It’s been a surreal year to say the least, but here in the least populated state in the U.S. we’re built for — and in some cases, intentionally chose — a life with more space and fewer neighbors. We recognize that isolation isn’t always a bad thing, and we know how to find comfort and
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Winter is a challenging time of year for wildlife. Deep snow makes it difficult for animals to find food or move quickly to escape threats. Just traveling through the snow—especially in bitterly cold temperatures—expends a tremendous amount of energy. Taylor Phillips, owner of Jackson Hole Ecotour Adventures, knows how important it is to protect wildlife
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Skiing up to Surprise Lake in Grand Teton National Park to check a weather station is just another day in the office for Lisa Van Sciver, who is an instrumental part of the local avalanche forecasting team. While her job title on paper says “meteorologist technician,” her position is more colloquially known as “snow ranger.”
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What would winter in Jackson Hole be without snow? While it’s unlikely snow will disappear from the area anytime soon, climate change is impacting our region along with the rest of the world. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data and the U.S. Government’s climate.gov website, “Nine out of 10 of the warmest years
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Sixty-five avalanche paths have the potential to impact Jackson and the four highways leading into town. Brenden Cronin is one of just two Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) avalanche technicians charged with monitoring and mitigating the potential slides that could block Jackson’s roads. In the winter, Cronin checks weather models and forecasts and, along with
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If we’ve ever met on the slopes, or you’ve read my past winter Publisher’s Notes, you know I’m addicted to snow. Ever since my dad took me to Berchtesgaden, Germany, in 1971 for a family ski trip, I’ve been hooked. From living in Boulder and skiing the mountains of Colorado as a teenager, to making
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Lisa McGee looked out across the landscape on a recent summer trip she took with her son, Dylan, on the Wyoming Range National Recreation Trail, a 75-mile trail that runs along the spine of the mountains. If things had gone differently, she realized, they could have been hiking through an oil and gas field instead
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Laurie Andrews has always loved open space. Growing up in California, her family home sat near a ranch where she was allowed to play. When she learned the ranch sold, she cried. She was just 5 years old. “It’s where I found contentment and where I felt alive,” she says. “I just always felt that
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Upon first glance, Linda Merigliano may appear serious and quiet. However, get her talking about the great outdoors and its impact on the human condition, and her eyes snap with intelligence. Her smile, genuine and broad, is infectious. Merigliano is passionate about wild spaces—particularly those landscapes she serves as recreation manager for the Jackson District
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Living in Jackson means being surrounded by protected land. The town is ringed by the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park, and the National Elk Refuge, with endless outdoor recreation just a short drive, bike ride, walk, or horseback ride away. In fact, 97 percent of Teton County is publicly owned, and much of
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In the summer of 1976, Luther Propst and two high school buddies piled into a 1969 Ford pick-up truck excited to fulfill a longtime dream of exploring the West. Propst, who is now a Teton County commissioner, first became fascinated with the American West as a child, flipping through National Geographic photos of mountains, rivers,
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In the remote Wyoming wilderness, below Pendergraft Peak, a small bronze plaque commemorates slim Pendergraft: “mountain man, game protector, and gentleman.” Outfitter Peter Linn is paying homage to the outdoorsman in another way: he named his new business Pendergraft Outfitters. “My great granddad homesteaded here around 1905, and he outfitted with Slim Pendergraft,” Linn says.
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When people come to Jackson, whether to enjoy a vacation or build a life, they aren’t coming for the skyscrapers. People come here to see the area’s iconic natural beauty and immerse themselves in nature. Protected lands, both public and private, allow people to savor the natural world, whether by climbing a peak in Grand
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Two winters ago, a man skiing the Maverick backcountry line in Grand Teton National Park had a heart attack. His wife called 911. When Jess King, supervisor for Teton County Search and Rescue, received the call, she got to work immediately. Time was ticking. Working with the Jenny Lake Climbing Rangers and Teton County Search
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In 1973, Chuck Fidroeff’s military plane was spiraling toward the ground in a nosedive. Flying over Vietnam from Thailand, the EC-47’s engine failed and the plane crashed, killing two passengers. Fidroeff was one of the seven lucky survivors. Twelve years in the Air Force had earned him the handle “Double-O-Chuck.” After being unconscious for seven
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Joe “Mad Dog” Stevens gets directly to the point. “I genuinely feel like I have the best job in the world,” he says. As head coach for the Evolution Freeride program at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Stevens spends winters working with young local skiers and snowboarders. “We have a team of fantastic athletes, and we’re
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Wren Fialka learned the power of interconnectedness as a young girl when her mother started a gardening program in one of Washington, D.C.’s poorest areas. “The homeless people I met there touched my heart,” she says. “They had a certain type of courage, kindness, and authenticity. I wanted to ensure they were treated with respect.”
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This issue of JHStyle focuses on local residents who make it their mission to give back to the community, whether that means bringing meals to seniors, helping people who are lost or injured in the backcountry, or encouraging kids to be their best—on and off the slopes. Reading these pages, it’s easy to see why
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With rugged mountaintops, free-flowing rivers, and bountiful wildlife, Jackson is a wild place. Much of the area’s wildness is a result of forward-thinking conservationists who worked to protect and preserve that area far before most modern people settled here. Just about every wild thing we enjoy in the area is influenced by the legacy of
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Widely known for his extreme skiing and birthday launches into S & S Couloir, “Wild Bill” Bowen is truly a multi-dimensional athlete. An expert spelunker and dedicated thru-hiker, his curiosity is insatiable. “I get in these ‘child Bill’ moods,” he says. “I’m on a constant search for the unknown.” Bowen splits his time between the
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Ryan Burke was biking up Teton Pass in 2014 when he had a revelation. He had already ran about 40 miles across the Teton Crest Trail, swam almost six miles around Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, and completed most of the 109-mile bike ride from Jackson known as “around the block.” He was
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