AT THE GHEE FREESKI WORDS AND PICTURES: TONY HARRINGTON
Grand Targhee is one of those sublime, under the radar places that feels like you’ve stumbled across a local’s secret. This low-key ski area regularly reports 500+ inches of deep, cold powder each season thanks to its position on the western flanks of the Teton Range on the far western fringe of Wyoming, but it doesn’t make a big fuss about it. When you turn off Route 33 in Driggs and follow your nose along the humbly titled ‘Ski Hill Road’ the small farms soon give way to a series of switchbacks delivering you to ‘the Ghee’. People come here to ski, so if you’re looking for shops, scented candles, sushi and somewhere to parade your latest season ski fashion – move along. But don’t let the small-town folksy vibes fool you. The resort team here at Targhee are working consistently to improve and modernise the resort in the ways that matter for their clientele. They unveiled a new lift this season and this high-speed six-seater Colter chair unlocks a generous zone of blue/ black glades on Peaked Mountain that was previously only accessible via cat-skiing. This is very much billed as a family resort, but that doesn’t mean it’s full of bunny runs; far from it. It is full of friendly locals, Mums and Dads sharing their passion for pow with their kids and where groms can stretch their independence on terrain that funnels them back to the bottom. It’s the kind of place where people leave backpacks tucked under a bench and offer to share their snacks. Kids
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PEOPLE COME HERE TO SKI, SO IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SHOPS, SCENTED CANDLES, SUSHI AND SOMEWHERE TO PARADE YOUR LATEST SEASON SKI FASHION – MOVE ALONG. here quickly progress from the green runs on Shoshone lift to earning their black run creds skiing “The Good”, “The Bad” and (you guessed it) “The Ugly”. With the massive housing affordability challenges in neighbouring Jackson Hole, more and more Jackson workers, especially those with families, are being priced out and have made the move over here to the Idaho side of the Teton Pass for a better life. It’s no surprise this cohort of ski bums, and their shredder kids, include some of the well-known and up-and-coming names of the freeski world. On any given day at Grand Targhee you’ll rub shoulders with skiing faces you’ll recognise like Olympic Mogul skier Jaelin Kauf (who has a run under the new chairlift named for her) and freeski, Red Bull athlete Kai Jones (who’ll you find backflipping off cliffs). Needless to say, there’s a wave of new generation athletes coming through the ranks and Grand Targhee provides all the terrain, challenge and inspiration they need to become the best in the freeski world. Targhee is seeing a few more visitors than it used to but in the scheme of things across the US it’s still nowhere near what you’ll find at larger resorts. A very “busy” day at Targhee
is still clocking in at around 1600 skiers. The semi-remoteness, limited parking and limited village infrastructure keeps a lid on things, which is a win for locals and visitors alike. I was there on the busiest day of the 22/23 winter, President’s Weekend (to be avoided at all costs at most major resorts) and once the lifts were all rolling the ‘crowd’ was quickly dispersed across the vast ski area and the smooth, short lift lines were at a level mountain managers dream of. The glade skiing here is world-class and there’s plenty of it, with heaps of corridors, alley ways and spacious fields to lose yourself in. Weekdays in particular offer endless untracked laps. There are enough sneaky boulder fields and cliff bands to keep things spicy if that’s your thing, and this is where the freeride groms, both young and old, froth out. One particular ridgeline has numerous cliff drops. Bob Cat, Cornice Interruptus, Toilet Bowl and Wolverine lure free-spirited purveyors of airtime when the conditions allow. Top left: Cooper Watson down the jib line. Top right: “The Coach” Gary Mckenzie leading by example. Right page: Freeride head coach Gary Mckenzie in speed mode
