Jackson Hole or Grand Targhee?

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

...for carving. If you had to make a choice. Pros? Cons? Snowmaking and length of season? Other carvers? Crowds? Livability, affordability of nearby towns? Do I have to live in Idaho for an easy Targhee commute?

[two_ravens]

Are you moving to the neighborhood? I have never carved at JHMR and only ridden/skied there a handfull of times. Most years I make a few day/weekend trips to Targhee.

Affordability: Ghee wins easily, both for pass prices and living expenses if you live on the Idaho side. And if you are mostly going to ride Targhee, you definitely want to live on the Idaho side. Gobs of worker-bees drive the pass every day to Jackson, but I'd avoid that commute if possible - did it myself for many years....

Season: Ghee is generally open longer and gets more natural snow. They have little manmade snow. JHMR is south facing, so they open a little later, even with a fair bit of snowmaking and spring conditions show up earlier.

Other carvers: you'll see a few hardbooters at the Ghee, fewer to almost none at JHMR.

Crowds: JHMR tends to have more crowds, but I hear weekdays aren't too bad. Ghee gets slammed on powder days, but if the snow report was zero inches, you should have plenty of room to roam, except during holidays.

Grooming: the parts that JHMR does groom, they groom VERY well. That's what you are paying extra for. Ghee does OK (sometimes excellent), their best grooming is Sat mornings, which is also when they are most crowded.

Other thoughts: they don't call it "Grand Foggy" for nothing. Expect more than a few days at the Ghee with very limited visibility. But usually you can find a lower run in the trees where you can see. It's rare to get shut down completely by fog.

If I had unlimited time and money I'd probably live in Teton Village and have passes at both areas. If I had some money, but had to stay within a budget, I'd live in or near Driggs, ID and just ride at the Ghee with an occasional trip to Kelly Canyon and Snow King. Having been dirt poor most of my life, I've been living frugally in Jackson and riding Snow King - but nobody comes to Jackson for Snow King...... :D

Cheers!

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

I'm moving somewhere next summer. The Park City area is an easy jump for me, and I thought that I would consider Wyoming as well. I think I'm going to try and spend each winter for the next few years in a different place, so I will get there one way or another. If I were to live in the area for an extended period it might be important to me to live on the Wyoming side. Do you know if Alta, WY (pop. 400) is a reasonable place? Is it just a suburb of Driggs, or do people speak some kind of weird Tetonese and wear bear skins? Thanks much.

[two_ravens]

I have never lived in Alta, but I've driven though many times, so I know all about it. ;) Alta is a little more upscale than Driggs, the people with houses there all seem to have money. The only reason to live in Wyoming would be to avoid paying Idaho state income tax. There is no income tax in Wyoming, but if you live in Idaho (where rent is cheaper) and work in Wyoming (where the jobs are) then technically you owe Idaho tax. Lots of people dodge this, don't know how many get caught. The bear skin people mostly seem to live on the Idaho side. :D

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

Yup. It's the taxes. If I should stay in one place long enough to become a resident, I want to shop for my new domicile the same way one shops for a new car. The sushi in Wyoming might not be good, but if other factors are positive, I can work around it.

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

Has anybody else seen the picture/article about JH on page 19 of the Feb Ski Magazine? Actually most of the article is online, just follow the link. The picture shows a nice groomer and the article says that a new lift will improve access to blue terrain. This, along with a new Casper lift and more emphasis on grooming might make things even more attractive for carvers? Any comments? Is anybody on the board riding there currently?