Early December Snow in Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole in early December is usually a hit or miss when it comes to snowpack. Some years, we have to wait for the fresh powdery snow that graces us on the holidays later in the month. Other years, we are lucky with a couple November dumps and there’s enough snow to open Jackson Hole Mountain Resort early.
While there has been minimal new snow in Jackson Hole in this past couple of weeks, there is more than enough snow on the top of our mountains to allow all of the main ski lifts to be open. JHMR is also working hard to open lower runs, but some of the best slopes are open for the taking.
One of our favorites things to do this time of year is to hit the cruisers fast. If you are early enough in the day, you can find some beautiful fresh corduroy runs that make for smooth, fast sailing down the hill. You almost feel like an Olympic Gold Medalist. (Almost). These runs, typically found on Casper, Teton and Apres Vous lifts, are blues and have mellow slopes (compared to the rest of the mountain). They are wide open and with minimal traffic this time of year.
On Thunder and Sublette chairlifts, Rendezvous Trail and Grand offer nice pitched cruisers. These are higher up on the mountain and maintain their glamour throughout the day. We would, however, recommend that you take Grand later in the day…it’s a south facing slope that tends to get a little icy overnight. Lander Bowl is also a fun one, depending on the grooming schedule.
Since we have more snow coverage than other resorts in the area, but not enough to cover all of our rocks, we have been sticking to the groomed slopes. It’s a great way to find those ski legs again. However, there really is no need to just stick to the groomers. Think of our rocks as a giant slalom course!
According to the resort’s website, we have a total of 141″ and recently got 2 more. By comparison, Alta Ski Resort in Utah is sitting at 51″, Snowbird, UT is sitting at 61″ and Steamboat, Colorado is sitting at 63″. The nearest neighbor to JHMR is Grand Targhee, and it is sitting at 145″. Our point is that Jackson Hole seems to have all of the snow this time of year to be had.
We also just got word that snow is headed our way…Saturday to be exact and more during the week next week. Come find the early December snow in Jackson Hole. Who knows, you might be in for a real treat!
