Almost one year to the date of my last big trip, I made my grand return to the skies and set off for Jackson Hole, Wyoming armed with face masks and hand sanitizer. Along with two girlfriends, I stuffed my suitcase with ski pants and sweaters, set my automatic email replies to on, and prepared for a winter wonderland getaway.

A ski trip out West has been on my list for a while, and with international options for travel limited there was no better time. I pictured hot tubs, cozy fires, beautiful snow, and (of course) après ski. What I found in Wyoming was not only all the above, but also monster mountains, picture perfect blue skies, winding roads along sparkling rivers, and truly some of the friendliest folks I’ve ever met. From the moment you touch down at Jackson Hole Airport, set against the backdrop of the Teton Range, you begin to understand the sheer size and vastness of the mountain ranges, National Parks, and National Forests that dominate the region.

We spent five days in Jackson Hole, and even from our first moments in Wyoming my friend and I turned to each other and said “OMG I don’t think we have enough time here!” Jackson Hole is just that gorgeous and that full of adventure. We ended up spending two days skiing, one day on a snowmobile adventure, one day après skiing minus the ski, and two half-days bopping around downtown Jackson.

Jackson Hole vs. Jackson vs. Teton Village

First thing’s first; getting the lay of the land. Jackson Hole refers to a 50 mile long valley that runs North and South along the eastern side of the Teton Mountain Range. This includes the towns of Jackson, Teton Village, Wilson, the Aspens, Moran Junction, Moose, and surrounding areas. Jackson is the main town located at the southern end of Jackson Hole and the center of commerce in the area (cute shops, bakeries, restaurants). Teton Village is the small village located at the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Since we planned to spend the majority of our time skiing, we stayed in Teton Village to have easy access to the ski resort. We booked our accommodations through Outpost, and even though we did have an issue with the hot tub breaking, I can’t say enough about how beautifully curated their properties are. We had a cozy townhouse right next to the Moose Creek Quad Chair lift which made getting to the base easy and we took the free shuttle back home at night.

The Skiing

Let me be the first to tell you I am not a skier. I have skied once before, ten years ago, so I was really just here for the bunny slopes and the vibes. After a near panic-attack on my end skiing from our house to the base, the three of us started out with a half day lesson (shoutout to our man Ryan). Alternate title for this post: How Whitley Got Her Groove Back. We had a ball running up and down the greens (only 10% of the mountain is green runs...lol) and eating lunch on the mountain. If you want to eat at the “finer” restaurant on the mountain make a reservation for Piste Mountain Bistro in advance. We ate at the Rendezvous Lodge and Casper Restaurant (cafeteria style) and let me tell you — the views and the vibes are impeccable. My advice is to book your ski days Sunday-Thursday; Friday and Saturday the mountain was exponentially more crowded at the base (especially since they are limiting chairlift and tram capacities due to COVID.) I should probably include some assessment on the trails and the grooming, but that’s not my area of expertise. For a beginner like me it was lovely.

I also have to plug the entire Jackson Hole Mountain Resort staff for being fun, friendly, and going above and beyond to be helpful! JHMR is one of the only independently owned premier ski resorts, and from what we heard the Kemmerer family treats the staff well and the end of season party is lit 😈. Pro tip: book your ski rentals through the mountain resort and have them dropped off and picked up at your house.

The Après Ski

Okay, skip The Handle Bar! From what I understand only Four Seasons guests can make reservations for the highly coveted patio and the inside is just meh. They do have a little pop up bar outside but it’s cash only so at the very least you can grab a drink and plop yourself in the snow. My advice is to head over to RPK3 — if it’s chilly grab a seat inside (peep the retro fireplace), if it’s sunny grab a drink at the to-go bar and scope out a seat outside. The Alpenhof and its huge, sun-drenched deck was our other après spot of choice.

The lifts close at 4PM and soon after people begin to spill out from the mountain base into the bars and restaurants in Teton Village. I can’t speak to how much of what we experienced was due to COVID, but folks seemed to be grabbing to-go drinks and chillin’ literally anywhere they could find a spot — including the parking lot! This place exuded laid back vibes.

To Eat:
*since we had a full kitchen and a car, we stocked up on breakfast foods and snacks at the grocery store

Old Yellowstone Garage at the Caldera House Hotel (had the bougiest, booziest long lunch here — Hermès orange velvet booths and views of the mountain...say no more fam)
Teton Thai (great option for takeout in Teton Village)
Bodega (honestly the real surprise star — pop in and grab a take home lasagna or chicken pot pie and don’t miss the Cream+Sugar artisan ice cream sandwiches for dessert)
Liberty Burger (cute little burger spot in downtown Jackson)
Cowboy Coffee (I have it on good authority the vanilla latte is extra yummy)
Persephone (the most adorable bakery in downtown Jackson with a sprawling porch and delicious breakfast/lunch menu)

Snowmobiling

We knew we wanted to mix in one other outdoor winter activity aside from skiing and snowmobiling was at the top of our list. We booked through Old Faithful Tours and did the full-day Grey’s River tour which started at the Greys River trailhead about 40 miles south of Jackson through the Snake River Canyon. We spent close to four hours zipping along trails through the Bridger-Teton National Forest stopping along the way to take in the views. These bad boys go FAST and, take it from me, lean into the turns to avoid flipping your snowmobile...but the views are insane. This tour takes you to places you otherwise wouldn’t see — from snow capped mountains to babbling brooks, we found ourselves winding in and out of canyons and across plains of snow. For even moderate thrill seekers, this is a great way to spend the day.

The Mountains

I’m honestly still laughing that we didn’t realize we were skiing on the Tetons until our third day in. Swear to God we kept pointing from the ski slopes asking — “you think that’s Grand Teton?” Look, geography isn’t our strong suit...I don’t wanna talk about it.

Your first few of the Tetons comes upon descent into Jackson Hole Airport. That giant mountain range behind the airport...yeah it’s the Tetons. You will get spectacular views of the mountains as you drive along Highway 191 into downtown Jackson, and again as you depart downtown Jackson and head to Teton Village (along Moose Wilson Road). Scenic pull-offs abound and you might even spot a Moose or two! Because of how flat the land is around the mountain range, it’s easy to get great views from almost anywhere.

Overall Jackson Hole exceeded my expectations; I truly have never seen mountains like that before. Give me blue skies and fresh mountain air any day. While I had always imagined Jackson Hole being a prime winter destination, apparently the area receives its most visitors in the summer. So even though it’s goodbye for now, I may need to make a trek back after the snow melts…