Page 219 - home and garden

TRAVEL | NORTH AMERICA

t’s 7am, it’s minus 20 degrees celsius, extreme skiers, who fling themselves off crags
and I’m dressed like I mean trouble. The and couloirs with brazen invincibility.
black, all-in-one thermal suit is a little For regular skiers, the Teton mountains are high
on the big side, as are the enormous and steep, rarely crowded but always cold –
fleece-lined rubber boots, but luckily eye-wateringly, finger-achingly cold, even if, by

the balaclava fits like a glove. I have some strange temperature inversion unique to
a crash helmet under my arm and a this resort, it is sometimes warmer the higher up
Igetaway motorbike glinting at me in the mountain you go. While cold means little or no
the early morning sun. I could be an assassin, slush (and consequently no early-morning ice), the
armed and dangerous; instead I’m a tourist and the payback is the lack of outdoor dining. On-mountain
only thing I’ll be shooting are photographs, if I can restaurants are few and far between (Couloir at the
bare my hands for long enough in the freezing top of the gondola is the pick of the bunch, while the
cold to press the shutter button on my camera. adjoining Piste Mountain Bistro opens this season
‘Welcome to Yellowstone National Park’ a sign for Jackson Hole’s fiftieth birthday celebrations).
says. In the icy car park, I am surrounded by other, Long afternoons catching the rays on a sunny deck
similarly dressed assassins and we are all heading aren’t really what Jackson is about. And neither is
off (in staggered teams of eight) on a snowmobile the hedonism of Alpine après-ski.
safari to Yellowstone’s most popular attraction – Jackson Hole instead breeds an infectious sense
the Old Faithful geyser. The round trip is some 90 of health and well-being. You exercise hard, eat
miles in total, along deserted, snow-packed roads heartily and sleep well with altitude-fuelled dreams
through an exquisite, frozen landscape of woods, of bears and wolves, and of the uncharted back-
lakes, rivers and waterfalls. Our guide, who monitors country beyond the peaks, which locals describe
our Ski-Doo driving skills, shares with us a broad with wonder and awe. If truth be told, it’s the closest

sweep of facts about Yellowstone, including the I’ve come to wanting to live the American Dream.
astonishing statistic that while between December
and March approximately 20,000 people visit the WHERE TO STAY AND EAT
park, in July and August there are 25,000 visitors Jackson Hole is a destination of two halves: the
a day. In the course of our magical day, apart from principal town and the ski resort at Teton Village,
a few fellow ‘bikers’ and an inevitable flurry of a 20-minute drive away. This impacts on where
tourists at Old Faithful itself, we see no one. you stay. Keen skiers choose the latter, while those
It’s tempting to snooze on the hour-long bus wanting more variety choose the former.
ride back from Yellowstone to Jackson Hole, JACKSON HOLE The Rusty Parrot Lodge
where I’m based, but the scenery is just too sen- (rustyparrot.com) is a family-run, 32-room lodge
sational to miss. The icy fangs of the majestic and spa, more akin to Scotland than Wyoming. A
Teton, the youngest mountain range in the Rockies, shuttle service runs to Teton Village.
turn salmon pink in the evening sun, framing the EAT The food at Wild Sage, the hotel’s small
silence of a landscape gripped by winter. restaurant, is fabulous.
Back in Jackson, evening revelries are hotting TETON VILLAGE At the base of the lifts, the Four
up. It is early March, and nearing the end of the Seasons (fourseasons.com/jacksonhole) has the
season, but the Silver Dollar Bar at The Wort Hotel prime spot. It is huge, always full and brilliant for
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP FAR LEFT A lone is packed for the weekly live performance by local families. The Handle Bar is the best après-ski venue
ISTOCKPHOTO; SHUTTERSTOCK; GETTYIMAGES; JULIE WEINBERGER; STEFANO AMANTINI/4CORNERS IMAGES
elk bull in the National Elk Refuge. Ski-Doo bluegrass band One Ton Pig. Unlike glitzy Aspen and there’s a vast spa with steaming hot tubs.
drivers. Enjoying perfect powder off piste. or Vail, there are no airs and graces here. Jackson EAT Il Villaggio Osteria (jhosteria.com), a five-
Jackson Hole’s stage stop. Couloir restaurant. Hole is a genuine Wild West cowboy town where a minute walk from the Four Seasons, is excellent
The snow-covered Tetons. The Amangani sense of authenticity prevails, the average age is for pizzas and pasta.
pool. A welcome sign hanging from an arch of 30 and people revere the great outdoors over and BETWEEN THE TWO Amangani (aman.com/
elk horns. The Four Seasons. A horse-drawn above fashion and fame. In winter, locals wax lyrical resorts/amangani), midway between Jackson
cart in Grand Teton National Park (centre) about the glories of summer – hiking, rafting, fish- Hole and Teton Village, is the super-duper option,
ing and cycling – no doubt turning their minds in where views of the Grand Teton and Snake River
summer to the onset of snow. Famous among bring tears to the eyes. The outdoor pool is epic.

connoisseurs for its challenging skiing, Jackson EAT Snake River Grill (snakerivergrill.com) in
Hole is home to some of the best and craziest Jackson Hole offers American dining at its best.

Pamela Goodman travelled as a guest of Scott Dunn (020-8682 5050; scottdunn.com),
which offers 10-night tailor-made trips to Jackson Hole from £1,740, including
British Airways flights to Denver, onward connections with United and private transfers.
Full-day snowmobile Old Faithful safaris cost $295 per person (scenic-safaris.com)

HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK NOVEMBER 2015 217