The most popular event at the annual Snow King Serendipity was the first
Snow King Hill Climb, sponsored by the Jackson Hole Snow Devils. Thirty racers entered the snowmobile race up Snow King Mountain. John McLaughlin, the only one to make it all the way to the road at the top of the mountain, emerged as King of the Hill.
After finding no suitable alternatives the
Jackson Hole Airport board ended its search for another location for the airport and instructed its master plan consultants to focus their study on the effects of keeping the airport in Grand Teton National Park. The board also asked the firm to consider the effects of closing the airport if the present site could not be retained after the park lease expired in 1995.
The mountains were calling and he decided he must go. Twice.
A Chicago kid who had just graduated from high school, Chuck Melichar had his pick of colleges to attend. He narrowed his decision to top-tier institutions MIT and Colorado School of Mines.
Melichar chose the latter, and that choice has had a significant effect on operations at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Snow King Mountain Resort since 1993. He went from Chicago to the Colorado Rockies having never skied and knowing nothing about chairlifts and their operation â both quickly changed.
For those riding Snow Kingâs Summit Lift for its last hurrah â the 40-year-old lift will have been replaced by a new gondola by next ski season â during the last day of the World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb on March 28, Melicharâs 50 years of experience since heading out West from the Windy City were on display. On the lift himself when it malfunctioned and stopped running, Melichar talked the Snow King
This winter certainly had its ups and downs with snowfall, precipitation and temperatures alike. Trying to characterize the winter of 2020-21 in a just a few words would be futile. Therefore, in this weekâs column Iâll review all the data for you so you can see exactly what transpired and how it all compares with years past.
Normal town snowfall
When I totaled up the monthly snowfall numbers from the town of Jackson Climate Station between Dec. 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, I was amazed to find that we had received 61 inches of snow, which is exactly what the long-term average winter snowfall is in town for that four-month period.
Competitors in the Pole Pedal Paddle race are used to persevering: Through spring snow squalls that seem to hit with some regularity, through logistical challenges of managing gear for four or five different sports, through the typically stiff Wyoming wind on the cycling and river legs in particular.
In 2020, participants were hit with two additional Ps: pandemic. Postponed.
After a year of coping with COVID-19, this week the community welcomes back the PPP, a celebration of Jackson Holeâs athletic traditions and as much a rite of spring as baseballâs Opening Day or the arrival of the Easter Bunny.
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