Free Remembering Doug Coombs Resorts Wildlife Trail Maps Backcountry National Parks Beyond Skiing • CAMELBAK • FUR TURTLE • COLUMBIA •SMITH DA KINE • SIMPLE • DANSKO • MARKER • WIGWAM • K2 • MARMOT • TGR • SALOMON • LANGE • LOOK • DYNASTAR • LEKI • BURTON • TEVA • ORTOVOX • ROSSIGNOL • NORDICA • SPY • FISCHER • OBERMEYER • THERMIC • CARHARTT • SCOTT WINTERSTEIGER WOOLRICH • FISCHER OBERMEYER THERMIC CARHARTT ~ Experienced boot fitting & ski tuning ~ Gear for the entire family at Ranked #1 by Men’s Journal Jackson Hole’s most complete January 2005 - Best Bootfitters ski & snowboard outfitters ~ Rossignol demo center ~ Online ski and snowboard reservations www.wildernestsports.com • • • A Complete WILDERNEST SPORTS Winter Store WILDERNEST SPORTS Open Daily 307-733-4297 Next to the Clock Tower in Photo: Wade McKoy / Focus Productions Skier: Dave Swanwick Teton Village • EAGLE CREEK • SMART WOOL • SOREL • SPEEDO • OAKLEY • HELLY HANSEN • BOLLE • MAUI JIM • LIFE LINK • VASQUE • PEARL IZUMI • 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 2007 ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ OPEN DAILY LOCATED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE TOWN SQUARE JACKSON, WYOMING jhclothiers.com 307-733-7211 ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ www.focusproductions. com 2007 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 3 SKI • BIKE • BOARD • HIKE “The Locals’ Shop” SKIS, BOOTS, 520 W. BROADWAY & BINDINGS: OPEN DAILY Volkl • Rossignol 733-5335 • Head Technica On Broadway Marker • Salomon across from Bubba’s SNOWBOARDS: Burton • Arbor • Prior Nitro • Salomon • Vans CLOTHING: Obermeyer • Orage • Bonfire Photo: Wade McKoy / Focus Productions Skier: Jeff Leger McKoy / Focus Productions Skier: Jeff Photo: Wade Sierra Designs • Burton • Oakley www.hobacksports.com DEMOS ❆ RENTALSRENTALS ❆ REPAIR ❆ SKIS ❆ SNOWBOARDS ❆ OUTWEAR My exit from life in the fast lane. My Homewood. Whether you are exploring Jackson for business or pleasure, you will love staying with us! At Homewood Suites by Hilton® in Jackson, just off the Town Square, you'll find two-room suites* with a gas fireplace, a fully equipped kitchen, robes, indoor pool, whirlpool and complimentary hot breakfast. Just visit homewoodsuites.com or call 1-800-CALL-HOME®. MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME.™ Visit Body & Soul Spa & Salon Inside Homewood Suites by Hilton 260 N. Millward St, Jackson, WY 83001 260 N. Millward St Group & Wedding Sales please Jackson, WY 83001 call 307-739-0808 ext 1101 307-739-0808 or email: [email protected] [email protected] jacksonwy.homewoodsuites.com *Some hotels have studio suites. †Monday through Thursday, subject to state and local laws. ©2006 Hilton Hospitality, Inc. 4 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 2007 www.focusproductions. com Sexy is Back. 135 North Cache Avenue Jackson (307) 733-4772 —Open 10am to 8pm— AFG Jackson Ad.indd 1 10/31/06 10:12:38 AM CONTENTSCONTENTS FEATURES RESORTS 10 Photo Gallery 24 Jackson Hole 14 Wildlife and National Parks 32 Open Boundary Protocol 18 Activities Guide 34 New Tram Coming 20 Entertainment Guide 35 Terrain Park & Superpipe 38 Backcountry Skiing 36 The 100 Club 52 The Twilight Zone 44 Helicopter & Snowcat Skiing 59 Cinematographers 48 Snow King 64 Remembering Doug Coombs 56 Grand Targhee 70 Evolution of Extreme 60 White Pine 77 Competition Report 76 XC Ski Centers 80 The Ski Makers All photography by The Tram Builders 82 Wade McKoy or Bob Woodall, 84 Mushers & Sled Dogs unless otherwise credited. 88 Snowmobiling See the JH SKIER ONLINE 92 Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem at focusproductions.com 93 Surfing or jhskier.net MAPS & DIRECTORY 96 Map of Jackson Hole 97 Business Directory 100 Ski Area Maps 102 Town of Jackson Map Publishers: Bob Woodall and Wade McKoy, d.b.a. Focus Productions, Inc.(FPI) Editors: Wade McKoy, Bob Woodall, Mike Calabrese Photo Editors: Eric Rohr, Wade McKoy, Bob Woodall Art Director & Ad Design: Janet Melvin Advertising Sales: Kyli Fox, FPI Office Manager: Eric Rohr Copyright—2007 by Focus Productions, Inc. (FPI), P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. Contents: Jason Tattersall, How To Get a Copy: The JACKSON HOLE SKIER Teton Pass annual winter visitors’ guide is free when picked up at one of 160 distribution points throughout Cover: Jackson Hole. Receive one in the mail by sending Doug Coombs, $5 to Focus Productions Inc, P.O. Box 1930, Pepi’s Bench, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Jackson, Wyoming 83001. Are you ready for some SKIING? Want some deep pow? Some steep pow? Or to go free-falling? Or maybe you’d prefer to ski some groomers and take a long lunch by the fire? It’s all good, as the saying goes, and here in Jackson Hole, “good” is as good as it gets. While enjoying the good life, please remember to ski and snowboard safely. Stay in control. Know where you are and where you’re going. Don’t accidentally ski off a cliff. Thomas Diét, pictured here, actually meant to do that, but it’s surprisingly easy to do such a thing quite unexpectedly. And if you decide to venture out of bounds, please don’t follow others— or their tracks—thinking they will show you the way. Hire a guide instead. It might just make your day. Now let’s get this party started! Skier: Thomas Diét Teton Gravity Research Grand Targhee backcountry Lynsey Dyer; Rock Springs Canyon 12 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 2007 Jeremy Jones / Teton Gravity Research; Once is Enough WinterWinter inin GrandGrand TetonTeton andand YellowstoneYellowstone Wildlife takes refuge in our national parks Early on a cold, still January morning I was slowly stepping awkwardly into my old-fashioned, “Extra Gros” [XL in Raynes-French] ski bindings when I sensed eyes watching me. Glancing about, I confirmed I was the only—the first, in fact—person at this trailhead on this morning. No one was sniggering at my garb or gear. Just the river transporting shards of ice, bare cot- tonwoods standing at attention, the Teton mountains pink with sunrise. No bird chatter. Nothing else. by Bert Raynes Must be imagining... No! There! moose had been lying there, chewing her Lying only about 30 yards from me in a cud, waiting for the sun to moderate the willow-surrounded hollow, ears facing overnight -25°F chill. Now, looking more toward me, nose working the still air, carefully, I discovered her calf, almost eyes myopically searching in my general entirely hidden by its mother’s great direction, was a large cow moose. bulk. As I moved about to get a better I simply hadn’t noticed tracks of two view, the cow laid her ears back and moose leading toward my position, one appeared to have determined where I set much larger than the other. The cow was. It was apparent that she was dis- Boreal Owl in aspen tree 14 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 2007 turbed and would soon stand and, perhaps, Winters are long run–probably away from me. My real con- cern was that I would stress her and her in Yellowstone calf as the depth of winter was upon us all. Sometimes even a little extra stress can and Grand Teton weaken and ultimately kill an animal whose energy resources are strained to the National parks vanishing point, particularly during harsh winter conditions. Moose, despite their and surrounding size, are exceedingly susceptible to stress. I slowly stepped out of my bindings, national forests— picked up my XC skis and poles and backed carefully away. I could just as handily go in another direction, and let four months long resting moose be. Winters are long in Yellowstone and to as many as six. Grand Teton National parks and surround- Pine Marten in spruce snag ing national forests–four months long to as Photography by Henry H. Holdsworth–Wild by Nature Gallery many as six. And that’s at the lower eleva- tions; above tree line winter may last 11 months. Snowfields and glaciers never succumb entirely to summer. Strategies used by wild creatures to deal with winter vary. Perhaps the most noticeable one is migration. As winter approaches, moose, deer, and mountain sheep are prompted to leave higher-eleva- tion mountains, forests, and meadows to make their way to selected, protected places where they can (or hope to) forage through relatively lighter snow cover and less-harsh winter conditions. continued Sunrise, moonset, Grand Teton National Park Jackson’s Picture Place Since 1960 FS82 Fieldscope • 6.0 Megapixels for stunning prints as large as 16x20 inches • Amazing 10x Optical Zoom-Nikkor Glass Lens • 100% Waterproof/Fogproof • Vibration Reduction • High grade optics and multicoating technology • High Resolution 12.4 Megapixel DX Format CMOS Sensor • Incredible, Bright 2.5-inch LCD offers 170° wide-angle • Super high-resolution lenses • High Performance Image Processing Engine of view • Extra-low dispersion glass for the ultimate in resolution • High-Speed Crop Mode with Automatic Viewfinder Mask • Auto adjusts up to ISO 800 • Includes Vue-Thru case • 1,005-pixel 3D color Matrix Metering II • Nikon In-Camera Innovations: • Sliding sunshade • High-quality 2.5-inch LCD Display - In-Camera Red-Eye Fix™ - Face-Priority AF - D-Lighting • All metal construction • 11-Area AF System with 9 Cross-type AF Sensors • All new Pictmotion TOWN SQUARE • Cameras & Lenses • Digital Cameras • 2 Hour North­ • Binoculars • Rentals Processing BROADWAY 307-733-3831 • Digital Services • Accessories 60 South Cache, Jackson, WY 83001 • Used Equipment • Amateur & • Digital % Nikon Authorized Dealer • Tripods Professional Film Processing CACHE PEARL All Nikon products include Nikon Inc. USA limited warranty. www.nikonusa.com ©2006 Nikon Inc. www.focusproductions. com 2007 JACKSON HOLE SKIER 15 A large number of birds migrate, some species traveling only a few hundred miles, others many thousands of miles, perhaps to central South America.