The Views from Jackson’s Snow King Are…Out of This World
Now how about we get one of these at Howelsen Hill? Sure, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, offers some of the most scenic and extreme ski terrain in the country, but don’t overlook its little brother Snow King. Overlooking Jackson Hole, WY, is arguably the best community ski hill in the country. And its views from 1,500 feet above town are literally…out of this world.
The brainchild of Bax Chapman, Snow King’s chairman of the board who “wants to bring space to as many people as possible,” the ski area is now home to a new $8 million Snow King Observatory and Planetarium so heralded that even Bill Nye the Science Guy paid it a visit last summer!
Its new research-grade Plane Wave telescope is one of only 23 in the world and is already imaging galaxies 30 million light years away. Located at the top of a resort and headed by former University of Colorado astronomer, Joe Zator, who often commutes by snowboard with a headlamp when he’s finished working, the facility includes an observatory and planetarium, as well as concert hall, wedding venue and more (with plans for a restaurant and bar) all at the top of a new gondola that recently replaced an 18-minute-long fixed lift.
Note: bring your kids and they’ll thank you forever. Need a place to stay? Summer or winter, saddle up to the Teton Mountain Lodge (www.tetonlodge.com). Info: www.snowkingmountain.com.
