We drove to Teton Village to take the tram ride to the top
of Rendezvous Mountain. On our way to Teton Village, we say parachuters
landing. We were trying to figure out where the plane was. We assumed that the
plane took off from the Jackson Hole Airport, but thought it was funny that the
landing zone was so far away.
Teton Village and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort offer more
than 4,000-vertical feet of varied terrain, during the winter season they draw
expert and beginner skiers and snowboarders alike from around the world. Other
than epic skiing and boarding, winter visitors will enjoy 17km of groomed cross
country ski track, snowshoeing, and scenic tram rides.
In the summer season, the resort hosts a plethora of activities.
Summer visitors can enjoy lift-accessible mountain biking, scenic tram rides,
hiking trails, paragliding, live music, and horseback riding. Whether it is
summer or winter, a stop at the Mangy Moose Saloon is a must. It is probably
the most well-known destination, the Mangy Moose features a restaurant and full
bar, complete with odd decor.
We had pre-purchased our tickets, so into line we went! We
wanted the WOW, from the view at the top of Rendezvous Mountain, so we caught a
ride on “Big Red.” The aerial tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Teton
Village. The tram climbs 4,139 vertical feet in less than 10 minutes.
During the ride up, the operator told us all about the ski
runs below us and the history of the mountain and its people. I found the
naming of the ski runs most interesting!
Most of the runs were named after the geographic features of
the valley. The ridges are named for the early mountain men that explored the
area, and the bowls are named for cities and towns in Wyoming. Throughout time,
almost every mountain feature has picked up a nickname, mostly for navigational
purposes and for ski patrol to locate lost or injured skiers.
Cook's Knob was named after a former mountain manager Ray
Cook wanted to put a lift on the crest at the bottom of the headwall, even
after patrols warned him many time about the severe avalanche danger in that
area. A week after completion of the mighty surface lift, and avalanche took
out the lift and left remains on the knob now labeled as Cook's Knob.
Near the fourth tram tower stands a lone tree that stopped a
Chicago skier from tumbling over the edge of the cliffs during an avalanche,
this run is called Veto's Tree.
Femur Ridge is named after a teenage skier who jumped a
ridge on the Lower Sublette Ridge and broke his femur.
Goldmine Chute is now a permanently closed area on the north
side of Laramie Bowl. It was said to be the area of heavy gold prospecting by
former manager, George Flemming's uncle.
John Simms of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Ski Patrol
invented Life-Link's avalanche probe. He also invented other avalanche
forecasting equipment that he sold to Life-Link. John and fellow patroller,
Charlie Sands, who started Sands Wild Water River Trips, were the first people
to drop in to the couloir adjacent to Corbet's Couloir. Thus its name, S&S
Couloir. Corbet's Couloir is the toughest run on the mountian. It isn't always open (it depends on snow conditions), but when it is, except a drop of at least 10 feet, followed by a quick right turn to avoid smashing into one of the rock walls. The initial drop is the adrenaline factor—after that, it's just a regular expert run. And, with Corbet's located in prime view from the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram, count on prying eyes from above as well. It's hard to turn away when someone is about to attempt this infamous couloir.
Simms was not the only inventive patroller at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Ski Patrol. Bobbie Fuller invented a strap to keep his sunglasses on that led to his early retirement. The straps are known as Croakies and are found all over the world.
When we reached the top, we were in awe of the unparalleled
wraparound views of the Bridger-Teton National Forest and Grand Teton National
Park from the 10,450-foot summit.
We wandered around the top of the mountain, we had our
waffles. Waffles you ask? Yes, at the top of the mountain there is a concession
stand, Corbet’s Cabin, which sells waffles, beer, soft and hard drinks.
No
silverware, no plates … just waffles and napkins!
I had the peanut butter and
bacon waffle. It was delicious, I know it sounds gross, but it was good!
We ventured to the top of the mountain, where the
paragliders take off from.
This is place to hitch a tandem flight or go mountain
flying in Jackson Hole.
It is accessed via the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Arial Tram elevating you to 10,320′, over 4000′ feet of vertical in only 10
minutes.
Then launch or watch the launches for a beautiful ride over Jackson
Hole.
Breathtaking, just breathtaking! We now know where the parachutist we saw land were coming from!
We headed back to the campground, to rest a bit before we
headed to our raft float down the Snake River. All of the Yankee caravaneers
took this Barker-Ewing Float Trip. Barker-Ewing was started in 1963. When
Barker pioneered a ten-mile float trip from Deadman’s Bar to Moose on the wild
and scenic Snake River through the heart of Grand Teton National Park. Within a
few short years, Dick’s single raft could no longer accommodate the demand. So
he joined forces with outfitter Frank Ewing to create Barker-Ewing Float Trips,
and the company earned a lasting reputation for operating safe, high-quality
interpretive raft trips in the National Park and the Snake River Canyon.
In 1985, the partnership was divided into two separate
family businesses: Barker-Ewing Scenic Float Trips and Barker-Ewing Whitewater.
Although Dick passed away in 2012, his family continues to run Barker-Ewing Scenic
following the legendarily high standards that Dick originally set. They are in
their 56th season. Our float trip was about 7 miles long down the Snake River.
Our rafter guide was Robyn, she was an awesome guide and
handled the raft just fine. Drift rafts are a classic mode of conveyance on the
Snake for floaters. Inflatable rafts are
steered by a pair of oars, and they are able to navigate shallow channels and
tricky eddies that larger rafts would be unable to explore.
We were not lucky enough to see any 4-legged wild life, but
we did see awesome scenery and had an enjoyable relaxing time!
Another awesome day on our Yankee RV Caravan!
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