Industry News
After postponing its original opening due to warm weather and thin early-season snowpack, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR), Wyoming, has announced it will officially begin the 2025–26 winter season on Thursday, December 4, with three lifts in operation and additional terrain expected to follow.
The update comes after a challenging November, when sustained warmth and limited natural snowfall left the resort with only 26 inches of mid-mountain snow through the end of the month, forcing JHMR to delay its scheduled opening and continue round-the-clock snowmaking efforts. Resort management stressed last week that the mountain simply needed “a little more time” to meet safety and coverage standards for the start of its 60th Anniversary season.
Over the past several days, that time—and a favorable shift in the weather—finally arrived. Temperatures dropped into ideal snowmaking ranges, natural snowfall returned to the Tetons, and Jackson Hole reported 65 inches of snow at the summit and 34 inches mid-mountain heading into the first week of December.
“With colder temperatures settling in, our snowmaking and grooming teams have worked tirelessly to prepare terrain for Opening Day,” the resort said Monday, December 1, noting that more snowfall is expected tonight as another moisture band moves into northwest Wyoming.
Opening Day Terrain and Lifts
Beginning Thursday, skiers and riders will have access to beginner and intermediate terrain via Teewinot, Après Vous, and the Sweetwater Gondola (to mid-station). Early-season conditions remain, and the resort is urging guests to stay out of closed areas and be alert for marked and unmarked hazards.
JHMR hopes to add more terrain as early as the weekend of December 6–7, depending on how much new snow arrives with the incoming storm.
Sightseeing and Anniversary Events
While upper-mountain terrain will not yet be open for skiing, the Aerial Tram will operate for sightseeing from December 5–7, running 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Corbet’s Cabin—home to the famous Top of the World Waffles—will be open during those hours.
This winter marks the resort’s 60th Anniversary, and Jackson Hole plans to celebrate with a series of events throughout the season, including the official anniversary celebration on December 19.
Winter Starts Slowly in the West
JHMR is one of many Western U.S. resorts that pushed back opening dates this year as winter arrived sluggishly across the region. Meanwhile, the East Coast—in an unusual reversal—has enjoyed its strongest early-season in years, with Vermont’s Jay Peak already reporting close to 100 inches of snowfall.
But as Jackson Hole’s announcement makes clear: the pattern is shifting, temperatures are falling, and the mountain is finally ready.
