More than 500 inches of snow fall on the Teton Mountains every year, meaning you can count on first-rate ski conditions from November until April on the northwestern edge of Wyoming. You could join some hardy locals and stretch the season out even longer, hiking to high-elevation powder stashes even in July for an excellent workout.
The Resorts
With lift-accessed terrain ranging from gently sloping beginner runs to expert double black diamond chutes, you'll find a favorite run at one of the Tetons' three ski resorts, whatever your level of skill. Grand Targhee, on the secluded west side of the range, enjoys a reputation for wide-open intermediate runs covered in the best powder in the West. Jackson Hole's in-town resort, Snow King Mountain, attracts ski racers from around the world with its steep pitch and near perfect fall line. Out at The Village on the border of Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, affectionately dubbed "The Big One" by its reverent fans, stretches across two mountains with a vertical drop of more than 4,000 feet. Half of the 116 named trails fall into the expert classification, which may explain why locals refer to skiing there as "Thrillage at the Village."
Teton Pass
If you overheard two locals discussing their morning on "the Pass," you'd think they were talking about a ski resort. Teton Pass, technically Wyoming Highway 22 connecting Wilson, Wyoming with Victor, Idaho, is the de facto fourth ski resort in the Tetons, albeit without lifts. The summit parking lot at 8 a.m. on a powder day looks like the base area of any popular ski area. The most popular runs have names, with well-established boot paths leading right to the best drop-in points. But don't let the air of legitimacy fool you--this is still backcountry skiing, with all the inherent dangers intact.
The Backcountry
Teton Pass will introduce you to the concept of "earning your turns" (a snazzy way of saying you hike to ski) but to really experience the backcountry, you'll need to venture away from the crowds. Taking a guide can help you do it safely. Rendezvous Ski Tours maintains three yurts fully equipped for overnight stays at between 8,000 and 9,000 feet on the western slopes. From there, you can ski 2,000 feet of private vertical. Exum, the granddaddy of Teton mountain-guiding companies, will take you on a group or private ski or snowboard tour into the backcountry around Teton Pass or further north in Grand Teton National Park.
The Big Peaks
Since the first ski descent of the Grand Teton in 1971, winter alpinists have scrambled to secure additional distinctions: first telemark descent, first snowboard descent, first female descent. Exum even documented the first guided winter descent. Now the company's peak skiing/snowboarding program makes it feasible if you're a seasoned resort powder skier to venture off piste and into the most extreme backcountry terrain--the peaks themselves.
Nordic Trails
Skiing doesn't always involve sliding downhill at high speed. Teton Valley Trails and Pathways volunteers maintain nearly 20 miles of gently rolling, groomed classic and skate ski tracks at Teton Springs in Victor, behind the Alta Library and in Teton Canyon. Grand Targhee Resort's nearly 10 miles of groomed trails wind through Rick's Basin with only a 300-foot elevation gain. And at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's Nordic Center, daily grooming sets a 10-mile classic track and the widest skate lanes in the valley.
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