Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Overview
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort built its reputation on terrain most resorts would soften rather than showcase. Paul McCollister founded the Jackson Hole Ski Corporation in 1963 with partners Alex Morley and Gordon Graham, developing the resort out of a former Girl Scout ranch in the valley beneath the Tetons; Après Vous Mountain opened for the 1965-66 season, and the aerial tram up Rendezvous Mountain followed in 1966, giving the resort lift access to over 1,240m of vertical in a single ride. Olympic gold medalist Josef “Pepi” Stiegler became ski school director that same year, and the resort hosted FIS Alpine Ski World Cup races in 1967, 1970, and 1975 before John Kemmerer III acquired McCollister’s interests in 1992 and expanded the operation further.
The terrain underneath that history is what gives Jackson Hole its standing among serious skiers: a 1,240.4m vertical drop from a 1,928.8m base to a 3,169.2m summit, one of the largest continuous inbounds rises in the United States, across 140 runs and 79.32km. The resort’s own trail data shows 46.38km rated intermediate and 25.47km advanced against a comparatively small 7.46km easy — a mountain built around confident, aggressive skiing rather than a broad beginner progression, and Corbet’s Couloir, its narrow, cliff-lined signature chute near the Rendezvous summit, has become one of the most photographed extreme lines in North American skiing. The original tram that opened up that terrain ran from 1966 until 2006; a new 100-passenger Doppelmayr CTEC tram replaced it and opened December 20, 2008, and today seventeen lifts in total — three gondolas, a cable car, ten chairlifts, a rope tow, and two magic carpets — move skiers around the mountain.
Jackson Hole has also built a reputation, fairly or not, as one of the more expensive destination resorts in North America, a status tied to both its terrain and the relatively small, high-demand town around it. It’s on the Ikon Pass (7 days, no blackout) and Mountain Collective (2 days, no blackout), though notably absent from the Ikon Base Pass. Getting there is unusually convenient for a mountain this remote: Jackson Hole Airport sits just 9.0km from the resort, making it one of the shortest airport-to-lift transfers of any major North American ski destination.
Put another way, intermediate and advanced terrain together account for roughly 91% of Jackson Hole’s 79.32km, leaving only about 9% of the mountain rated easy — among the thinnest beginner allocations of any resort covered in this guide, flagship or otherwise. That skew is central to how the resort is marketed and who it draws: skiers looking for a gentle introduction to the sport generally have better options elsewhere, while those chasing sustained steep, high-alpine terrain treat the small easy percentage as evidence the reputation is earned rather than exaggerated.
Key stats
Official website — Last checked 2026-09-14
Lifts by type
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| gondola | 3 |
| rope tow | 1 |
| cable car | 1 |
| chair lift | 10 |
| magic carpet | 2 |
Runs by difficulty
| Difficulty | Distance |
|---|---|
| easy | 7.46 km |
| advanced | 25.47 km |
| intermediate | 46.38 km |
Maps
View official Jackson Hole Mountain Resort trail map (image) →
Run & lift overview
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort: 140 runs, 17 lifts. Generated from community-mapped OpenStreetMap data, not Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's official map artwork. © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenSkiMap (ODbL).
Typical conditions by month
Monthly conditions data for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is not yet available.
Lift tickets & passes
- Ikon Pass — 7 days, no blackout
- Ikon Base Pass — No access
- Mountain Collective — 2 days at this destination, no blackout dates
Getting there
Nearest airports
- Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) — 9 km straight-line
- Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) — 98.9 km straight-line
- Yellowstone Airport (WYS) — 122.5 km straight-line
Nearest cities
- Billings, Montana — 305.3 km straight-line
- Salt Lake City, Utah — 327.5 km straight-line
- West Valley City, Utah — 337.4 km straight-line
Also covered by
Where to stay
A dedicated lodging guide for Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is not yet available.
Nearby resorts
- Snow King Mountain — 17 km straight-line, 514.4 m vertical
- Grand Targhee Resort — 22 km straight-line, 681.7 m vertical
- Kelly Canyon Ski Resort — 62 km straight-line, 267.5 m vertical
- White Pine Resort — 113 km straight-line, 273.8 m vertical
- Sleeping Giant Winter Sports Area — 122 km straight-line, 241.1 m vertical
FAQ
- How big is Jackson Hole Mountain Resort?
- Jackson Hole has a 1,928.8m base and a 3,169.2m summit, a 1,240.4m vertical drop, across 140 runs and 79.32km of terrain. Seventeen lifts serve the mountain, including three gondolas, a cable car, ten chairlifts, a rope tow, and two magic carpets.
- Is Jackson Hole good for beginners?
- It's genuinely expert-weighted terrain — Wikipedia describes the mix as roughly half expert-rated — and the resort's own trail data shows only 7.46km rated easy against 25.47km advanced and 46.38km intermediate, so first-timers have real options but they're a smaller share of the mountain than at most destination resorts.
- What is Corbet's Couloir?
- It's Jackson Hole's most famous run, a narrow, steep, cliff-edged chute near the top of Rendezvous Mountain that has become a benchmark of extreme inbounds skiing in North America.
- What's the history of Jackson Hole's aerial tram?
- The original aerial tram up Rendezvous Mountain operated from 1966 to 2006. It was replaced by a new 100-passenger Doppelmayr CTEC tram, which opened December 20, 2008.
- How was Jackson Hole Mountain Resort founded?
- Paul McCollister established the Jackson Hole Ski Corporation in 1963 with partners Alex Morley and Gordon Graham, developing the resort on a former Girl Scout ranch. Après Vous Mountain opened in 1965-66, and the Rendezvous Mountain tram followed in 1966.
- Which pass covers Jackson Hole Mountain Resort?
- The Ikon Pass includes 7 days at Jackson Hole with no blackout dates, and Mountain Collective includes 2 days with no blackout; the Ikon Base Pass does not include Jackson Hole access.
- What's the nearest airport to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort?
- Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) is exceptionally close, about 9.0km from the resort, with Idaho Falls Regional (IDA) at 98.9km and Yellowstone Airport (WYS) at 122.5km.
- How does Jackson Hole's terrain break down by difficulty?
- Of the resort's 79.32km, 46.38km is intermediate and 25.47km advanced, together covering roughly 91% of the mountain, with just 7.46km easy — one of the smallest beginner shares of any major North American destination resort.
Data sources
Last verified: 2026-09-15
Base facts from OpenSkiMap (ODbL), OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata (CC0), OurAirports (public domain) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). See /data-sources/.