Rockies North – Wyoming, Idaho & Montana
Ripping up the inland western portion of the United States and Canada, the Rockies lie east of Pacific Coast Ranges, Cascade Range, and the Sierra Nevada. For our GNASA purposes, we’re including Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana in Rockies North.
Driving to and from ski resorts in these areas offer some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States. The Sawtooth National Forrest (Idaho – Sun Valley), Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming – Jackson Hole) and Yellowstone (Montana – Big Sky). The drive between ski resorts in these areas is an adventure in and of itself. You’ll see some of the most beautiful national parks complete with snow-capped mountains, lakes, canyons, and expansive valleys.
Ski Adventure – Wyoming, Idaho & Montana
Until you make the drive between ski resorts in Wyoming, Idaho & Montana its easy to believe the distances are immense. They’re not. SLC to Jackson Hole takes about 4.5 hours. Jackson to Big sky takes about 3.5 hours. From Big Sky back to SLC airport is about a 6-hour drive. In other words, its all within a day’s drive, even in poor weather.
Skiing Wyoming
Grrl Power and Nature Power are some of Wyoming’s best qualities. Wyoming was first to grant women the right to vote and first to elect a woman Governor. It’s only fitting that some of the best female extreme skiers like Lynsey Dyer, Jess McMillan, and Resi Stiegler have all called Jackson Wyoming home. As for nature, Wyoming benefits from the Rocky Mountains lying in its Western territory. Yellowstone National Park falls mostly in the State. Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park is one of the most beautiful areas in Noth America.
On every avid skier’s bucket list is Wyoming’s Jackson Hole: an amazing resort with some of the most challenging terrain in North America. See Jackson Hole. North of Jackson, over a couple of mountain ranges, is GrandTargheee. Grand Targhee may be less challenging but it is a must ski area if you’re in the area. It’s about an hour drive from Jackson. Weather patterns often drop more snow on Grand Targhee. If the steeps and side country at Jackson are closed, Targhee may be your best bet.
Skiing Idaho
Idaho borders Canada in the North and Nevada in the South. It borders six States: Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana. Few States are as beautifully diverse. Idaho seems to take some of the best parts of each of these States. Idaho has an abundance of mountains, lakes, rivers, plateaus, and valleys.
Wyoming is also where the first ski resort was born: Sun Valley. Sun Valley was selected by industrialist and banker W. Averil Harriman’s by an Austrian Scout because it metHarriman’ss Goldilocks requirements. See more about Sun Valley here. Sun Valley remains one of America’s best ski resorts. Idaho’s other major resort is Schweitzer Mountain.
Skiing Montana
The Rocky Mountains run through Western Montana. And cowboy up runs through Montana. South of Canada’s Great North, Montanans are as tuff as they come.
The major ski areas in the State are Big Sky, Bridger Bowl, and White Mountain. Each has their own appeal. However, Big Sky sucks all the oxygen out of the room when it comes to Montana’s top resort. Get more information on Big Sky here. If you’re looking for some extreme terrain that few other skiers know about check our Bridger Bowl. Get more information on Bridger Bowl here.