JH Underground – news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming news, sports and music blog from Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Snow King Ski Area will open its Cougar and Summit chairs to the public Saturday, finally kicking off lift service this winter at the Town Hill.

Skiers and snowboarders did not wait. As documented in the clip above, many hiked the mountain Monday and rode deep, smooth powder, after a storm dumped a foot of snow on the upper slopes.

Wyoming’s first ski area originally planned to open Dec. 8, but warm weather hampered snowmaking and rendered the mountain Rain King.

With a little help from Mother Nature, snowmakers have been catching up. Today the Cougar chair operated for a race, and the resort finally groomed the frozen chunks of death cookies on the lower slopes into a carpet of corduroy.

A two-hour lift ticket is $20. The warming hut by the Alpine Slide is serving as season pass office while Snow King Center is undergoing renovation.

(Video courtesy David Gonzales of TreeFight)

Posted under Economy, Ski Resorts, Sports, Weather

Tags: powder, skiing, snow king, snowboarding

After a big week of snow, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will open its upper mountain earlier than expected. The Bridger Gondola and Marmot chair will open tomorrow, followed by the aerial tram and Thunder and Sublette chairs Saturday.

The resort has received 33 inches of snow in Rendezvous Bowl since Dec. 1. Also, ski patrol has completed preparatory work on the upper mountain faster than anticipated, spokeswoman Anna Cole said.

Today the resort opened the new Casper high-speed quad at mid-mountain. Aimed at intermediates, the $5 million lift replaces a 38-year-old triple chair.

Warm weather has made the snow dense, padding rocks. Colder temperatures and intermittent snow are expected for the next week.

(Photo by Julie Weinberger, via JHMR)

Posted under Economy, Ski Resorts, Sports, Weather

Tags: jhmr, powder, skiing, snowboarding

Looking ahead to spring, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort already has booked the popular rock band O.A.R. to headline its Mountain Festival on March 30.

The free concert is the centerpiece of a weekend that features the 38th annual Pole Pedal Paddle race, Coombs Classic and other music and events. Lodging and lift ticket specials are available.

O.A.R., for Of A Revolution, rose to prominence playing the college circuit and through word of mouth. Like the Dave Matthews Band, to which it is often compared, the group went on to achieve mainstream success, selling out Madison Square Garden in 2006.

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Posted under Economy, Music, Ski Resorts, Sports

Tags: center for the arts, festivals, jhmr, ppp, rock, teton village

In what should be obvious to all but the most optimistic skiers, barring a huge dump, Snow King Ski Area is unlikely to open its lifts Saturday as planned.

“Not looking good at all,” mountain operations manager Adam Shankland wrote.

Persistent rain and warm weather in recent weeks have put snowmaking well behind schedule. The King generally relies on a man-made base even when conditions are good.

Much colder nighttime temperatures are expected this weekend, with the National Weather Service calling for a low Sunday of 3 degrees.

Meanwhile, snow continues to accumulate above 8,000 feet, prompting Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to consider opening more terrain. The snow depth at 9,600 feet is 44 inches, according to the Bridger-Teton avalanche forecast.

Update 12/6: JHMR will open the new Casper high-speed quad Thursday, followed by the gondola and Marmot on Friday and tram, Thunder and Sublette on Sunday. The resort moved up the gondola and summit openings by a day.

(Photo via All Jackson Hole)

Posted under Economy, Environment, Ski Resorts, Sports, Weather

Tags: climate change, jhmr, skiing, snow king, snowboarding

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead might as well have declared today a state holiday, after nearly every resident rushed out to purchase and consume ample quantities of his brother’s Wyoming Whiskey over the weekend.

The long-awaited first release of the homegrown bourbon became a marketing sensation unlike anything the state has ever seen. Not only were hundreds of Wyoming retailers shut out, but stores, too, were raided shortly after opening.

Jackson Whole Grocer opened at 7 a.m. Saturday and sold all 150 bottles in stock within 25 minutes. Yes, people lined up to buy whiskey at 7 a.m. The store had to cancel a planned tasting because there was none left to taste.

At the distillery in Kirby, a line of roughly three times the town’s population of 92 stretched from the party tent as people waited to buy a bottle, in a scene one onlooker described as reminiscent of Prohibition.

The question lingering like cottonmouth and a dull headache, though, is whether the whiskey lived up to the hype. The Casper Star-Tribune consulted a liquor expert, who described it as “one of the best bourbons I’ve ever tasted.”

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Posted under Business, Humor, Wyoming

Tags: cowboys, matt mead, parties