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Report from Friday, March 31st – Sunday, April 2nd, 2023
This past weekend in Jackson Hole was a huge one! Snow, Rendezvous Spring Festival, and Gaper Day all rolled into one big storm of fun. A weekend truly highlighting many of the things people flock to Jackson Hole for.
Last Friday, the mountain was near too empty, and the day got better as more snow fell. There was not a single lift line. Friday, the last day of March; who would have thought? Those lucky enough to be on snow had a treat. North-facing slopes were the pick of the day.
The Rendezvous Spring Festival kicked off Friday evening in Jackson’s Town Square. The weather was cold, and snow started to fall heavier and heavier towards the end of the night. People huddled and danced through the storm. Others took shelter in nearby restaurants. The atmosphere in town was fun and full of life.
Saturday, April 1, the day folks of Jackson historically call Gaper Day, where they dress up in wild costumes and party mountain-side in the slush. This year was no joke, a powder day, storm warnings in full effect, and the day delivered. Retro suits and other wild costumes were sliding around the mountain. Although there were fewer costumes than usual, most people chose to wear more modern Goretex outfits. The storm on Gaper Day made for a day to remember.
While Saturday was the big day of the Rendezvous Spring Festival, the morning was quiet at JHMR till about 11:30 am. This made for empty slopes and untracked powder skiing.
Those who dressed up for Gaper Day started to appear at around lunchtime. Although, there was powder turns to be had all day, and the untracked cold smoke was mid-winter quality.
Once skiing was over, I joined the crowd as we huddled and bopped to the music in the cold as the snow fell heavier. The concert was fun, although due to the storm increasing, the concert ended early thanks to the weather. Ryan Bingham, the headliner, was only able to play three songs.
The music at the base of Teton Village started at 3 pm, and people poured in. Storm warnings were coming. It snowed on and off. I continued to ski wintery snow and opted to join the crowd later as it was hard to stop skiing early.
Sunday, April 2, the day after Gaper Day, the mountain was near empty in the morning. Many had a late night at the stormy Rendezvous Spring Festival. I dragged my butt to the mountain for first run. It was worth it; the snow was even better on Sunday. It did not feel like April skiing through the light deep cold smoke.
Overall, the weekend will be one for the history books for me, as I am sure it will be for the others who got to experience the wintery Rendezvous Spring Festival Weekend of 2023—a weekend filled with dancing in storms, powder skiing, and dress-ups. Sign me up again for next year.
The weather is set to warm up over the last two days of lifted access at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Currently, the resort is sitting at 594″ seasonal total, the whole resort is covered in quality winter snow, and all aspects are skiing just like mid-winter conditions. It will be worth the trip if you can get to Jackson for the last couple of days of the season.
Jackson closes on April 9, but there will be plenty of fantastic touring into late spring, maybe later.
