Resort Report: Grand Targhee, WY

View of Tetons from Grand Targhee, WY. Photos: Compass Media.

There are not many resorts in North America that can offer a lift-accessed backcountry experience. These are places where you can find bottomless, untracked powder turns all day long with very few, if any other people around. Mountains that feel like your own private playground. Silverton, Colorado, Mt. Baker, Washington and several in Canada would probably make that list. But among the hidden gems is a special place called Grand Targhee. Grand Targhee could very well be the best-kept secret in snowboarding.

Although technically Grand Targhee Resort lies in Alta, Wyoming, it can only be accessed from Idaho, or what locals have appropriately dubbed, “Wydaho”. Bordering Idaho on the western slope of the Teton Mountains, Grand Targhee is the oft-overlooked cousin of neighboring Jackson Hole.  Despite lacking the vertical rise and massive size as Jackson, Grand Targhee boasts over 500 inches a year of incredibly light, cold Wyoming snow. And the best thing is, there’s hardly anybody around to ride it…

Just four lifts access the entire mountain, which is filled with large gullies, gladed tree runs and secluded fields of untouched powder. Minimal grooming leaves plenty of natural terrain to be explored, and a couple of backcountry gates access some steeper lines with rock exposure, challenging chutes and various cliff drops. There is even a guided snowcat tour limited to 12 people per day that operates in a 600-acre powder reserve if you really want to get away from it all.

The base area features only the essentials you need and nothing you don’t: Fred’s Board Shop (a Vans retailer), The Trap Bar ($2 PBRs, of course), The Branding Iron (great burger and salad bar lunch special) and three separate lodging options mere feet from the lifts. It’s the perfect place to escape the crowds and bares no resemblance to the typical condo plagued resorts of the Rockies. Check out the video below and see for yourself…