As a resolute non-skier born into a family of alpine enthusiasts, my familiarity with world-class ski resorts is second-to-none. Klosters, St. Moritz, Whistler – I’ve not skied them all, thanks to a lack of co-ordination and (to my mind) a catastrophic childhood injury. My knowledge of the sport extends not to the trails, weather conditions or elevations, but rather to where one can find the best espresso alongé, which watering hole puts on the best après and the location of the town’s (usually singular) movie theatre. While others shush down slopes, I spend countless hours trudging about plowed and salted streets, staring through the windows of twee “shoppes” filled with fur-lined moccasins of dubious provenance, decorative cowbells and the latest in telemark-ski technology.
At first glance, the ski mecca of Jackson Hole, Wyoming – home to some 8,600 full-time residents, as well as interlopers such as Sandra Bullock, Dick Cheney and Tiger Woods – seems to promise little for the non-sporting type. And day one of my visit only reinforces calcified familial prejudices, with dinnertime conversation at the Four Seasons revolving around runs down chutes, in bowls and over glades. My contribution, a detailed account of a luxurious full-body salt scrub in the hotel spa, is interrupted by a more adventurous sibling’s latest brush with death.
But the next morning, things begin to look up. As I angrily struggle over a crossword by the lounge fireplace, I’m approached by an attentive concierge, who has caught on to my grey humour. Jackson Hole, he confides, boasts an abundance of wildlife. If I’m not a skier, perhaps a wildlife safari would be more to my liking?
Why not, I reason (there are only so many body scrubs one can undergo). And so, at the appointed time, I present myself in the hotel’s lobby and join my fellow adventurers: a pair of fresh-faced coeds from California, an older German couple and a Montreal-based newspaper journalist. Our tour guide, Kyle from Jackson Hole Wildlife Safari, ushers us into the back of a battered Ford Econoline van, and after signing release forms and listening to Kyle’s safety instructions (which boil down to “Don’t get too close, don’t be too loud and stay behind me”), we’re off to see some nature.
Not two minutes later, we find ourselves in Grand Teton National Park, an 890-square-kilometre wildlife refuge inhabited by bears, moose, mountain goats and some 6,000 to 8,000 wintering elk. Suddenly, Kyle pulls the van over to the shoulder of the park road and points out a black bear foraging for food with her two cubs. According to Kyle, at this time of year (late November) she should be farther up the mountains, but they’ve had a warm fall.
“OK,” Kyle says, “Let’s go!” His enthusiasm is met with blank stares and no small amount of terror. The idea of meeting up with a bear in the wilderness is exhilarating; actually meeting said bear is, well, more than I bargained for.
Carefully, my tour mates and I climb out of the van, our new nylon and Gore-Tex jackets whistling with every step, to form a single line behind Kyle, whose broken-in parka remains resolutely silent. Luckily for us, momma bear, now only six metres in front, is accustomed to seeing overstuffed city slickers and continues her business unperturbed. After about 15 minutes, she turns tail and nonchalantly lumbers up the hill, her two cubs trailing behind.
As we clamber back into the van, I can hardly wait to get back to the hotel. Not just because I want a hot shower and a Baileys coffee, but because it’s nearly dinnertime and for once I’ll have a story to tell.
Temperatures average a brisk minus six degrees Celsius in the valley during ski season (late November to early April), though it can reach up to five degrees 600 metres above the valley floor.
Enjoy a cosy mountain-cabin atmosphere writ large at the ski-in/ski-out Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole in
Teton Village. fourseasons.com/
jacksonhole
The National Museum of Wildlife Art, built to resemble a natural rock outcropping, houses over 5,000 paintings and sculptures spanning works from early American tribes
to contemporary artists. wildlifeart.org
Drink in the après- ski at the retro- ’50s Cadillac Lounge, where happy hour often carries over well into the night at the adjacent Cowboy Bar. cadillac-grille.com/lounge
