The SPORTING LIFE

PEAK LUXURY

Now Jackson Hole, Wyoming, has a nearby five-star luxury hotel worthy of its stellar skiing and eye-popping vistas. By Everett Potter

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming, is one of the grand prizes of American skiing, an adventure that begins with a jaw-dropping view. Set at the base of the Teton Mountains, these jagged spires of rock are arguably the most scenic stretch of the Rocky Mountains range.

Jackson Hole has long attracted the big dogs of the skiing and snowboarding world, who come here for so-called Big Mountain skiing. If you’re unfamiliar with that term, it means what it says. Jackson Hole is a behemoth, with a vertical drop of more than 4,000 feet and 2,500 acres of in-bounds terrain, on a 10,400foot mountain. While there are easier green and blue runs, you don’t head to Jackson for easy turns. It gives fresh meaning to the term “challenging.”

The out-of-bounds terrain is more than 3,000 acres and, basically, if you can see it, you can ski it—but only those with avalanche gear and training are encouraged to head past the ropes. In-bounds has challenges aplenty. There are runs with enormous moguls and chutes, the most famous being Corbet’s Couloir. It starts with a fear-inducing vertical drop, a double black-diamond entry into a narrow chute where you need to start making turns instantly. I count myself among those who’ve peered over the edge, only to retreat while a braver soul gamely takes the plunge down what looks like a sheer vertical wall. Just ride the tram from the base to get a drone’s-eye view of the action as you near the top of the mountain.

But hard-core skiing is only part of the story. Jackson Hole has slowly evolved over the past 20 years, and while it still attracts plenty of 20- and 30-somethings eager for a steep and deep experience, it long ago recognized that a well-heeled crowd would come for better hotels and fine dining, make a few turns and admire the dramatic vistas over cocktails. Thus Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, Hotel Terra and Caldera House came to town, the leading edge of the luxury options at the base of the mountain, where also there are restaurants, shops and neighborhoods with CEO-level homes that routinely sell well into mid-eight figures. The ultra-chic Amangani Resort lies a couple of miles away.

At Jackson Hole, you can still have a frosty après ski beer with the cliff jumpers at the Mangy Moose bar, with Warren Miller movies playing in an endless loop. But your dining choices are more like those found in Los Angeles or New York and trend to upscale steakhouses, sushi bars and Italian trattorias.

Staying at the base of the mountain is great. But you’re in Jackson Hole. Twelve miles down the road lies the town of Jackson itself, an upscale cowboy town, centered on a town square whose four corners are ringed by inventive clusters of elk antlers that had been shed and collected.

Surrounding the square are wooden sidewalks a la the old West, roofed over against the elements. There’s also a range of restaurants, shops and bars, the most colorful being the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, whose neon sign shows a rider on a bronco. There’s even another ski mountain in town, Snow King, that is beloved by locals.

Now, with the opening of Cloudveil in May 2021, Jackson finally has what it’s long been missing: a fivestar luxury hotel. Part of the Autograph Collection of hotels owned by Marriott, it takes its name from the Cloudveil Dome, a peak within the Grand Tetons.

It’s the first major building project on the town square since 1997—and a game changer. From Cloudveil you can walk to the restaurants and shops, and you’re directly across from the town square. Skiing or riding? There’s a shuttle to slopes, so you can leave the often gnarly winter driving to the pros.

The design was a group effort by three firms: TruexCullins, CLB Architects and IBI Group. There was clearly an attempt to invoke rugged local elements, so they used materials such as stone, metal and wood throughout, as well as huge windows.

The lobby has a giant, 3,000-pound boulder that functions as the front desk, and the lobby fireplace is a welcome touch. A three-story granite wall is a reminder that you’re in the heart of climbing country.

The hotel has 100 rooms and suites, and the décor has accent walls of wood, banquettes, wrought iron touches and neo-midcentury-modern chairs. Some of the rooms have corner fireplaces and balconies. There are smart TVs, and the bathrooms are stocked with Grown Alchemist products. On a sensible riff on the mini-bar, each floor of the hotel has a pantry stocked with complimentary local snacks and drinks.

If you need to get your heart rate up before tackling the moguls on Jackson Hole, it’s good to know that there’s a gym with weights and Peloton equipment and, for après ski, a heated outdoor pool and Jacuzzi.

The hotel’s 5,000-square-foot terrace is the only rooftop space of its kind in Jackson and is designed for summertime yoga and meditation. It’s expected to be open to the community as well for music performances and stargazing. Given Jackson’s proximity to both Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, the latter about 60 miles away, there’s little question that summer and fall will be big here as well.

Nor do you need to wander far for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Bistro, a French-inspired restaurant in the hotel, is the brainchild of the Fine Dining Restaurant Group, led by Gavin Fine and Roger Freedman. Fine is the Danny Meyer of Jackson, a savvy restaurateur who has put the town on the culinary map with such acclaimed eateries as Bin22, The Kitchen, II Villaggio Osteria, Bar Enoteca, Bodega, Sugar + Spice and Bovine + Swine. It offers outdoor café dining, a zinc bar, an oyster bar and a newly established reputation as a dining destination itself.

So the sage advice is to come to Jackson Hole prepared for challenges and stay for the deep creature comforts of the new Cloudveil. It’s the newly crowned cool kid on the block, perfectly positioned to offer the ultimate in Western chic in the hippest ski town in the West. Enjoy the vibe, even if you can’t quite bring yourself to leap into Corbet’s Couloir.