Industry News
What a month February has been at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, WY. More than 12-feet of fresh snow fell on the resort, a record for the month. The 4th annual Kings and Queens of Corbet’s competition went off like never before, with skiers and riders turning on the style and throwing some unbelievable tricks into the famous couloir, and the world’s best riders competed in the Natural Selection Tour at the beginning of the month.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort president, Mary Kate Buckley, addressed skiers and riders with an open letter over the weekend discussing the snowfall, and how the resort’s COVID procedures have affected day-to-day operations.
Full letter below:
Dear Valued JHMR Skiers and Riders,
Will it ever stop snowing?
If you’ve asked yourself that question recently, it’s for good reason. Between the period February 1 through February 23, a record 154 inches fell in Rendezvous Bowl, the highest snowfall ever recorded for the same period! With a third of the season still ahead, stellar conditions and more snow in the forecast, I hope your plans include enjoying many more days with us at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR).
I want to thank you for your loyalty and commitment to helping us create a safe experience for all guests and employees by masking up, spreading out, being patient and expressing kindness as we continue to operate with health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID‑19. This means continuing to wear a multilayer mask at all times in Teton Village and on Jackson Hole Mountain Resort property. We are making best efforts to encourage all guests to wear appropriate face coverings and have deployed extra staff during key periods in the base area and across our upper mountain to help ensure compliance. While it is encouraging to see COVID-19 vaccination distribution increasing nationwide and the number of cases decreasing in Teton County, the threat of the virus remains real until vaccines are widely available to all. Together, with your help, we must continue to be vigilant in adhering to our health and safety protocols to ensure we can stay open through April 11.
We have also taken extraordinary measures this season to reduce mountain capacity by reducing the volume of tickets sold each day. We recommend tickets be purchased online in advance and require Ikon Pass holders to make a reservation before their visit, with limits on the number of daily reservations. There are no restrictions on, or reservations required, for JHMR Season Passholders, and we’re delighted so many are taking advantage of the double-digit powder days we’ve seen this winter. On busy powder days, longer lines may also be attributed to the increased volume of JHMR Season Passholders coming out to ski or ride.
Despite our efforts to reduce capacity, lift lines on certain days have been longer than in normal operating years, especially on weekend powder days where many of our passholders choose to come out and ski or ride. With the recent rescinding of Teton County’s Health Ordinance restricting gatherings to household members only, we will now be allowing guests to self-identify in mixed groups to load gondolas and chairlifts at capacity – which will assist in expediting lift wait times. Guests or parties who prefer not to mix load with others will still be offered their own gondola or chairlift. We will continue to adhere to Teton County health orders and adjust our loading procedures accordingly as conditions change.
JHMR has been fortunate to receive some of the best snow in the West with over 450 inches season to date. Staying safe also means following best practices when skiing or riding in the backcountry or inbounds where there are inherent risks, including avalanches. Skiers and riders should also be especially mindful of tree wells as they can be life-threatening, so it is recommended to ski or ride with a partner and not lose sight of them. The responsible big mountain skier or rider is always prepared for the worst, no matter how unlikely that may be. Pay close attention, make good decisions, and live to ski or ride another day.
We look forward to the day when the pandemic is behind us and our operations return to normal. Until then, let’s continue to work together to keep everyone skiing and riding safely for the remainder of this season.
Thank you for all you are doing to make this season great,
Mary Kate Buckley
JHMR President
