Grand Targhee Resort is a ski resort

Ski resort

A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...

 located in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Caribou-Targhee National Forest

Caribou-Targhee National Forest is located in the states of Idaho and Wyoming, with a small section in Utah in the United States. The forest is broken into several separate sections and extends over . To the east the forest borders Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and...

 in Alta, Wyoming

Alta, Wyoming

Alta is a census-designated place in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 400 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson, WY–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

. It is 42 miles (67.6 km) northwest of Jackson, Wyoming

Jackson, Wyoming

Jackson is a town located in the Jackson Hole valley of Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,647 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Teton County....

, accessible by road only by way of Driggs

Driggs, Idaho

Driggs is a city in Teton County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, and is located in Teton Valley. The population was 1,100 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Teton County...

, Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

. The resort has lodging, a spa, retail stores, and conference facilities. On the west side of the famous Teton Range

Teton Range

The Teton Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in North America. A north-south range, it is on the Wyoming side of the state's border with Idaho, just south of Yellowstone National Park. Most of the range is in Grand Teton National Park....

, it is located 8 miles (13 km) northwest of the Grand Teton

Grand Teton

Grand Teton is the highest mountain in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, and a classic destination in American mountaineering.- Geography :...

, and the majority of the slopes at Grand Targhee face west.

Activities

The ski resort has three quad-chairs ( two are high-speed detachable

Detachable chairlift

A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...

), one double chair, and one conveyor. The greatest vertical drop is 2419 feet (737 m). It is rated as 85% Difficult and 15% Advanced in skiing

Skiing

Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

. There are also Nordic skiing

Cross-country skiing

Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...

 trails, snowshoeing, snowcat adventures, and activities that include sleighride

Sled

A sled, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle with a smooth underside or possessing a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners that travels by sliding across a surface. Most sleds are used on surfaces with low friction, such as snow or ice. In some cases,...

 dinners and dogs

Dog sled

A dog sled is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function. They can be used for dog sled racing.-History:...

led tours. Grand Targhee is famous for abundant "champagne powder" snow. It averages over 500 inches (12.7 m) of snowfall per season which ranks it among the top four ski resorts in North America. This is impressive where it is 670 miles (1,078.3 km) inland and the snow that falls is nearly always dry powder snow. The reason for the abundant snowfall is twofold. First, the area is on the west slope or "wet" side of the 13700 feet (4,175.8 m) Grand Tetons and, second, because there is a moisture channel through the Rocky Mountains formed by the Snake River Plain

Snake River Plain

The Snake River Plain is a geologic feature located primarily within the state of Idaho in the United States of America. It stretches about westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho-Oregon border. The plain is a wide flat bow-shaped depression, and covers about a quarter of Idaho...

 that channels moisture to the west slope of the Tetons all the way from the Pacific Ocean.

The resort has two terrain parks that are slated for removal during the 2009 /2010 season.

Summertime offers scenic chairlift

Chairlift

An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...

 rides, kids camps, music festivals, a bluegrass

Bluegrass music

Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...

 festival, and the 9 hole Targhee Village golf course. Grand Targhee is also within close proximity to Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...

.

History

The original inhabitants of this area were the Shoshone, Bannock, Blackfoot, and Crow tribes. The Grand Tetons were called the Tee-Win-At by the Shoshone Indians, meaning "high pinnacles".

Targhee or Chief Targhee by 1867, was known as, “the great head chief of all the Bannock people.” He led his people through what may have been the most grim period of their history as they were forced from their traditional nomadic ways and into a life of hard labor and farming on the newly created Fort Hall Reservation. Chief Targhee was truly a great chief admired for his strong character and integrity. He was honored by euro-Americans and native-Americans alike. He held the peace while his people suffered from starvation and abuse resulting from the shameful acts of both the United States and Idaho Territorial governments. He was killed while hunting for food by the Crow in the winter of 1871-72. Upon his death, the Bannock fractured into several bands bent on war with the euro-Americans that eventually led to the demise of a significant proportion of the Bannock.

Grand Targhee Resort's name includes both a reference to Grand Teton Mountain and Chief Targhee. A national forest

United States National Forest

National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...

, a mountain pass

Mountain pass

A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...

, a creek and the resort commemorate Chief Targhee's integrity and the memory of the Native American contribution to this country.

The locals of Teton Valley

Pierre's Hole

Pierre's Hole, a shallow valley west of the Teton Range that collects the headwaters of the Teton River in what is today the state of Idaho, was a strategic center of the fur trade of the northern Rocky Mountains...

 were instrumental in establishing Grand Targhee Resort. In 1966, Grand Targhee, Inc. was formed by east Idahoans. One of the goals of the 900+ members was to benefit the community and the economy of the region. The resort opened on December 26, 1969, with the Bannock and Shoshone lifts, Targhee Lodge, and day lodge. The resort was officially dedicated by Idaho Governor Don Samuelson on February 2, 1970. In 1971, the Sioux Lodge opened. The original Master Plan under the Special Use Permit called for eventually developing the resort to a 6000 skiers per day lift capacity, 475 accodation units including buildings up to five stories and included plans for a trailer park, golf couses, and snomobile trailes over 1200 acres (4.9 km²). The original plan never materialized.

Bill Robinson, a plastics manufacturer from Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

, purchased Grand Targhee in 1975. Though primarily an absentee owner, Robinson and his family loved the area, bought a home in Driggs

Driggs, Idaho

Driggs is a city in Teton County, Idaho, United States. It is part of the Jackson, WY-ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, and is located in Teton Valley. The population was 1,100 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Teton County...

, and visited frequently throughout the years.

In 1987, Grand Targhee Resort was purchased and operated by Mory and Carol Bergmeyer. The Bergmeyers improved the resort facilities, added new guest activities and expanded the reputation of Targhee while continuing its dedication to family, quality and the sensitive balance between people and the great outdoors.

Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc., a corporation run by CEO George Gillett, Jr., purchased Grand Targhee in March 1997. In June 2000, George and Rose Gillett, along with their four sons, purchased Grand Targhee from Booth Creek Ski Holdings.

In 1997, the Gilletts installed the first high-speed detachable quad chair by replacing Bannock with Dreamcatcher, and the Shoshone double chair was replaced with a fixed-grip quad. Through a land exchange in 2004, the Gilletts acquired ownership of Grand Targhee's base area. Planning has begun for the future development of Grand Targhee Resort including expansion of Peaked Mountain facilities and a proposed expanded base area with more lodging units.

External links

• Grand Targhee.com - official site
• First Tracks Online.com - Grand Targhee
• CNN.com - AP
  Associated Press
  The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
  
   article - A friendly alternative to glitzy Jackson Hole - 10-Jan-2008
• Wyoming Tourism.org - official State of Wyoming tourism site - Grand Targee Resort
• Visit Idaho.org - official State of Idaho tourism site - Grand Targhee
• MSRmaps.com - USGS topo map & aerial photo.