Them on Us: ‘Affordable’ Jackon Hole

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

By Jake Nichols

Cowgirl lassos deal
Crystal Wright is your typical Jackson Hole cowgirl. She wears her hair in pigtails while she runs barrels or ropes in the rodeo. She started ski racing with the Jackson Hole Ski Club when she was nine.

Wright is so talented, Appleton Sports Management (ASM) has  signed the 26-year-old to an exclusive deal to represent her professionally. ASM wasn’t so much impressed with Wright’s Western skills as they were with her mad skiing ability.

“Ms. Wright is one of only three elite American female freeskiiers issued special invitation as team members for the 2010 Nissan Freeride World Tour and one of only nine women worldwide selected for the prestigious honor,” wrote Freeskier Magazine.

“My goals for this year are to make sure I stay healthy and strong while competing on the tour, compete in the Europe world tour stop, ski some backcountry lines, go on more photo shoots, and keep skiing every day,” Wright said earlier this season.

JH on the cheap?
We were just about to gloss over the NY Times Travel section article after reading the headline: “Where Peaks Are High, and Prices Low.”

Surely, there would be no mention of Jackson Hole, except maybe White Pine.
But JH was listed as one of 2010’s most affordable skiing destinations. Freelance writer Bonnie Tsui managed to clue New Yorkers in on a few wallet-easing ideas like breakfast at D.O.G. (“… the place for on-the-go gut bombs that fuel you up for the day.”) and lodging at the 49er Inn and Suites (“… a mountain-themed feel … from $66 a night”).

Still, Tsui admitted a skication in Jackson Hole had the potential to be fiscally painful. “One-day passes are a budget-busting $91,” she wrote and room rates at Terra start at $229. Also, Tsui claimed the most expensive part about a Jackson Hole vacation is often the flight, “so if you can get cheap airfare, the rest is a breeze.”

Air fair deals
A ski trip to JH gets a little more affordable in numbers. Got a couple you like to pal around with?

The newest Jackson Hole airfare deal is a “2 for 2” special.  Buy two plane tickets to Jackson and get two free with certain restrictions.

“We saw the ‘2 for 2’ program as an opportunity to bolster the value-added element even further during a month that traditionally offers great skiing conditions,” said Jackson Hole Central Reservations GM, Edye Smith.

Incentives from the Jackson Hole Air Improvement Resources ensure airlines keep flying into Jackson Hole at all. Call it a kickback, bribe, or “revenue guarantee program,” but valley businesses have contributed another $1.2 million in subsidies to entice airlines like Delta, United, and American to continuing landing their shiny planes here.

“This truly is a credit to the community,” JH Air president Mike Gierau said. “We raised about as much as we did last year. Businesses know the importance of what we do.”

Some 200 valley organizations – with JHMR and St. John’s Medical Center leading the way – ponied up the cash despite the down economy.

In a related story in the Denver Business Journal, Frontier Airlines announced last week that it plans to resume seasonal service to Jackson Hole next year. The Denver-based airline will fly once a day each way between DIA and JAC from May 14 to Sept. 12, 2010 using a 99-seat aircraft. JHW
PERMALINK:
Them on Us: ‘Affordable’ Jackon Hole | Planet JH News Article: Coulter Elementary School

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