A Visit to the Tetons Could Send You Soaring

Our adventure began as soon as my wife and I stepped out of the Rendezvous Inn and soared above the village on a 12-minute tram ride to the 10,552-foot summit of Rendezvous Mountain.

For the expert skier, black diamond-coded trails such as Alta and the Chutes plunge down the 4,139-foot vertical drop, America’s longest.

High Mountains Helicopter Skiing takes the experienced mountaineer to be dropped off by chopper on three mountain ranges of untracked powder.

Jackson Hole Mountain Guides and Climbing School introduces you to ice and rock climbing in the Tetons, and other mountaineering organizations are ready with climbing programs and experienced guides. National Park rangers lead snowshoe hikes.

There’s no fee for back-country trip permits, but it is necessary to register at Grand Teton National Park Headquarters in Moose before taking off along cross-country ski trails into the Teton wilderness.

Weather and avalanche hazard forecasts are provided, with cautions that only experienced mountaineers with ice axes and other essential equipment should attempt climbing steep snow slopes.

At Granite Hot Springs south of Jackson, 10 miles of cross-country skiing lead to rest and recovery by soaking amid snowbanks in 104-degree water. A Jack London-type adventure is to dog-sled to the hot springs.

Caution and guidance are just as necessary for summer adventuring. The first time we stood on the banks of the Snake River in Grand Teton Park, the current looked deceptively smooth. But we quickly got the message: Only experienced canoeists and kayakers should challenge this swift, cold river.

To preserve its ecology, no motorized craft are permitted on the Snake within the park. Only hand-propeled canoes, kayaks and rafts are allowed, and they must be registered at the Park’s Visitor Center. Ansel Adams made his famous painting of the Tetons from the Snake River overlook.

Half a dozen float trip companies offer white-water rafting and “you-paddle” canoeing and rafting adventures on the Snake River, with professional guides to prepare the novice or expert for bouncing over the tumbling waters through the canyons. Fish from the banks of the river. Sometimes you might even sight a moose.

Competitions are scheduled on the ski slopes around Jackson Hole as Wyoming begins the celebrations of its 1990 Centennial Year of statehood. Events include the Celebrity Ski Challenge (March 8-10), the Junior III Olympics (March 13-16), the Super Centennial Alpine Ski Race (March 17-18) and the World Championship Snowmobile Hillclimb (March 30-April 1).

Above Teton Village, Jackson Hole Ski Resort has more than 2,500 acres of some of the best skiing in the United States on its Sojourner and Apres Vous mountains. Fifty percent of the runs are for experts, 40% for intermediates and 10% for beginners. The longest run is 4.5 miles.

In addition to the aerial tram there are five double chairs, one triple, a quad and two surface lifts. Lift rates are $32 daily for adults, $16 for seniors and ages under 14, with various reduced package rates.

Alpenhof Lodge, Sojouner Inn and the Inn at Jackson Hole offer luxury resort accommodations in the village with dining, pools and spas close to the lifts. Double rates start this winter at from $90 to $115, and package rates are available.

There are excellent accommodations at lower prices at Crystal Springs Inn and the Hostel. The Mangy Moose is popular for dining and entertainment in the village.

Grand Targhee Ski Resort on the western Teton slopes is about 45 minutes by express bus from Jackson, with a combined shuttle and lift ticket cost of $32. It has beginnger skiing, but the challenges of the 10,200-foot top elevations are primarily for intermediates and experts.

There are three double chairs for the vast slopes, and 1,500 acres accessible only by snowcat. Resort lodging is within 50 yards of the lifts, with restaurant, pool and hot tubs. Double rates begin at about $55, and there is a choice of package deals. Condos are nearby.

Snow King Ski Resort is only seven blocks from Town Center in the Old West and art town of Jackson, population about 4,500. About 60% of the Snow King slopes are adventure challenges for the expert, with about 25%for intermediates and 15% for beginners.

Two double chairs and one surface lift serve slopes rising to 7,871 feet. Adult daily lift rates are $19, juniors and seniors $12, and all fees can be reduced with package buys and multi-day rates.

Snow King Resort at the base of the mountain is the valley’s largest resort, offering 240 rooms, dining, entertainment and spa amenities. Double rates begin this winter at $90, and smaller inns around town are as low as $24 a night.

The town can relax you for adventuring at any season of the year. Archways created by antlers frame Town Square. The Cowboy Bar has saddle stools, and buildings date back to the early 1900s.

Horse-drawn sleigh rides go into the National Elk Refuge at the edge of town, where as many as 8,000 elk spend the winter pawing for food. Boy Scouts help raise funds for food pellets by collecting and selling antlers shed in the spring. Galleries and playhouses of Jackson make it one of the most important centers of Western arts.

Jackson Hole is a valley that runs south from Yellowstone for about 60 miles alongside the Grand Tetons. To fur trapper Davey Jackson in the early 1800s it was his “hole” between the towering mountains. Around 1820 lonely and somewhat wistful French-Canadian trappers named the three most visible peaks Les Troi Tetons, the three breasts.

Congress created the National Elk Refuge in 1912. In 1929, to control ranching and development around Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park was established. John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated 52 square miles of family land holdings to help establish the park.

For information on planning your own Grand Teton adventures, including accommodations, dining and contacts with adventure companies, contact the Jackson Hole Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box E, Jackson, Wyo. 83001, (307) 733-3316. Ask about special ski packages combined with air fare into Jackson Hole.

Keeping pace with the 1990 expansion of tours to the Soviet Union, REI Adventures of Seattle has scheduled four adventure tours to the land of glasnost this year.

Departing Feb. 10, an 11-day tour visits Moscow and Leningrad before cross-country ski touring around Kavgolova, near Leningrad and Tartus in nearby Estonia, and starts home via ferry to Finland. The tour is limited to between six and 15 participants. The rate is $1,300 for REI members, $1,365 for nonmembers, plus air fare.

June 3 and Sept. 16 are the departure dates for 14-day cycling adventures along the Black Sea coast of the Crimean peninsula, with overnights in cottages and hotels. The cost plus air fare is $1,500 for REI members, $1,575 for nonmembers.

Trekking the mountains, alpine meadows and glaciers of Soviet Central Asia is set for two 16-day trips this year, departing July l and Aug. 12. Overnights will vary between camps and hotels. REI members will pay $1,900 and nonmembers $1,995, in addition to air fare.

The fourth trek will circle and climb Mt. Elbrus in the Caucusus for 16 days, with departures set for July 15 and 29, at a cost plus air fare of $1,800 for REI members and $1,890 for nonmembers.

For complete information about these tours, contact REI Adventures, P.O. Box 88126, Seattle, Wash. 98138-0126. The toll-free phone number is (800) 622-2236.