Jackson Hole 2009

NORSA mainstays Adam, Matt and Steven have returned from their ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Early in their trip, they learned that name requires some clarification. “Jackson is the town, the Hole is the valley,” as one local put it. So naturally, the three stayed at the Inn at Jackson Hole, located in Teton Village, which is at the base of Jackson Hole (the ski resort), on the western edge of Jackson Hole (the valley).


Jackson Hole sits more than 6200 feet above sea level in the northwest corner of Wyoming. Roughly half of the valley is contained in Grand Teton National Park, which itself is just south of Yellowstone National Park. Jackson Hole is surrounded by stunning mountains including, of course, the Grand Tetons. The name “Teton,” believe it or not, is derived from the French name for the main range, “les Trois Tétons." That is, the three breasts.

Jackson Hole is one of the steepest ski resorts in the US. It has the longest continuous vertical rise of any ski resort in the US at 4139 feet. The mountain itself tops out at 10,450 feet. Adam, Matt and Steven enjoyed 8 full days of skiing on their trip out west. They generally stuck to the double-black runs at the top of the mountain, especially enjoying the Alta chutes, Tower Three chute, and their adjacent runs.



Shockingly, one run proved too scary for the extreme team to even attempt. Corbet's Couloir, located just under the Tram (“Big Red”), had a huge cornice built up from weeks of winter storms. Tackling Corbet’s under these circumstances involved a guaranteed freefall before the run “relaxed” into a typical double-black. Although a 14-year-old girl did Corbet’s before their very eyes, the three decided it was not worth the risk. Fortunately, the girl was a child prodigy and egos were kept fairly intact. (These next 2 photos are of Corbet's)


































Such rigorous back-to-back workouts are not possible without the aid of a decent hot tub. Luckily, the Inn came well equipped. At the end of every day, they enjoyed a good soak, usually for the better part of an hour. The outdoor hot tub provided an interesting atmosphere. Typically, it would have been described as a “sausage fest;” however, a fellow skier introduced a much better phrase into everybody’s lexicon: “c*ck soup.” Once, the hot tub was closed to have the water changed. The stories exchanged in the hot tub were more entertaining than your average ski trip.






















After giving their legs a chance to rest in the hot tub. Adam, Steven and Matt patronized the many restaurants of Teton Village, such as the Mangy Moose, Cascade Grill and Alpenhof Bistro. One of Matt’s newer, cooler friends also happened to be at Jackson Hole that week. He and 17 other people rented an extraordinary house at the base of the resort, and hosted Steven, Adam and Matt for dinner a couple of nights.























After eating, the three would usually watch whichever Rambo movie was on TV that night and go to sleep. In the morning, they were awoken by the comforting voice of Chuck Norris in Walker Texas Ranger, which inspired them to ski another day.