Teton Village, WY. October 29, 2008) – Spectators watched and applauded as crews placed the first of two Aerial Tram cars onto the track cables today at JHMR.
Covered with specially made covers by Marmot, the first Tram car was moved from the upper parking lot to 150 feet above the nearly completed lower terminal, where crews then attached the hangar to the top of the car and then lifted it up by crane 80 feet and placed it onto the track cables.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will begin operations on November 29, 2008, and the new Aerial Tram will open for ridership on December 20th, following a not to be missed “Tram Unveiling Night Show” at 6:00pm on Friday, December 19th. Stay tuned for updates on the Tram Launch festivities, which will include dinner specials and parties at Teton Village restaurants and bars, as well as construction progress at www.tram-formation.com. Also listen to weekly updates and chances to win FREE lift tickets for the 2008/09 winter season with Fish on KMTN radio each Friday morning at 8:40am.
The new Aerial Tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will be twice the size of the original, carrying 100 passengers. The sleek, new cabins, and visually inspiring base terminal only add to the faster and more efficient “cable to the sky”. As well as the journey, it is the destination that captures the spirit of the Jackson Hole Tram. Soaring 4,139 vertical feet in 9 minutes to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain is unrivaled in the ski industry, cresting the Tetons with an endless choice of ski routes below, not to mention incredible 360 views.
For 40 years, snagging a spot on Jackson Hole’s “First Tram” was one of Western skiing’s enduring rituals. Even though the lifts don’t open until 9 a.m., skiers and snowboarders traditionally started lining up very early to snare fresh powder. The ritual ended at the close of the 2005-06 ski season when the resort took the lift out of service.
It was a ritual for a reason that could be summed up in an equation: First Tram equals First Tracks. The tram that went into service during Jackson Hole’s inaugural season wasn’t America’s first, but it opened a serious, compelling and, yes, addictive mountain to some of the best skiers in the land —- those who could handle the most difficult terrain and most challenging conditions.
A Florida real-estate investment trust, CNL Lifestyle Properties, has agreed to buy the Big Sky Resort for $74 million within the next two years. As part of the purchase agreement, CNL has agreed to advance $68 million toward the purchase price as a loan to Boyne Resorts, owner of the Montana property. Big Sky Resort spokesman Dax Schieffer confirmed details of the agreement Friday.---------------------------> More
Save 50 percent on ski packages at the Spring Creek Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The Ski Free deal, which runs through April 1, starts at $87.50 per person double per night and includes accommodations, daily lift tickets at the Grand Targhee Resort or the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, breakfast and shuttle service to town and the ski areas. Taxes of 6 percent, plus a $20 per-night resort fee, are extra; prices may be higher in February and March and during the holidays. By comparison, a full-day lift ticket at Jackson Hole costs $87.-------------------------------- More
JACKSON WY-- Like helicopter skiing in Jackson Hole?
You're in luck. Bridger-Teton National Forest officials agreed to
allow
High Mountain Heli-Skiing 832 skier days per season, plus an additional
368 days "as
needed." But radical environmentalist Fred Smith, with the Jackson
Hole Conservation Alliance, said the presence of helicopters in the
pristine
area is
a "flagrant
violation" of the Wyoming Wilderness Act."
I personally believe this could affect the ability of the Palisades
to be listed as wilderness," he said, adding helicopters affect
wilderness qualities and wildlife.
Putting
“Free” Into Freeskiing
New Colorado legislation protects resorts from ski-injury
lawsuits. Will the rest of the country follow?
"
If you break your neck jumping off a cliff, that’s your problem,” says
Vail-based freeskier and ski-film star Seth Morrison. “The
mountains aren’t responsible for a lack of common sense—skiers
are.” Morrison, 30, knows the meaning of “assumed risks” as
they apply to resort-skiing in the 21st century. The same has not
been true of the Colorado Skier Safety Act, which was passed in 1979,
long before terrain parks, halfpipes, fat skis, helmets, and the
phrase “huck your meat” came into vogue. But all that
is about to change. As of this season, a ski-at-your-own-risk amendment
to the CSSA will apply to every resort-skier in Colorado—whether
they’re sliding a rail, dropping a cliff, or slamming headfirst
into the bottom of a superpipe.
Yellowstone Region Ski Resorts
Jackson
Hole Ski Resort
There can be few more spectacular settings
for a mountain resort than Wyoming's Jackson Hole, with the Teton mountains
towering above. Jackson Hole has ski runs suitable for skiers
of all abilities. Beginners and intermediates will find plenty of terrain
to suit their needs. Experts will be challenged by the 10,450-foot Rendezvous
Peak that has a myriad of terrain and snow to offer
Getting There
Jackson Hole is located in western Wyoming near the Idaho border and about
40 miles south of Yellowstone National Park. The resort is twelve miles
from the town of Jackson (the development at the base area is called Teton
Village) and 250 miles north of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Grand
Targhee
Grand Targhee is located in
the Targhee National Forest at 8,000 feet in the high country of the
Tetons and it takes an
effort to get to. Famous for its elbow room and consistently superb ski
snow conditions that produces more than 500 inches of snow a year, Targhee
has two mountains to choose from.
500 inches of champagne powder a year!
Grand Targhee is your Powder Paradise,in the Heart of the Tetons! Ski
Magazine has called us, "A place that dumps!",
and in their 2002 and 2003 Reader Survey, we were ranked #2 in North America
for Snow. Skiing Magazine ranked us #2 for snow in their 25 Best Rankings for
snow. We consistently rank #1 and #2, along with Alta, UT. The 2003 Ski Magazine
Reader Survey ranked us #8 for value. Ski Magazine in their January 2003 issue
rated us the #3 Family
Getting There
Grand Targhee is located 40 miles north of Jackson, Wyoming, and 87 miles
east of Idaho Falls, Idaho. The Targhee Express provides regular bus service
between Targhee, the town of Jackson and Teton Village (home of the Jackson
Hole resort).
A
friendly alternative to glitzy Jackson Hole GRAND TARGHEE, Wyoming (AP) -- Bill Royall chose the University of Denver
so he could take the winter quarters off from school and hit the slopes.Grand
Targhee has an annual snowfall of nearly 500 inches, with up to 650 inches
in the whitest of winters.................................His powder-searching
ways continued after college, landing him in Vail for a few years before it
eventually became too crowded, too trendy. A move to Aspen ended with the same
claustrophobic result.
And so it went, Royall's quest for a quiet skiing sanctuary going on for years,
taking him to places like Steamboat Springs, Taos, Sun Valley. And it always
ended the same: moving out when the crowds moved in......................................The
nomadic journey seemed to come to an end about 20 years ago when he arrived in
Jackson, Wyoming, a place still oozing with that dusty-floor saloon charm of
the Old West.....................................But, like all the other ski
towns that had lured Royall with its charms, Jackson changed, attracting fuzzy-jacket-wearing
out-of-towners to the slopes and trendy shops with pricey paintings and sparkly
T-shirts lining the streets.
Then Royall found Grand Targhee.------------------------------ > More
Snow
King Mountain
Snow King Ski Area, nestled in the foothills of the Gros
Ventre Mountains and at the very edge of the town of Jackson, offers one
triple and two double chairlifts as well as a surface tow. The area is
open for day and night skiing and has an extensive snow making system covering
over 110 acres for reliable snow conditions. Founded in 1939, it was the
first ski area in Wyoming and one of the first in the United States
Getting There
Snow King ski area is located right on the edge of the town of Jackson,
which is 12 miles from the Jackson Hole resort.
Kelly Canyon
Kelly Canyon offers a snowboard park that is well lit and does not
allow skiers in the area. Night skiing is allowed five nights a week.
Ski discounts to military personnel and college students.
Getting There
Kelly Canyon is located northwest of Idaho Falls, off Highway 26.
From Idaho Falls, take Hwy 26 to the Wyoming border and then head towards
Jackson Hole, WY, follow directional signs to Kelly Canyon Ski Hill.
Pebble Creek
The 1998/1999 season marked Pebble Creek Ski Area's 50th Anniversary.
Pebble Creek is a vertical playground that attracts extreme skiers/boarders,
but also offers plenty of variety for all skill levels. Located just
south of Pocatello, Pebble Creek plays host to 1,100 permitted acres,
45 runs, an abundance of annual snowfall and virtually non-existent lift
lines, which provide enough playful terrain for beginners or those demanding
an honest challenge. snowboards and Saturday night lessons.
Getting There
Pebble Creek is located 15 miles from Pocatello via I-15 south to the Inkom
exit, then 5 miles to the resort.
Sun
Valley Ski Resort
Sun Valley, the oldest destination
ski resort in the US, is entering its 64rd year of operation this
winter. Home of the world's
first chairlift
(and reportedly the first hot tub!), Sun Valley is truly a unique and classic
ski resort. Eighteen lifts (including seven high-speed detachable quads)
give Sun Valley a staggering uphill capacity of 28,180 people per hour,
keeping
lift lines
virtually non-existent. There are two ski mountains in Sun Valley, each
affording its own point of view. Bald Mountain can be accessed at River
Run on the south and
Warm Springs on the north.
Getting There
Sun Valley is located 160 miles west of Idaho Falls (3.75 hours), 100 miles east
of
Boise,
Idaho,
and
300
miles
north
of
Salt Lake City, Utah. Driving time from Boise is about 2 1/2 hours. Sun Valley
Village, at the base of Bald Mountain, is one mile from the town of Ketchum.
Big Sky Ski Resort
Big Sky Resort lies nestled in the heart of the Rocky
Mountains underneath majestic Lone Peak. In 1995/96, they added the Lone
Peak Tram to better
facilitate visitors for years to come. Surrounded by the Yellowstone
Ecosystem, there is nothing small about the area. The wonders of the
area are best
enjoyed from the rustic luxury the resort provides. Big Sky Resort has
some of the best snow on earth to ski on. Big Sky was rated #8 in North
America in Skiing Magazine's 2002 top spots.
Getting There
Big Sky is located in southwestern Montana, 43 miles south of Bozeman via
Highway 191 and about an hour north of Island Park Idaho Via Highway 20 then
north on
Highway
191from West Yellowstone Montana. Big Sky Resort is nearest to the Gallatin Field
Airport in Bozeman, Montana. This airport is approximately 45 miles N of Big
Sky. Should you choose to drive
to Big Sky, the resort is approximately 40 miles S of I-90. The turnoff is just
W of Bozeman, through the beautiful Gallatin Canyon. From the south, Big Sky
is 47 miles N of West Yellowstone on US Hwy 191.