Storm Chasing From Europe to Jackson Hole and Scoring a Week to Remember
Mountainwatch | Words and Photos Tony Harrington
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, the talk in the snow world this Northern winter has been all about the incredible winter the western mountains of the US have been having and, unfortunately, the very sad conditions in the Europe Alps. My original plan this winter was to base myself in Chamonix for the entire season, but unfortunately warm temps and very little, if any, snow was falling.
On a Friday afternoon a few weeks ago I was sitting in the “South Bar” in Cham Sud, poring over the weather charts and snow forecasts and once again, it was looking good in the US, but dry in the Alps. I ended up making a snap decision then and there to book a flight out at 6am the following morning and head to Jackson Hole.
The decision was tearing me apart (first world problems, right?) but I’d committed myself this winter to ski powder and was hoping to score that here in the French Alps, but not this time. Even as I went to check in for the 5am flight from Geneva to the U.S.
I stood back from the check-in counter for a final look at the weather models. The forecast for Europe looked dire, the forecast for the US was upgraded, so I really needed to be on that flight.
I wasn’t disappointed as when I arrived in Jackson it absolutely puked with day after day of consistent, heavy snowfall that had everyone revelling in soft snow. The icing on the cake came after multiple days of 20-30cm falls topped off with a 40cm dump of cold dry snow. Add in a little wind and all my favourite places to ski in Jackson turned on in platinum conditions. The snow was consistently boot-to-knee deep, and in many places it was thigh-to-waist deep.
One thing I can honestly say about Jackson Hole, the terrain is so vast that every aspect skis differently. If you ever make it there – and you should – grab yourself a guide for the day so you can seek out the best and the deepest snow.
One thing I can honestly say about Jackson Hole, the terrain is so vast that every aspect skis differently. If you ever make it there – and you should – grab yourself a guide for the day so you can seek out the best and the deepest snow.
The highlight day was spent with Jackson Hole’s poetic maestro of snow reporting Jeff Leger, former Teton Gravity Research film athlete Shroder Baker and renowned Jackson Hole photographer Chris Figenshau.
While it’s not always easy skiing a mountain with a heap of camera gear hanging around your neck or packed on your back, conditions that day made it all the worth whilst and effortless. It was the tonic needed to clear off the jet lag and turned out to be the best day of the season for me. That on-the-spot decision to make the jump across from Europe was definitely the right one.
Look out for a feature on the storm chase in this winter’s upcoming issue of Chillfactor Magazine.
Thinking of visiting Jackson Hole? A great downtown option to stay is at the 49’er Inn and Suites. It’s located smack bang in the middle of Jackson town amidst an array of authentic cowboy restaurants, bars, galleries and shopping with a free bus running from directly out in front of the door to the resort. Check out https://www.townsquareinns.com
Mountainwatch Travel has a number of packages to Jackson Hole, check them out no to book your Jackson trip for the 2023-2024 season.
