Teton Pass Ski
Area : Review.gif)
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| The
Summit of Mt. Lockhart seen from Teton Pass Ski
Area |
Teton
Pass is not a big ski area but what it lacks in size it
more than makes up for in variety. Teton pass only has
26 named trails spread over 114 acres on 1000 vertical
feet. Yet, don’t let those statistics fool you. For
such a relatively small ski area, Teton Pass has a huge
variety of terrain.
The
ski area itself is built upon the flanks of Mt. Lockhart,
which has a summit elevation of 8488 feet. The lift served
terrain of Teton Pass does not go to the summit of the Mt.
Lockhart and for good reason – high winds and to some
extent lack of snow. As Teton Pass lies on the east side
of the continental divide, it can be pretty windy at the
ski area at times – especially so on the higher peaks.
What
happens at Teton Pass is that high winds frequently roar
over the higher peaks, taking the snow with it. As such,
it is not an uncommon sight to have a pile of snow down
in
the bowls beneath the summit while the exposed flanks (especially
southern exposed flanks) of the mountain itself can be
nearly bare.
That all
said, for the adventurous skier, it is possible
to trek up to
the summit and ski down from it. While
the whole summit area may not be full of snow, enough snow
piles
up in some locations on the sides of the mountain to allow
for some very interesting out of bounds skiing possibilities.
Just remember, if you head up to the summit of Mt. Lockhart,
you are on your own as it is not patrolled.
The
snow conditions at Teton Pass are generally good – although
some of the more exposed slopes to the wind and sun can be
a bit bare at times during low snow years. On average, Teton
Pass receives quite a bit of snow over the course of a winter – 250
inches. The snow is also generally pretty light and dry (due
to its high elevation and cold temperatures) – allowing
for great powder skiing after a storm.
Teton
Pass only has one main lift – a fairly fast moving
standard double chair. Well, I shouldn’t say that.
It actually has three lifts, but one of the lifts is a very
old t-bar which may only run during peak times – if
that. The ski area also has a beginners lift which, at least
on the day I was there, also was not running.
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| The
nice lodge at Teton Pass |
The double chair serves double duty as it has a mid-station.
Beginner skiers will want to take the chair up to the mid
station and get off there (there are no true beginner runs
from the top of the chair). Intermediate and expert skiers
will want to stay on the chairlift to the top.
For
beginners, Teton Pass is an excellent place to go. Teton
Pass has many decently groomed, gentle slopes for beginner
skiers. The beginner runs are generally quite wide and have
a gentle slope – a new skier won’t have to worry
about speed control.
Intermediate
skiers will
also enjoy Teton Pass. While there are technically only
three intermediate runs that make their
way from the top of the mountain to the bottom, this is a
bit misleading. These trails tend to be fairly wide open – at
least on the upper half of the mountain. As such, you really
aren’t confined to the run – you can easily ski
off the run and into some wide open areas or into the trees
(when there is good snow). As these trails are not horribly
steep – any
good intermediate skier should be able to navigate their
way off the trail without too many problems.
Next
Page : Expert
Skiing at Teton Pass
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