The Return to “The Big One”
As ski destinations go, nothing compares to Jackson Hole…nothing!
Our mountain is like nothing you have skied before
In the old days, the ski resort at Jackson Hole used the tag line “The Big One”. It really was that simple. This mountain boasted more skiable acres and more lift served vertical feet than any other ski resort in all of North America. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has lost those bragging rights to other resorts. I could be wrong, but I believe that with the link-up of Whistler and Blackcomb that that resort now lays claim to most skiable acres as well as most vertical feet. Snowmass in Colorado and Big Sky in Montana also both have more lift-served vertical feet than Jackson Hole but the legendary terrain of The Big One hasn’t been matched by any resort and likely never will.
In 2005 safety concerns were cited as reason to retire the icon of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort – the aerial tram. It had been in service for 40 years. While there didn’t appear to be any immediate threat to public safety after such a long time in service maintenance and operating costs become burdensome in the face of newer technology. It was decided to retire the aerial tram at the end of the 2006 summer season. The tram was retired without any firm plan for a replacement. Several options were discussed ranging from not replacing the tram at all and instead using a series of lifts to access the summit of Rendezvous Mountain, to replacing the tram with a gondola or the possibility of replacing the tram with a newer, bigger and faster tram. Quite frankly, all of this talk was used as political leverage…and it saddens me, but this is the world we live in. Much like golf courses aren’t built for people to play golf on, but rather to sell real estate, such has also become the case with ski resorts. The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is located in Teton County Wyoming. This County is 98% publicly owned. Most of the land here is either National Park, National Forest or other protected lands so the 2% that is left over is highly coveted and fetches a premium price. Many of the voters in Teton County don’t favor further development of these lands and are a generally vociferous group in their opposition…so, in essence, the tram was held hostage to get approval of more condominiums at Teton Vilage (the “town” that is home to the resort).
Over the summers of 2007 & 2008 the new tram was constructed and was opened to the public on December 20, 2008. The new tram makes the trip up the mountain in eight minutes (compared to ~15 minutes on the old tram) and transports 100 passengers (compared to 55 on the old tram) each trip – gaining an impressive 4,139 feet – how’s that for an altitude adjustment? The resort held an unveiling party on the evening of December 19th – complete with fireworks and Santa Claus rappelling (abseiling) from one of the new cars. 2000 people braved the sub-zero temperatures to witness this historical event. I was among them, and also among the masses to ride the tram the next day – and though the ski conditions appear to be improving here, I still have Hawaii on my mind!
The resort might not be deserving of its previous moniker in these modern days, but to me…it’ll always be “The Big One”.
Will @ December 23, 2008
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