Jackson Hole Mountain Resort — Hotel in Jackson

I visited the resort for the first time to conduct an initial assessment for my clients. As an exclusive concierge, I take the time to scrutinize the small details of establishments to ensure satisfaction for those I work with.

Upon arrival, my driver was somewhat confused about where to park or what payment was needed. Perhaps we missed a sign—a minor triviality. Shortly after, we headed to the map overview, an appreciated resource. Feeling the need for a meal, we strolled over to the Mangy Moose cafe. I decided to wash my hands before eating. Inside the bathroom, I noticed graffiti with an incantation about stabbing people who you don’t trust, which left a bad taste in my mouth, thinking of what my clients might think if they saw it. Nevertheless, I finished up and had a light meal, which was fair.

Next, my group went to get our tram tickets. This is where the employees excelled. I intentionally entered my info slightly incorrectly on the website to test how easy it would be to correct it. Within a minute, my party was well taken care of, and we were on our way. The tram attendants, both up and down, were pleasant, informative, and helpful with any questions.

As we ascended to the top and headed to the outlook structure on the right, I overheard a woman talking about how shaky it felt due to the wind and how intimidating that was for her. Although I’m not a professional engineer, I know enough about physics and design to trust that the structure is safe. Still, I think of my clients' experience and what they might feel with their limited knowledge. The view was spectacular, a perfect time to visit the waffle house for a treat.

Walking over, I noticed young children dining outside due to the indoor crowding. I thought how much more inviting it would be if there were additional coverings or winterized gazebo installments to provide a more robust shelter from the wind and cold. We ordered waffles, and I checked out the bathroom. Though no graffiti this time, the plastic-like toilet paper and minimalistic comforts were disappointing. I understand the challenges of maintaining amenities up the mountain, but if I recommend Jackson Hole, I would advise my clients to use the restroom in their private quarters before ascending. Anyhow, the waffles were good but not great.

Returning to the base, we had a hot spring appointment nearby, but since I had eaten lightly, we decided to stop by the Alpenhof Lodge Bistro on our way out. This is where I had an awful experience that soured my impression of the resort.

The bistro had only a few patrons, with two or three in line before me. I expected a 20 to 25-minute wait. First, the employee got my order wrong, of which I corrected on the spot, understandable given the similar named items. I sat with my party. 20 minutes passed, and I noticed the woman before me in line just received her drink. I also noticed two prior customers returning to the counter with complaints about their food, which raised concerns. Despite my patience, ten more minutes passed with no update on my order. With our hot spring appointment approaching, I decided to inquire about my order.

Standing in line, I hoped my sandwich would be ready by the time I reached the front. Ten minutes later, I was wrong. At the counter, I asked if my sandwich was on its way out and if not, a refund. The employee kindly informed me there must have been a ticket error and went to check, returning several minutes later to say it was now on the grill. This was a blatant lie, my sandwich involved no ingredients that would require a grill. Therefore, politely, I asked for a refund. As I went over to the counter, another employee began to distract her with a different problem, and as they continued, their attention returned to yet another customer, ignoring me, and leaving me off to the sidelines.

Now I could have made a scene for my measly purchase and now having waited nearly 45 minutes, but that's beneath me and looks bad on the company, so I left due to the sheer disrespect. Do you even have a customer...

Snow was amazing this week and of course the extreme terrain was undeniably world class. However, JH seems to be moving toward making the resort exclusive to those that stay onsite. They do not provide any means of brown bagging meals. So plan on brown bagging it on the snow on the slopes. But this really makes it hard to find a warm restful spot mid day for those that are not die hard 9am-4pm skiers (I guess your friends will have to stay home). Why does 'world class' have to mean exclusively for the wealthy? For now they will let people on the slopes, just bring an extra $40-$100 per person if you want to sit in any of the lodges. $40 for on site parking. Town bus is $1 to $3. Why can't they include the bus fare in the price of the ticket like nearly every other resort I've been to? JH is a great resort with great ambience, I will go again because the skiing is amazing. I'm just disappointed that even if I stay in the onsite hotel, I know that some of the true lovers of the skiing sport will be excluded based on policy.

----- Terrain Review The Tram fits 100 and runs every 10 minutes and is the fastest 4000 vertical feet you can get anywhere in the US. Be warned, the Tram only serves very difficult terrain so beginners and intermediate skiers should expect to ride up, eat the waffles at the top and then ride the Tram down. Do not attempt until you can navigate a black run.

Aprés Vous lift serves the best well rounded intermediate runs to prepare skiers for the rest of the mountain. The Runs to the north of Aprés Vous have great off piste snow. If you get in crud in this area just nudge yourself a little to the north to get past the ridge for the soft stuff.

Overall, I would consider the resort medium size. We hit most of the runs excepting Corbet's Couloir (of course for the vast majority of us). There are several chutes that are very doable for a well seasoned black run skier. I would recommend starting with the Central Chutes. They are steep and breathtaking but short. Therefore I would find them an excellent introduction to the developing...

The website was very enthusiastic about their extensive options for adaptive activities. We came as a group to the bike park only to find out that the adaptive mountain biking option required a babysitter to accompany you on the trails. I was offered a tour on the paved path through the resort and was told there was no option for me to bike with my group. They said the bikes were “too expensive” and “hard to replace” to allow me to use them without supervision. As a disabled woman, I’m used to discrimination and being treated insensitively. I really didn’t know what to expect, but it was so humiliating to be treated like a child. I cried for an entire hour and just get to spend the day seeking a shady spot to sit in while the rest of my family tries to enjoy their day. I really thought I was going to get to be included for once. Silly me. I should have known it was just a PR move to make the resort look inclusive on paper. It was utterly humiliating. Please, any disabled people that are hoping to go, please know that the experience offered isn’t anything like the videos on their website.

*Don't fall for their PR reply. The "adaptive event" was the walking food tour and they offered to let me use one of the adaptive bicycles on the food tour with the others. Their fleet of four adaptive bicycles were sitting in an un-used cafe, blocked by tables. Their website is very misleading as it seems to boast about adaptive offerings, including mountain biking on the hour every hour. This is not the case, and none of the employees were even familiar with the adaptive options and it was clear they were not regularly used. Most importantly, there is absolutely no option to take them on the mountain with your able-bodied friends or family. They specifically require you to be accompanied by a staff member for babysitting, which is absolutely insulting. They let any idiot rent a bike for able-bodied individuals and barrel down the mountain, but won't allow a disabled person to use adaptive equipment in...