Jackson Hole Vs. Whistler

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So next winter i am either going to jackson hole or whistler in the last week of january. I am coming from the mid west so i am not going for park skiing. I want to ski gnarly and fun inbounds terrain. Like chutes/cliffs/pillows/trees/big pow fields. So idk which place would be better to go to.

Always +++K
 
yeah i'd defiantly go to jackson hole, its a super local mountain with super gnarly terrain.

whistler is over crowded, but sick too
 
the only reason why I'd say you should choose Whistler over Jackson Hole is it's proximity to a city. Jackson Hole is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Really though, you should go to Jackson Hole.
 
I would go to Jackson Hole if I were you. I have never been there, but I have skied in whistler at the time you are thinking of coming. In my experiences here there is not as much snow and sometimes it is actually warmer in january at whistler. Warmer in whistler means rain to the top, not snow. I doubt this happens much at the end of january in jackson hole. Furthermore, Whistler is crowded and gets tracked out incredibly fast. You can find good snow if you know where to go or if you have backcountry experience, however since you are from the midwest, thats unlikely.
 
i really dont get when kids say they are form the midwest and that they are going to ski all of these hella sick lines.

i would recommend whistler for you since it is better for someone on vacation for a week.
 
Haven't skied Either but I'm going to have to say Jackson Hole. I feel like you could spend a week at whistler and not even scratch the surface of everything there. Jackson Hole is a lot smaller but still has all the terrain your looking for. If you willing to go somewhere else to, I spent a week in Bozeman MT this year. It was pretty good because the cost of living is pretty cheap there. If your in Bozeman you can take the bus to Big Sky for like 5 bucks and free on the way back and its like an hour. But you could just hitchhike to Bridger Bowl. Just gonna throw this out there too, Whistler Tickets are 96 for adults, Jackson is like 95, Bridger Bowl is 48. Just a suggestion.
 
id say whistler, because I think they offer a wider range of terrain, and certainly much more skiable terrain, and if you catch them when they are not too busy and get fresh snow. It will be extremely epic. Last week of january during the week wont be too busy . Jackson hole sounds pretty sweet too , and if u want a more chill small town feel , then head there.
 
if you re going for one week dont hope too much, whistler in january often gets rain, and when it snows (a lot usually) it gets tracked out really fast (like anything without a hike / under the chairs / easily accessible terrain will be tracked out by 11am, but then if you know where to go it s another story)

i dont know shit about jakson hole, but if i went to whistler for a week in january and i didnt have a touring set up i d defintly take my park skis too.

 
I've been on vacations to both and I would go 100% with Whistler.

People complaining about rain in January at Whistler is straight false. Yea it'll rain all day at the base but that means its snowing up top which is where all the good skiing is.

Jacksons sick but its too small and can get boring.

Whistler is the greatest ski resort in North America. There is more than enough of every single type of terrain (trees, open bowls, sunny faces, glaciers, steep rock chutes, gnarly wind-lip faces, natural jumps, groomers, sick park) like it legit has every type of skiing imaginable.

Jackson has some good expert stuff but Whistler is way crazier, tons and tons of gnarly chutes and legit double blacks, like there are in-bound lines that will make you shit your pants just looking at.

Also Whistler has amazing lift access to get to anywhere you like with little to no hiking (10 minutes tops seriously). The mountain has amazing flow and each part of the mountain feels so unique.

There's a site called whistler 3d solutions I think, google it, if you cant find it, pm me, but it uses google maps and shows all the great runs so you can see exactly what they're like and then go ski it. Its the best guide available for any mountain and its free. You'll find everything your looking for and more by using that.
 
i agree, sure some days are gonna have big crowds but honestly there is enough terrain that on a pow day u can find fresh all day, back country acess is great also if ur lookin to get into that and in whistler its super easy to meet people and everyone skis
 
Mans got a point. The park here sucks dick. But I grew up an east coast park rat and I've gotta say I never really missed the park this season until these last couple weeks of warm weather. There is so much sick terrain there really is no reason to spend time in the park here.

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either. If I ever leave Jackson it would have to be for a place like whistler tho.
 
You went on vacation there, i live there. maybe if i say it can rain in january all the way to the roundhouse it s cause i ve seen it ?

Just cause you have never seen something doesnt mean it cant happen... Keep spreading your ignorance like knowledge :)

whistler is a fun place though you ll love it. just that for a week of vacation it can really be hit or miss if you re only trying to ski pow. It didnt snow for 3 weeks this year in december... the parks are always great though so just bring park and pow skis and you ll have a good time no matter what the weather says.

 
i really dont think we can go off this year though, even though whistler got some decent snow it just doesnt compare to other yeears and especially last year.
 
I live in Jackson. Our economy depends on people visiting here though I've become enough of a snobby local that I don't want to advertise this place. That said, I would honestly flip a coin to decide. The weather can go hero or poor in either location at any time. I've seen it rain up to 10,000ft in January too. You will have a better chance of getting laid in Whistler, and getting into an avalanche here in JH. We have way shorter lift lines but big pow openings are still a junk show. Consider yourself lucky no matter which you choose and have FUN!
 
I could very easily say "I don't think we can really go off of last year".

Weather is weather, year in, year out. January is a fickle time for the PNW as far as freezing level goes. Just can't help but remember the winter of 04/05 when the freezing level went up to around 3000M (maybe a little lower depending on location) and had rain to the top of everywhere for about two weeks.

That's obviously an extreme case, but you get my point.
 
go to jackson but stop at grand targhee they have the sickest pow. Whistler is a fun place but the snow is heavy as shit. its still fun though, also if you go to whistler you could stop at mount baker which is like 1:45 mins away and one of the best places to ski, in my opinion.
 
FYI - We call it TarGay for a reason. It's short and flat. They have 1/5 the easy access bc terrain and it's basically hitting one cliff, unless you ski the permanently closed Peaked line...
 
I went there two days after a storm when Jackson was completely carved up. Even right under the lift, there was fresh powder and in general more snow than Jackson had. The terrain is easier for sure, but sometimes its nice to just rip huge powder fields, which is basically all Targhee has. I think its definitely worth a day to try it out.
 
Whistler Blackcomb is still open for operations (and will be for another month) we're still getting 20cm pow days.

Jackson Hole was closed a while ago...
 
I say Whistler because the après ski scene is ridiculously fun, and the skiing is gnarly as fuck. there's so much BC outlets all over the place, and all the parks are sick. Just my $0.02
 
High alpine there was definitely 20cms fresh. Forecast is calling for 12-15cm fresh for tomorrow too. I spend a lot more time snowmobiling in the backcountry here, but there was definitely 2-3ft of fresh this weekend when I was out up the rutherford and ogre.
 
First sentence. You obviously haven't ever been out of bounds.

Last sentence, you say legit double blacks. I'm not even gonna start.

Either place is rad. If you don't ski park jackson.
 
Just because we come from the mid west or east coast doesn't mean we're bad skiers and can't ski bigger lines.
 
sorry brah, i didn't know all the hella sick lines were reserved for you.

Whistler is better for someone on vacation week? ....implying that anyone who goes on vacation somewhere is a weekend warrior and that whistler doesn't have any gnarly terrain.

But yeah, like I said, I'll leave all the hella sick lines to you cause it looks like you are the best skier on the mountain.

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Whistler has some AMAZING slackcountry and backcountry terrain. The Sled Skiing here is absolutely phenomenal too. There is a reason why so many film crews like TGR, MSP, PBP, Salomon Freeski, and other Snowboard & Sled film crews are based here or spend a large portion of their winter here. It's pretty awesome and has generally pretty stable avalanche conditions compared to the interior or rockies. The sheer amount of terrain here is mindblowing.

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I love it here, but that's just my opinion. I've skied all over the world when I used to Race Ski Cross and have been to Alta, Jackson, Baker etc. Nothing else compares in sheer scale and options, but to each their own.
 
That looks sick, you guys still shreddin pow in May thats unreal. We had a pretty good year in Lake Louise this winter but this spring skiing been quite the bust. Huge spring avy cycle last week took out so many Backcountry lines even a bunch of north facing stuffs all screwed up. You've made me so jealous I kind of wish I could rip out there for a week before I start work lol.
 
not implying that at all.

implying that whistler has much better nightlife, lodging, apres, and size.

I would choose whistler over Jackson since, well I did make that choice, and whistler seemed pretty easy to learn, Jackson looked more complex.

If I were to move somewhere I would most definitely choose jackson over whistler, but for vacation whis gets it.
 
Which makes you what 15 now?

Just curious for future references.

And living in PA is just as bad as living in the midwest for "sick lines"

At least where I was at in the midwest.

OP go to jackson, end of story.
 
14, get it right!!!

(sarcasm is intended^)

but I know live in Colorado, which isnt the steepest but I would say I can hod my own on any line. always been strong with skiing, sort of wish I kept racing but I gave that up to get into free skiing. especially since I moved out here and the courses are so much nicer and I have gotten stronger which has helped in my edge control.
 
This, Ryan stop saying that midwest/east coast skiers suck when you are from there yourself. Sure you have lived in Denver for a year or two but that doesn't give you the right to go around hating on kids. (inb4 you ignore this post and attack me with posts instead, this has nothing to do with me)
 
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