Can Jackson Hole beat last year's record snow?

Jackson Hole recorded the highest season snowfall in the resort’s 60 year history last season. Early predictions and snowfalls are promising for another huge season as La Niña looks set to linger.

Tony Harrington was there for the season and took full advantage for some incredible shots, even by his standards.
At Jackson Hole mother nature slept in for the first week of the winter, as unusually warm temps kept even the snowmakers at bay, but boy, as soon as she woke there was no hesitation in her hitting full throttle and staying there
Anytime a ‘Winter Storm Warning’ is announced by the National Weather Service it creates a bit of a frenzy with the Jackson Hole locals. It means a storm is on the doorstep, and set to drop 12 inches of more of snow. Being Jackson, it usually means what they call ‘cowboy’ powder: super light, dry and silky in texture and feel, the stuff that dreams are made of. It’s what skiers & boarders live for, and this past winter many lives were lived as the resort received its deepest ever snowpack.

At Jackson Hole nothing was off the menu last season. Coen Bennie-Faull took advantage at thef infamous S&S Couloir © Tony Harrington

Jackson Hole has been my long time favourite resort for many reasons – biggest vertical in the USA, incredibly dry snow, insane terrain, and a true western cowboy ambience that makes it so different then anywhere else. I spent well over three months there this winter, and left the mountain battered and mesmorised by incessant vertical miles of powder runs.
Jackson Hole has recently undergone a bit of a growth spurt, in both skier visitation and infrastructure, including last year’s opening of the Teton lift, and its access to the Moran Faces, followed by last winter’s opening of its new Sweetwater Gondola. The added lift capacity moves people out from the base faster then ever, and although there’s more people on the mountain, if you’re keen to sniff out a couple of the more obscure places, you can still find untracked pow within the resort with many days after a snowfall.
And for those of you with a bit more adventure in mind there’s the lure of its backcountry, but please, obey all the signs and know the basics about side/backcountry travel, wear your beacon, know how to use it, and carry shovel and probe.
Jackson Hole offers a backcountry guiding service that removes a lot of the risk and maximises the fun of your off piste experience.

Even in not so great a season you will have a great time here – as we found out in March 2016.

snow more www.jacksonhole.com
Jackson Hole packages www.travelplan.com.au
More of Harro’s work (grab a poster print for a Xmas present!) www.harroart.com

14 inches fell at the base on November 3rd © Jackson Hole