I have to admit, I’m a bit biased because I had such a fantastic time at Grand Targhee. Emilie and I met some fantastic people there. Our hosts, local ski pros Max and Gary Mackenzie, and their friends were super hospitable and easy to work with. The snow was great. The food was good. And the people (it’s our job to interview strangers on the hill, so we meet a lot of people) were the friendliest we’ve met on the tour.

That’s all fine and dandy, you might say, but how does it stack up to bigger, better-known hills like Jackson Hole and Squaw Valley?

Here’s how it compares.  

Grand Targhee isn’t as massive as Vail or Heavenly Valley, but at 2,600 acres it has more in-bounds terrain than Jackson Hole or Telluride.  There’s also some amazing backcountry terrain off-piste. Receiving 500+ inches of snow each year, Grand Targhee has one of the largest annual snowfalls in the entire country (which is why it’s considered by some to be the best resort of early season skiing around).

Despite this, Grand Targhee remains relatively unknown to mainstream ski vacationers. Most times of year the hill barely sees enough skiers and boarders there to scrape the powder off the hill before it dumps again.

Grand Targhee is truly one of the great undiscovered American ski resorts.

Riding conditions, however, only paint part of the picture of a good resort. Convenience, amenities, and value are also important.

Grand Targhee isn’t the most convenient place to visit. Tucked away on the western side of the Tetons, the mountain is about a 1.5 hour drive from the nearest airports in Jackson Hole and in Idaho Falls and even farther from the closest major city.

Grand Targhee also lacks the highly-developed amenities of other world-class resorts. The food on the mountain is very good and well-priced, but you can’t eat there all the time. Although Driggs has it’s charm, the restaurant selection there is pretty much what you’d expect for a small town in Idaho. The culinary scene certainly doesn’t have the flare of a developed resort town like Jackson or Telluride.

The skiing and snowboarding at Grand Targhee are amazing, the food is good, and the people are some of the friendliest I’ve met in North America, but where Grand Targhee really shines is value.

At the right time of year, you can rent a slopeside room where you can ski to  your door for as little as $99 night. Their website boasts specials for lodging with lift tickets starting at $55 per person per night.

I’ve never heard of any other hill in North America that offers the same deep snow and vast terrain and such amazing deals on rooms and lift tickets. (If you know of one let me know because I want to visit it!)

Is Grand Targhee the best ski resort in the western United States? I can’t say for sure. I still have many hills to visit. But if I had to pick an underdog that has a fighting chance, it’s Grand Targhee.

No mountain provides a bigger bang for your buck.

Whether or not Grand Targhee wins the Best in the West, it’s always going to be one of my favourites.

Do Grand Targhee’s great snow, terrain, and value make it the Best in the West?  Cast your vote now!

The post Is Grand Targhee the Best Ski Resort in the USA? appeared first on XpatMatt.

In our quest to visit some of the best ski resorts in the western U.S. to decipher which will provide the best vacation experience for skiers and snowboarders like you, we’ve learned a lot. We’ve been interviewing locals, taking photos of local skiers and boarders tearing up their hometown hill, and then stuffing all the information we gather into these multi-media micro guides.  The video contains the core information, which is expanded on below with a written summary and location addresses and maps.

The best way to use this guide is to bookmark it on your phone, so you can get to it when you’re out and about, and really need to use it.

TIP: Discount Grand Targhee lift tickets can often be found here.

Grand Targhee Micro Guide Part 1: The Hill

Whenever I show up at a new hill, even with a map, I never know where to go.  I always wish I had a local to show me. So, I’ve made this annotated map of Grand Targhee that includes suggestions made by locals about where to go

DOWNLOAD A FULL-SIZED VERSION OF THIS MAP TO YOUR DESKTOP OR PHONE (1.2MB)

For the Hardcore:

If you’re looking for steeps and powder, there are three spots on Grand Targhee you have to visit. First, take the Dreamcatcher Chair to the top and then head left to the Medicines (the Good, the Bad, the Ugly, and the Eastwoods). Alternatively, you can traverse right and then hike up Mary’s Nipple, or hit the double-black diamond pitches off the left of the Sacajawea Chair.

For the Park Rats:

Grand Targhee’s park is not as big as it has been in years past. What there is can be found beneath the lower section of the Dreamcatcher Chair.

For the Groomer Cruisers:

You’ll want to take the Dreamcatcher Chair to the top and then go right to Crazy Horse or left to Wild Turkey. Both will get you down the hill fast.

For the Snowplowers:

Grand Targhee has one of the best learning areas I’ve seen. The Shoshone Chair offers access to an large area of slow, well-groomed runs as well as easy tree runs filled with fun decorations for the kids.

Grand Targhee Micro Guide Part 2: Where to Eat

On the Hill

The Trap
Great beer, food, people, and live music most days at the base of the hill. Adults only.
3300 Ski Hill Rd
Alta, WY
(307) 353-2300
View a Map

Off the Hill

Teton Thai
The best Thai food in Driggs. Definitely holds it’s own against restaurants in larger cities.
18 N Main St.
Driggs, ID
(307) 733-0022
View a Map

Wildlife Brewery
Great local micro brews and pub food.
145 S. Main St.
Victor, ID
(208) 787-2623
View a Map

O’Rourkes
Highly recommended pizza, great for families.
42 E Little Ave.
Driggs, ID
(208) 354-8115
View a Map

Grand Targhee Micro Guide Part 3: What to do Off the Hill

Grand Targhee is not a huge tourist destination like many resorts. However, for the adventurous, there are lots of excellent off-hill activities, like snowmobiling, mountain biking, fishing, and hunting — and there are much smaller crowds to share them with. The area also has some excellent local music and an abundance of friendly locals to enjoy it with.

The post Grand Targhee Micro Guide appeared first on XpatMatt.

Grand Targhee has amazing snow. The hill receives more than 500 inches of dry, light, Teton snow every year. If you don’t believe me, just ask a local.

I met up with a few local pros: snowboarder Amber Nelson and free skiers (and brothers) Gary and Max Mackenzie. They were awesome. They showed me the hill, took me hiking to some awesome hard-to-reach spots, and did some amazing riding for me to shoot. They even shot a few photos of me riding.

It was an epic two days. Good snow and great people. This is one hill I’ll be returning to soon.

The post Grand Targhee Powder Porn appeared first on XpatMatt.

We interviewed a bunch of skiers and snowboarders at Grand Targhee to find out why they keep coming back year after year.

As you’ll see in the video. The snow is good– very good. And deep. And consistent. Did I mention that it’s deep?

They also appreciated the value they got for their dollar there, and the music scene on the hill is said to be amazing!

(Although Grand Targhee’s lift tickets are inexpensive, you can find them even cheaper here).

Grand Targhee has some of best snow in the United States (perhaps even THE best). That, combined with the excellent value of the resort make it a good contender for a top spot in Best in the West.

What do you think? Does Grand Targhee deserve the title of Best Resort in the Western USA?

Cast your vote here!

The post Sh*t People Say About Grand Targhee appeared first on XpatMatt.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is Wyoming’s best-known resort by leaps and bounds, and for good reason. With the longest continuous vertical rise of any ski area in the US and one of the lowest on-hill skier densities, Jackson Hole deserves its reputation for being one of the best ski areas in the world.

The post Wyoming’s Other Ski Resorts appeared first on XpatMatt.