Such memories!
Our family’s go-to place in Jackson Hole was the Snow King Inn at the foot of the town hill in Jackson.
So, it hurt my heart to read Renee Jean’s informative news story about the resort changing its name to Trailborn Jackson Hole after more than 90 years. The old resort had the best initials in the ski business: S-K-I.
Why on earth would you change the name? It makes me sad.
Our young family learned to ski at Snow King, Teton Village, and Grand Targhee, the three fabulous ski areas in the Jackson Hole area. These were, and remain, among the great ski mountains in the world.
And we were lucky enough to play there.
The late Roy Peck of Riverton was the visionary leader of a company called Western Standard that built the fabulous Snow King Inn in 1976. We started going there soon afterward.
I knew Roy well. He was a competing newspaper publisher in neighboring Riverton to our Lander. Although we battled like crazy for advertising dollars, he was always a gentleman.
Somewhere there is a photo of Roy sitting at his desk. It literally was the most cluttered desk in history.
Folks know I have one of the messiest desks most people have ever seen, but Roy put me to shame. He was my hero.
Roy Peck died in Cheyenne while serving in the Wyoming Legislature in 1983.
His son, David, is a successful newspaper publisher in Lovell, Greybull and Basin. He took me on a tour of the Big Horn Canyon last year.
But I digress. Back to Snow King.
A young immigrant from Cuba named Manuel Lopez was the construction manager on the Snow King project. The big hotel had 203 rooms and was first-rate. It was designed by architects Bob Corbett of Jackson and Gene Dehnert of Lander.
Manuel ended up having a 40-year career at the resort, eventually becoming its general manager. Manuel was a great friend. He died of cancer in 2015 at the age of 71.
I first met Manuel and two other giants of tourism, Clay James and Clarene Law, during those times. Clay ran Jackson Lake Lodge for 30 years and Clarene was a legendary hotelier in downtown Jackson.
Like Nowhere Else
Who doesn’t love Jackson Hole?
There literally is nowhere else on Earth quite like it.
And yet, many people around Wyoming have developed a resentment toward the area because of all the billionaires, its continued Democratic voting patterns, and the traffic.
In summer, the cars, trucks, and RVs can be just awful. It could be argued that Jackson Hole is being loved to death.
And perhaps the fact that hotel rooms now can run more than $400 per night shocks the more frugal Wyomingites from the rest of the state.
Apparently, there are enough rich people from around the world to continue to pack Jackson Hole. Often, it is impossible to get a room.
Our four kids all learned to ski in Jackson Hole, and our memories are just so good. Snow King Resort will always have a special place in our hearts.
Because Manuel was such a good friend, we often got friend-and-family rates that made it affordable for us if they were not sold out.
I should add that my three kid brothers, Jerry, Ron, and Don Sniffin, also learned to ski in Jackson Hole. They all recall one scary day on one of the bigger slopes that was especially intimidating. Overall, those were wonderful times.
Daryl Hunter
Here is some other news from Jackson Hole, that is so sad to me.
Jackson Hole recently lost one of its best promoters when Daryl Hunter, 72, died of cancer in August.
Daryl was one of Wyoming’s premier photographers. I used a great many of his photos in my three Wyoming-themed coffee-table books.
He was always easy to work with and would let me know when he had some especially new or spectacular shots.
He was always trying to promote the Greater Yellowstone region. He even put together a digital book about the area that was just terrific. I used to have a copy and will need to go back and try to find it.
Readers of this column know how much I love Yellowstone, but you have to include Jackson Hole when describing the region.
Places like Jenny Lake, the Snake River, Jackson Lake, the town of Jackson, Teton Village, Alta and Grand Targhee . . . why would anyone want to go anywhere else?
Teton Pass
One last piece of Jackson Hole news:
Jackson Hole is not easy to get into or out of . . . and Teton Pass, especially, between Jackson and Idaho, can be scary.
Because of high traffic counts and steep grades, it was recently announced that trucks and RVs will not be allowed over the pass until their drivers have passed a special course.
The Wyoming Department of Transportation created the course after several fatal crashes.
I never drove my motorhome down the pass into Jackson, but I have driven it up and over the top into Idaho. It is terrifying.
Besides the natural challenges of steep grades, tight turns and possible weather problems, the huge amounts of traffic make the experience memorable, to say the least.
I think having such a course is a good idea.
All Those Good Times
But through all of this, my memories of Jackson Hole remain overwhelmingly good ones.
And when I think of those years, I think of our young family, snow-covered mountains, long days on the slopes, good friends, and that wonderful old Snow King Inn.
The name may change. But the memories won’t.
Bill can be reached at bill@cowboystatedaily.com
