep snow cover at bay and ed - www. focusproductions. com 2009 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 9 Grand Teton National Park has been voted the best park in our country for wildlife viewing and tabbed the "Alps of North America." One could easily spend an entire vacation here. ible plants exposed, making travel and dining a bit easier for animals. Hydrothermal basins can be risky, however. Weak spots in the crust occur and wildlife sometimes crash through, scalding themselves with superheated water and steam. The same goes for humans. Pay at - tention to the warnings posted around the geysers and thermal areas. Appealing as the accommodat - ing thermal areas are to large ani - mals in winter, there might be a downside. Scientists have recently discovered that a concentrated From top: Mount Moran at sunrise; wolf, moose, bighorn sheep in Yellowstone; bison in Jackson Hole. amount of fluoride present in hy - park and Montana Department of tumn saw over 4,000 bison, while y r e drothermal basins shortens by five l Livestock personnel have gone to post-winter numbers dropped to l a years or more the lifespan of elk expensive measures to drive bison just over 2,500. Slaughter and a G e wintering here. The waters’ concen - r back into the park. The fear is that hard winter are culprits. u t trated fluoride wears elk's teeth a bison could spread disease to Finally, visitors and wildlife en - N down at a much faster rate than y nearby domestic cattle. Bison re-ex - thusiasts can drive or join our b d those animals not wintering here. l iting the park are often shipped to guides to journey to the legendary i If gregarious mega fauna isn’t W slaughter. Although disease is a Lamar Valley in Northern Range / h your main thing, snowshoe around t valid concern, it's interesting to note Yellowstone. Dubbed "the r the geyser basins and check out the o that several private property owners Serengeti of North America," this w s d multi-colored bacterial mats that have taken legal action against the l is the best place to see the gray o appear to be crawling along the government agencies in defense of wolf.