The Vill: The end of the line
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
By Brigid Mander
Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Despite winter’s adamant refusal to succumb to spring, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort succumbed to the calendar and closed the lifts as planned last Sunday, with a 136-inch base and 605 inches of snowfall to date. Closing weekend was terribly sad, with all the powder left up high and no more quick lift access.
A few weeks ago, a powder-frazzled friend slumped down and said, “The village needs to close so we can get our sanity back!” Of course, we know he would take powder over sanity. But at least now, everyone who hasn’t done any real life chores for the duration of the winter, like their taxes or grocery shopping, can try to finally get things done. There was just no time during a powder filled season and the fourth snowiest March out of the last 42 years.
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Despite locals bemoaning the end of the lift-served season, the resort was nonetheless seemingly empty in the days leading up to the last weekend. This might have been because every local was standing at the top of Central Couloir. The line of takers to ski the steep line on Cody Peak approached the need to sign up for time slot as skiers took the opportunity to bag the taunting descent sans the usual 30-40 foot exit air.
Perhaps Central should be considered the run of the year, as it can be confidently noted that the couloir has never before seen people lining up to ski it on a regular basis, couples arguing at the top, three people in it at any given time and more continuously trudging up the bootpack. But with Mike Tierney’s tracks laid out on Igneous Rocks to looker’s left, bombholes under every cliff and notable tracks calmly skiing off massive cliffs left by speed flyers and base jumpers, the level of what is normal, average behavior here is definitely not normal or average, especially in an above average snow year.
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Usual spring traditions such as say, getting up late, breaking out the hoodie, skiing slush, drinking beer in the sunshine, or spring itself, were scarcely seen in 2008. About six weeks ago, a fellow skier boldly proclaimed, “I hope we never see the wiggle at all this year! I hope it just dumps till the end!” A fine sentiment that seemed more like wishful thinking, but now we know that it was a truly prophetic statement. The worker’s wiggle made only the feeblest of appearances this spring, a neglected, constantly refilled, wonderfully forgotten feature. Of course, what else could be expected when deep, cold, powder lines beckon from every direction, every day?
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The Resort clarified its reason for no extension on the season, with the short answer being money. Basically, it doesn’t seem to pay to run the lifts after a decrease in air service which means a loss of 95 percent of guests.
“Historically April is a difficult snow month for us,” said Anna Olsen at the Resort. Longer ski seasons in the past have been unsuccessful from a business standpoint. She noted the Resort had delivered the amount of ski days it promised to passholders before it became such a stellar snow year, and that is that.
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All in all, there can’t be any complaints about this season. If you have any, you are living in the wrong place, darling. And when we return, the new tram will be almost done, hopefully in service by Christmas, and frenzied construction at the base will result in new buildings and hotels. Don’t worry, though, some will be green buildings. Don’t you feel better now? In the meantime, it is time to expand the horizons, take out the touring gear, get out, explore, and enjoy the skiing until mid-summer.
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The Vill: The end of the line | Planet JH News Article: Sports & Recreation
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