Grand Targhee Ski Area

Grand Targhee Ski Area 

When storms roar in from the Pacific Northwest they race across Idaho before crashing headlong into the Teton Mountains in a picturesque corner of Wyoming known as “Wydaho.” There at Grand Targhee, just east of the Idaho border, the jagged peaks squeeze out some of the best snow in North America before leaving the remnants to Wyoming resort’s more famous and more crowded neighbor – Jackson Hole.

With over 500 inches (1,250cm) of snow “from heaven, not hoses” each winter (as their PR slogan states), Grand Targhee is America’s forgotten powder capital. World-renowned snow, 2,602 acres of terrain and 2,000+ feet of vertical combine to make this hidden gem a resort which should top any skier’s list. Throw in stunning views of Grand Teton National Park and you’ll wonder why you didn’t find Grand Targhee sooner.

The ski terrain is spread across a long ridge and three main uphill lifts service wide faces sprinkled with tall pines. A large cat-skiing area lies adjacent to the lift-serviced terrain. The majority of the resort’s terrain is generally suitable for advanced intermediates. Truly advanced skiers may be happier on the other side of Teton Pass, at Jackson Hole, and the locals are just fine with that. They’ll be more than happy to enjoy that extra 100” of untouched fluff by themselves.

One thing to keep in mind is that all that snow can lead to some heavy cloudcover, earning the resort the nickname “Grand Foggee.”

Grand Targhee Ski Lifts

Grand Targhee’s main mountain is served by just a few ski lifts, but the resort’s uphill capacity far outpaces demand. Lift lines are not a problem and navigating your way around the ski area is easy.

Three main lifts, two express quad chairlifts and an old double chairlift, serve the main mountain, while a dedicated fixed grip chairlift provides access to the novice and learning terrain.  Traversing between the lifts is easy and most skiers can master the resort layout in a morning.

The best part about Grand Targhee is that it’s relatively remote location ensures that lift lines are never an issue. Even when nearby BYU-Idaho students take to the slopes en masse, Grand Targhee’s uphill lift capacity far outpaces demand. On a busy day you might even catch a glimpse of another skier or two on the slopes, but one thing you certainly won’t see even on the busiest of days is a liftline.

Grand Targhee Lift Tickets

Lift tickets prices are generally around $75 for a one-day adult ticket, but numerous discounts mean that hardly anyone pays the retail price at the ticket window. Prices for multi-day passes are significantly less and lodging packages in the village also offer substantial discounts. Also of note for the younger crowd, college season passes are available for only $249 and have no blackout dates.

Those staying in Jackson or Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s Teton Village should not miss hopping on the Targhee Express. For less than the price of a one-day lift ticket to Jackson Hole, skiers get a round trip bus trip directly to Grand Targhee and an all day lift ticket. Contact Jackson Hole AllTrans for details.

Updated: David Cronheim – August 2014