Mountain Sports School

Jackson Hole’s ski school is known for its small classes, taught during high season by some 500 teachers. Reservations are recommended, especially for the children’s classes, though, as one teacher told me, “We always find room for the kids.” Tip: It’s not official, but for an extra fee, a private teacher can take you up the mountain a half hour before the lifts start so that you can be the first one on the slopes that day. To reserve, call or email: mountainsports@jacksonhole.com.

Jackson Hole is renowned for some of the most difficult terrain in North America—a sign at one of the chairlifts warns: “You must always exercise extreme caution. You could become lost. You could make a mistake and suffer personal injury or death.” At 4,000-plus feet, Jackson Hole’s vertical drop is the longest continuous drop of any U.S. resort. The area draws serious skiers, and the advanced ski classes are packed, mostly with people wishing to improve their off-piste technique. Après Vous Mountain has gentler slopes for beginners, and Rendezvous Mountain offers some lovely intermediate runs, including the wide Amphitheater and Gros Ventre. More seasoned skiers are often found in the 3,000-acre backcountry or in the deep chutes and daredevil trails of the Hobacks or Corbet’s Couloir. The steep and challenging terrain draws more skiers than snowboarders.