Hiding in Plain Sight: 6 Reasons To Ski Snow King
By Max Ritter 
Long live the King! Jackson’s town hill is hiding in plain sight–the skiing directly above town is some of the best in the area! Here’s why skiing Snow King is a local favorite for sleeper pow days and ripping groomers, and why it’s a great no-stress place to take the family for a day of fun.
The King is a great place to go if other resorts are sold out
Forgot to make your reservation at Jackson Hole or missed the bus to Targhee? Fret not, there’s room for you at the King. While the region’s other resorts attract the crowds, Snow King stays true to its low-key vibe year round. With a high-speed gondola, three chairlifts, a poma, and a magic carpet accessing 1,571 vertical feet and 500 skiable acres of skiing, even a “busy” day won’t have lift lines. Not to mention, adult tickets are under $100, and kids under 5 ski free.
Night Skiing, Tubing, and a Mountain Coaster
Want to keep the fun going into the evening hours? Snow King is the only resort in the Tetons that offers night skiing, so you can keep riding under the lights until 6:30, Monday-Friday. Take the whole family and enjoy the tubing hill and mountain coaster.
You can walk to Snow King from Town Square
If you’re staying near town square, the lifts of Snow King are just a short walk away. If not, hop on the free START Bus that will drop you right at the gondola base. Here’s a local tip: Jackson’s coolest coffee shop, FRX, is right at the base. Stop into this ski bum haunt for a cup of coffee, a delicious breakfast burrito, endless candy bars or a slice of freshly baked banana bread.
The skiing at Snow King spans beginner cruisers to steep, experts-only terrain!
While Snow King’s north side offers some of the steepest continuous fall-line skiing in the country to test your skills (including a sustained 45-degree pitch on upper Exhibition and Yeti), the sunny backside is home to mellow groomers and some great low-angle treeskiing. Head there on a sunny day to ski soft snow and lap Sunnyside Bowl. The slopes below Rafferty are a great place to enjoy friendlier terrain while soaking in the expansive views of town, the Elk Refuge, and Grand Teton National Park
The best views in the area
Speaking of views, Snow King’s location directly above the town of Jackson offer the best views in the area. From the summit, it’s possible to see deep into the wilderness of Wyoming’s Gros Ventre Range, Snake River Range, and the entire Teton Range from one spot.
Complete with an Observatory and Planetarium
Last, but not least, Snow King is home to the only public mountaintop observatory and planetarium in the United States. Stop in during your ski day to check out this state-of-the-art facility that features a telescope with a massive 1-meter primary mirror to zoom in on planets, galaxies, and everything in between. The planetarium offers a daily rotating list of science shows displayed on the immersive 360-degree screen.
Max Ritter is a professional writer, editor, and photographer who’s lived in the Tetons since 2016. He works in ski and outdoor media for outlets like POWDER Magazine and local outfit Teton Gravity Research, and co-authored a cookbook celebrating the local ski culture called Beyond Skid: A Cookbook for Ski Bums. You’ll most likely find him in the Tram line on a powder day.