Snow King’s $20M Extreme Makeover

Established in 1939 as the first ski area in Wyoming, Snow King may not be as famous as its Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Grand Targhee neighbors, but its convenient downtown Jackson location and affordable prices makes it a popular draw.

Often referred as “The Town Hill” with a 1,500 vertical and the steepest north-facing FIS race course on the mainland, most of the lower mountain is green and blue terrain and ideal for skiers of all ability levels from beginner to expert.

This year, Snow King is rolling up its sleeves and playing with the big boys with nearly $10M worth of improvements over the summer months. Together with the snow-making and lighting systems spent last year, these improvements represent the largest single capital investment in the ski area’s history – about $20M in all.

Construction began with the installation of a Doppelmayr fixed grip quad chairlift, which replaced the retired Rafferty ski lift. The new lift extends an additional 1000 linear feet and 300 vertical past the old terminal to provide access to two new beginner and intermediate trails. The new bottom drive, bottom tension mono-pod fixed grip quad terminal is the premiere of its kind and doubles the capacity of the uphill traffic to the new trails, along with a new Treetop Adventure Park scheduled to open this Fall.

Another first for Snow King is the construction of the Treetop Adventure Park. The Treetop consists of a new aerial adventure course that will cover 3 acres and feature 96 obstacles on Federal land. That, together with a mountain coaster will help make the resort a year-round attraction, and offset the costs of Snow King’s winter vision. The treetop adventure park includes zip lines, wobbly bridges, and Tarzan swings. The newly-built alpine slide mountain coaster is set for an early August opening.

Construction on a new base lodge is also underway. The base lodge will consist of multistory buildings of steel and wood, complementing the area’s natural aesthetics and will house a restaurant, ticket sales center, and the Mountain Sports School. The base lodge is planned for December grand opening, just in time for the peak ski season.

With all of these shiny new improvements spanning both seasons, Snow King is setting itself up for its best year ever on record, while maintaining its local vibe. Check it out and let us know what you think!