I recently had the privilege of visiting Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR), Wyoming, for the first time. I had heard so much about the famous resort and had even visited in the summer but had never been there for what it is truly known for, the skiing.  That was about to change.

I was on a weeklong road trip using my Mountain Collective Pass, so I had two days to explore the mountain. The first day I was on my own to figure it out and it sure would have been nice to have a guide.

JHMR had received 20 inches of new snow in the last 48 hours, but every off-piste run I tried was chunky and hard. I quickly figured out the best snow was on the upper mountain, and I spent the day orienting myself on how the resort was laid out. It was a mediocre day of skiing by JHMR standards, and I knew there was so much more this mountain had to offer.

By the end of the day, I had secured a private lesson for the following day for me and my two friends, and it would be an understatement to say I’m glad I did.

It was a beautiful sunny day when we met our instructor, Ricardo, behind the Aerial Tram at 8:15 a.m. the next morning. The first benefit of a private lesson is we got to be on one of the first Tram rides before the mountain even opened. We were whisked up 4,139 vertical feet to the top of Rendezvous Mountain where amazingly there was zero wind. From here we had the opportunity to take in the views, stretch, smell the waffles at Corbet’s Cabin (too bad we had already eaten breakfast), and wait for the mountain to open. When the mountain officially opened at 9 a.m., we had the green light to start skiing.

We told Ricardo our goal for the day was to get to know the mountain and, although we were all advanced skiers, receive skiing tips along the way. From the very beginning, Ricardo delivered the experience we were looking for. He knew just where to go to find the best conditions. All day we were able to ski impeccable groomers as well as more technical soft, buffed, chalky snow off-piste. The lift lines weren’t too long, but it was an added bonus to be able to skip to the front of the line and jump right on the lift for our next run.

The highlight of the day was hiking the Headwall to earn some turns. I had heard about the Headwall before but was unsure where the best place to descend would be once we reached the top. Thankfully, the boot pack took less than 15 minutes, and we took a moment at the top to catch our breath and enjoy the views.

We then traversed past Casper Bowl and found untracked lines down what I think was a run called Shot 9. We never would have known where to go if we didn’t have Ricardo guiding us. Who would have thought you could get untracked powder turns two days after a storm?

Throughout the day we also learned valuable ski tips. The pointers included how to load your downhill and uphill legs, the position of your upper and lower body, where your balance and posture should be on steep slopes, and curling our ankles to make perfect carves.

I kept focused on implementing all the tips and could tell I was skiing with added proficiency and in more control. There is no doubt I became a better skier, and I am looking forward to continuing to work on my form on future ski days.

As the day ended, we did one long run to the base area to say goodbye to Ricardo and be on our way. I was full of stoke from the great skiing and additional knowledge I had gained on the day. If you are visiting JHMR and looking to get the most out of your experience, I would seriously consider booking a professional from their Mountain Sports School.

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