By Jim Stanford on December 19, 2008
One day to go: The $31 million Aerial Tram rises toward the summit of Rendezvous Mountain. Photo courtesy JHMR. Click to enlarge.
Jumbotron? Check. Music? Check. Fireworks? Check.
Snow? … Not so sure.
Lost in the gushing fanfare surrounding Saturday’s opening of the new Jackson Hole Aerial Tram is the fact that snow cover in Rendezvous Bowl is woefully thin. Thinner than many ski patrollers can recall this late in the season.
Sugar near the ground, topped by this week’s light, dry powder, is not exactly a recipe for a solid base. The Bridger-Teton avalanche forecast this morning reported a snow depth of just 34 inches at the bottom of the bowl.
So thick is the forest of bamboo marking rocks in the bowl that the resort has been considering opening the tram for sightseeing only and downloading the horde of media and VIPs from the summit.
Karma may be coming to the rescue, though, as a burly storm rolls through the region today, expected to dump close to a foot of snow in the Tetons by Saturday night. It’s only appropriate that the new tram be christened with an old-fashioned whiteout.
Skids who fill the tram maze before daybreak will have a little extra time to let the powder pile up. The resort will send six VIP cars up the mountain before opening the tram to the public at approximately 11 a.m.
Artist rendition of the top-secret design.
Tonight there will be a gala at Teton Village in which the tram finally will be freed of its custom-fitted red jacket. The covering was the brainchild of resort owner Jay Kemmerer, who wished to shroud his new lift in secrecy to heighten anticipation. We’re going to go out on a limb and guess that, just maybe, the red box will resemble the artist’s rendition widely circulated by the resort for months.
Let it snow. Let the tram rise again to the 10,450-foot summit. But remember: Rendezvous Bowl is for expert skiers only, and if you’d like to ride the tram back down the mountain, one should be available about every 10 9 minutes.
Posted under Ski Resorts, Sports
